DoD ID Card Reference Center (CAC.mil)

CAC.mil is the Department of Defense's official ID Card Reference Center — the public reference site for the Common Access Card (CAC) and the Next Generation Uniformed Services ID (USID) Card. It guides service members, DoD civilians, contractors, retirees, and family members through obtaining, using, and maintaining both card types, and publishes the governing policy documents, forms, and developer materials for the CAC platform.

What it is

The site is organized around the two DoD identification credentials. The Common Access Card section covers CAC types and eligibility, getting a CAC, and managing an issued card — the CAC being the "smart" ID card for active-duty military personnel, Selected Reserve, DoD civilian employees, and eligible contractor personnel. The Next Generation USID Card section does the same for the ID card issued to military family members and retirees for access to service benefits and privileges, including online USID renewal. An ID Card Lifecycle section walks the full issuance chain — sponsorship and eligibility, DEERS registration and enrollment, background investigation (CAC only), RAPIDS processing and issuance, and card use, maintenance, retrieval, and revocation — with links to the associated policy documents.

Who operates it

The Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), the DoD component (under the Defense Human Resources Activity) that maintains DEERS, RAPIDS, and the DoD's identity and personnel data systems. CAC technical support inquiries route to DMDC at CACSupport@mail.mil.

Access

Fully public — no login or CAC required to read any of it. Some developer materials (such as CAC test tokens) are provided on request by email rather than direct download.

How logisticians use it

The CAC is the credential behind nearly every logistics system in this directory, and CAC.mil is the authoritative word on the card itself: what documents to bring to a RAPIDS office (the pre-arrival checklist and List of Acceptable Identity Documents), DD Form 1172-2 for DEERS enrollment, what to do about expiring certificates or a locked PIN, and the policy memos that govern card changes. Its Developer Resources section serves teams CAC-enabling applications: CAC applet and middleware documentation, test-token request instructions, and pointers to DoD Cyber Exchange PKE resources for certificate configuration.

Related systems

Closely tied to ID Card Office Online / RAPIDS Site Locator (idco.dmdc.osd.mil — find an office and book an appointment, linked directly from the site), DEERS (the eligibility database behind issuance), the DoD Cyber Exchange (cyber.mil) for DoD PKI certificates, and milConnect for broader DMDC self-service. For getting a CAC working on a personal computer, the independent MilitaryCAC site is the field-tested troubleshooting layer; CAC.mil is the official reference it orbits.