ID Cards To Go Total Force Green

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

12.16.1997

Courtesy Story

Defense.gov         

Identification cards for all active status service members will share the common green color of the cards active duty members carry now.

Defense Secretary William S. Cohen announced the change will be phased in over two to five years, beginning as early as June 1998.

The modifications include changing the reserve active status forces identification card [DD Form 2 (Reserve)] from red to green. Reserve active status forces include members of the Selected Reserve, the Individual Ready Reserve and the active Standby Reserve. Only the color will change. Current service benefits, privileges and entitlements remain the same, unless a change in status occurs.

The change responds to a pledge made by Cohen in a recent policy memorandum calling on the civilian and military leadership of the Defense Department to eliminate "all residual barriers - structural and cultural" to effective integration of the reserve and active components into a "seamless total force."

Implementing instructions from the services must be coordinated and published prior to issuing green ID cards to reserve component members. The only ID card being affected is the DD Form 2 (Reserve). The color of all other Uniformed Services Identification Cards will remain the same.

Red identification cards (DD Form 2 (reserve retired) will continue to be issued to "gray-area retirees" - members of the retired reserve who have not reached age 60. Family members of reservists will also continue to receive the red (DD Form 1173-1) ID card.

The cards will identify the member's reserve component service in the upper righthand corner. The seven components are Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve.

Among the many considerations of DoD officials when authorizing the change were medical benefits and commissary privileges -- two primary areas in which active and reserve component personnel have different entitlements. An ID card alone does not automatically authorize access to medical benefits or commissary privileges; both will continue to require additional documentation to allow members of the reserve components to use them.

(From a DoD release)

Story by American Forces Press Service

• Date Taken: 12.16.1997
• Date Posted: 07.04.2025 00:40
• Story ID: 530002
• Location: WASHINGTON, US