Social Security Numbers to be phased out of ID cards Published May 13, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Clayton Lenhardt 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- Starting in June Social Security numbers will be replaced with a Department of Defense identification number on all DoD identification cards in an effort to reduce the risk of identity theft. The program is being implemented in three phases. Phase one began in December 2008. At that time Social Security numbers from dependent identification cards started being replaced with X. Phase two will begin this June, and will remove printed Social Security numbers from all ID cards. Phase three will begin by the end of 2012. At this time Social Security numbers embedded in barcodes will be removed. "You do not have to worry about making an appointment to replace your identification card until it expires," said Staff Sgt. Rebecca Graham, from the 39th Force Support Squadron. The DoD identification number already exists and is known as the Electronic Data Interchange Person Identifier and is used for network accounts. Members with an indefinite expiration date who would like to have their Social Security number removed can contact the nearest ID card issuance facility or go to www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/owa/home to find the nearest location. For more information regarding the removal of the Social Security number from the identification card, visit www.dmdc.osd.mil/smartcard.