Need a New CAC Card? Published Aug. 23, 2008 By Capt. Kristin Haley 140th Wing/PA BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE -- New changes to the way next-generation Common Access Cards are issued now require Department of Defense employees and dependents to bring two forms of approved ID, one of which must bear a photo according to Chief Master Sergeant Dawn Conroy, 140th Mission Support Flight Superintendent. The Common Access Card (CAC) is a United States Department of Defense smartcard issued as standard identification for active duty, reserve military personnel, civilian employees, and eligible contractor personnel. The change, which began 30 July, is a result of the way Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) stores information into the system said Chief Conroy. The common access card is part of a standardized, secure credentialing system that was mandated after the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12/HSPD-12. The new cards interface with a secure, encrypted credentialing database and are used as a general identification card as well as for authentication to enable access to DoD computers, networks, and certain DoD facilities. It also serves as an identification card under the Geneva Conventions.