Posted on Apr 5, 2024
What regulation or policy addresses if your CAC must always reflect your current rank?
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Recently, I have run into issues with service members telling me at the gate that they don’t have to update their CAC until they hit the rank of E-5 but my entire time in the military I’ve always been told you with update your cac for every rank if so, what policy or directive touches on this subject For each branch thank you
Posted in these groups: 
CAC
CAC
Posted 8 mo ago
Responses: 5
DoD Manual 1000.13, Vol 1, Enclosure 2 (ID Card Life-Cycle Procedures)* - "An ID card shall be reissued when printed information requires changes (e.g., pay grade, rank, change in eligibility), when any of the media (including printed data, magnetic stripe, bar codes, or integrated circuit chip) becomes illegible or inoperable, or when a CAC is known or suspected to be compromised."
However, there are situations (especially in the reserve component) where they have other guidance based on limited/restricted resources (it's not uncommon to see ANG/ARNG policy stating that you have 90 days to update a CAC after changes or that it's not required for junior enlisted until they are promoted to E-5). For those situations, you'll have to see if there is other governing policy.
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* DoDM 1000.13, Vol 1 (DoD Identification (ID) Cards: ID Card Life-Cycle) - https://www.cac.mil/Portals/53/Documents/DODM-1000.13_vol1.pdf
However, there are situations (especially in the reserve component) where they have other guidance based on limited/restricted resources (it's not uncommon to see ANG/ARNG policy stating that you have 90 days to update a CAC after changes or that it's not required for junior enlisted until they are promoted to E-5). For those situations, you'll have to see if there is other governing policy.
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* DoDM 1000.13, Vol 1 (DoD Identification (ID) Cards: ID Card Life-Cycle) - https://www.cac.mil/Portals/53/Documents/DODM-1000.13_vol1.pdf
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I'm not sure about the CACs, but years ago we didn't update our ID cards unless there was a significant change in rank. When you became an NCO then you changed your ID card. If I remember correctly it had something to do with the Geneva Conventions, there was code or level that was changed on the ID card.
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MSG Thomas Currie
Yes, long long ago the old DD2A was updated upon promotion to E6 (many units did it for SGT E5 but not for SP5). ID cards were also replaced for any reduction below the grade shown. The only old-time unit I know of where ID cards for junior enlisted were updated to show current rank as the Berlin Brigade due to the need to have IDs match orders for service members traveling through the Soviet Zone of Occupation.
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COVID put a kink in that regulation. I couldn't walk into the CAC office and update my card when promoted. An exception policy was put out and the card itself had to be 90 days from expiration.
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