DOD Identification Number

Date of Publication:

3/13/2019

Definition:

(1) The DOD Identification Number will replace the SSN as the Geneva Conventions Serial Number for the United States as all DOD identification cards are updated through their natural lifecycle replacement.

The DOD Identification Number is the common name for the Electronic Data Interchange Personal Identifier (EDI-PI).

(a) The EDI-PI is a unique personal identifier created within the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) for each person who has a direct relationship with DoD.

(b) The EDI-PI has previously been used as a system identifier and is present in many DOD enterprise systems.

(2) To support widespread use of the DOD Identification Number, it will be printed on all DoD identification cards. It is intended to support replacement of the SSN in most DOD processes and business needs. It shall not be used to replace the SSN in any case where the SSN is required by law. (3) The DOD Identification Number shall only be used for DOD business purposes. This may include transactions that include entities outside DOD, so long as individuals are acting on behalf of or in support of the Department of Defense.

(a) For use in authentication transactions, an individual’s name and DOD Identification Number shall be treated as a single factor. When using an individual’s name and the DoD Identification Number for authentication, a second authentication factor must also be provided beyond the individual’s name and DOD Identification Number.

1. The DoD Identification Number shall not be, either by itself or in conjunction with the individual’s name, be considered sufficient for any level of authentication.
2. Presence or knowledge of an individual’s DOD Identification Number alone shall be considered as no more significant than presence or knowledge of that individual’s name. It does not constitute any level of authority to act on that individual’s behalf.

(b) The DOD Identification Number may not be shared with other Federal agencies unless a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is agreed upon by both the DOD and the recipient agency. MOUs for sharing the DOD Identification Number will be managed and administered by the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD[P&R]) and must include, at minimum, these stipulations:

1. The recipient agency must agree not to share the DOD Identification Number with any other agency or outside organization without the permission of the DOD.
2. The recipient agency must agree that the DOD Identification Number will not be used for single factor authentication, but will instead be used as only a single factor in a multi-factor authentication.