Kay Bailey Hutchison: “Social Security numbers are included on all military identification cards including the service member, military spouse…”

“Social Security numbers are included on all military identification cards including the service member, military spouse, and all dependents over the age of ten. In light of the recent theft of millions of veterans' personal information from the Department of Veterans Affairs, all federal agencies must take measures to protect crucial information. To this end, I have introduced an amendment that would require the Department of Defense to conduct a feasibility study on prohibiting the use of Social Security numbers on all military identification cards. When the Department of Defense began using Social Security numbers on identification cards in 1967, identity theft was not a problem most Americans worried about. Electronic transactions were, for the most part, non-existent, and we did not have the kind of access to personal records that we have today. By simply gaining access to someone's Social Security number, a malicious person could attempt to open a line of credit, obtain a false driver's license or passport, or completely steal another person's identity. Our military men and women should not have to worry about these problems while defending our country. We cannot wait until an incident occurs within the Department of Defense that compromises the security of our military members. The federal government must be proactive.…”