SCHRIEVER SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – The 50th Military Personnel Flight issued the first U.S. Space Force Common Access Card at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, June 24, 2021.
U.S. Space Force Capt. Ronald Miller, Space Delta 9 – Orbital Warfare executive officer, was the first Guardian to receive the USSF CAC.
“It was pretty cool,” said Miller. “I immediately showed everyone in my office when I got back. It was the talk of the town,”
In addition to Guardians, their dependents will also be able to show off their Space Force affiliation with new CACs.
“I was joking with Ron (Miller) that I was actually the first person to get a Space Force ID because I got mine before his,” said Mikaela Toni, Miller’s spouse. “Obviously, it was a unique thing to be a part of so it was a cool experience.”
So far, the efforts of the MPF have allowed for easy utilization of on-base systems for those who have received new IDs.
“I’ve already tested it out and it does everything it needs to do,” said Toni. “I got on base and it scanned fine. I bought something at the commissary and it scanned fine. It was a smooth transition.”
Although there has been success with issuing USSF CACs, they are still being issued in small quantities in the beta testing phase.
“The testing phase allows the MPF to address and track all the issues that members have with being issued their new cards, before beginning to issue mass CAC quantities,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Danielle Cook, 50th MPF commander. “Currently the MPF is in contact with a few [commander’s support staff] to schedule no more than five volunteers a week to receive a Space Force CAC.”
Once volunteers have been approved, they will be sent email instructions for how to set an appointment with MPF for themselves and their dependents.
After an appointment time has been established, the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) profile will be sent to the appropriate authorities to have it changed from a U.S. Air Force profile to a U.S. Space Force profile.
Currently, profiles will be shut-down by Tuesday evenings and the new CACs are issued Wednesday or Thursday, so it is recommended that members pick up their IDs no later than Friday to avoid losing their medical benefits and computer access over the weekend.
“What I liked was the ability to submit all of my documentation for my spouse online prior to the actual appointment,” said Miller. “That made it easy to walk in at my scheduled time and retrieve my spouse’s ID. That was the biggest benefit for me. Regarding my own CAC issuance, I didn’t have any issues at all scheduling or retrieving it. Everything went pretty smoothly.”
In an effort to mitigate potential CAC confiscation barriers, due to the transition period to the new USSF ID system, the MPF will provide the security forces squadron units with a daily Entry Authority List of Guardians who have approved base access, the day before their appointment so that if the entry controller gets a USSF CAC that displays terminated, they will be able to check the EAL and allow entry.
As a result of the efficient work produced by the 50th MPF, CACs should immediately be functional after issuance.
“I didn’t have trouble getting on base immediately after getting my CAC and my spouse’s ID confirmed by security forces at Schriever [Space Force Base] and Peterson [Space Force Base],” said Miller.
The 50th MPF is working diligently through the beta testing process in order to eventually service all 710 Guardians and 450 dependents that are in need of new ID cards, over the span of approximately seven months.
As it stands now, Schriever SFB has issued 19 military USSF CACs and nine civilian USSF CACs.
To ensure a successful ID card transfer, military and civilians members who receive a USSF CAC should download their current USAF CAC certificates prior to getting a USSF CAC to avoid being unable to recover old encrypted emails.
“If you are interested in receiving a USSF CAC, please contact your local CSS,” said Cook. “There is no estimated date established for beginning to mass issue cards, but we are hopeful that process can begin by the end of 2021.”
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