Thursday, March 22, 2001

By Jeremy Kirk
Seoul bureau chief

YONGSAN GARRISON — Some U.S. troops in South Korea soon will get a new identification card that will hold their personal information inside a computer chip.

The Defense Department chose South Korea, along with bases in Germany, to test the Common Access Card, which the DOD hopes will become the cornerstone of a paperless and computer-secure military.

South Korea will be used to test the ability to produce and distribute the cards to servicemembers at overseas installations, said Ed Haldeman, program manager for two personnel tracking systems at the Defense Manpower Data Center in Arlington, Va.

The cards will be produced and distributed at Yongsan Garrison and at Osan Air Base, in South Korea, and at Ramstein Air Base and Heidelberg, Germany, Haldeman said. Marines in Quantico, Va., also will be using the cards.

The "smart card," as it is being called, features an integrated circuit chip the Defense Department hopes will eventually contain other personal information, such as medical and pay records. In addition, the computer chip will give the cardholder access to computer systems and e-mail.

The cards will be gradually phased in as old ID cards expire or need to be replaced when a person is promoted or re-enlists. The card will be issued to active duty servicemembers, some reserve members, Defense Department civilians, some foreign national employees and contractors.

Initially, the card will used for identification. But plans call for it eventually to be used for personnel in-processing, meal cards, and accessing Defense Department computer systems, said Lt. Col. Steve Rego, director of Theater Army Personnel Services for the 8th Personnel Command.

"The potential of this card is awesome," Rego said. "For example, in some locations right now, the Marine Corps uses it for access to a building."

In the future, instead of logging on a computer, a soldier can swipe the card and gain access, Rego said.

Access will be verified every time someone uses the system. The Defense Department is trying to develop stronger protection measures for its computer networks through encryption, Haldeman said. System administrators will have stronger power over who has access to what systems.

"(The card) will create another barrier for hackers," said Sheila L. Ford, of Defense Human Resource Activity in Arlington, Va.

The card will be encoded with a personal identification number, which will prevent anyone but the cardholder from using it. Computer systems will require the pin number before allowing user access, Ford said.

The Army is very excited about the card's potential, Rego said.

"We see the light at the end of the tunnel of truly going paperless," Rego said.

The Army has a lot of forms soldiers must fill out, Rego said. The ability to do the forms online with soldiers using the access card as a signature holds great potential, he said.

"The potential savings for the military services are just tremendous," Rego said.

The Defense Department estimates that 4 million personnel will have the card by October 2002. The card will be valid for three years.

Family members, however, will not get the card, nor will some reservists, inactive National Guard and retirees.

The process for getting an ID card will not change, Haldeman said. The new cards will be issued by the 516th Personnel Services Battalion at Yongsan Garrison across from the Dragon Hill Hotel and the 51st Military Personnel Squadron at Osan Air Base.

Customs agents in countries that frequently see U.S. personnel have been briefed on what the new cards look like, Haldeman said.

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