Congress has gotten slightly more serious about attempting to safeguard social security numbers for military members. The issue surfaced earlier this year during the data theft debacle at Veterans Affairs. Buried in the just passed 2007 defense authorization bill is a demand for DOD to provide an “assessment” of the “feasibility” of using military ID cards without an individual’s social security number. The Pentagon must submit said assessment within 180 days of the defense bill becoming law.
Air Force senior statesmen explained the reasons they jointly sent a letter to Congress urging restoration of the E-7 Wedgetail and more F-35s to the fiscal 2026 defense budget.