Access to academies, posts, and bases

mom3boys

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This information was published this a.m. from the Garrison commander at West Point (I assume all military installations will have same procedure):

‪#‎WPAlert‬ We have just received information regarding changes in security procedures on West Point. We realize that this is a short notice on the procedural change but we have just received this information from our higher headquarters.

Starting Jan. 10, people using a driver's license from the states of Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico or Washington will have to use another approved form of identification in order to enter West Point and all other military installations. If you possess a valid Department of Defense issued identification card this new requirement does not affect your ability to enter military installations.

Acceptable alternate forms of identification are a US passport, a permanent resident card/Alien Registration Receipt Card (form 1-551), a foreign passport with a temporary I-551 stamp or visa or an employment authorization document that contains a photograph (Form I-766).
 
I'll be watching this thread....we are in Missouri.

I wonder how it will work for Plebes, parents, etc. for I-Day, PPW and such.

Wondering if we should bite the bullet and get passports - a costly endeavor for a large family.
 
Yes, became aware of this in a very small article hidden in the New Year's Eve news. IL has refused to alter its Driver's license to comply with Federal standards that were enacted 10 years ago. They have successfully secured exceptions for the last 10 years but the Government has refused
another extension ( I believe Minnesota is in the same situation - perhaps all the other states listed). There are threats that you won't be able to get through security at the airports in IL also. Its a big cluster.

Not sure if it is accurate, but the news article I saw said a FOID card (Firearms Owners ID) would meet the criteria. They may be cheaper than passports.
 
I also wonder if my younger kids Sea Cadet ID's would work for PPW. They are to young for FOID. We have no plans to travel out of country so a passport seems overkill.

For Missouri, the Fed law goes against state law, and Missouri has been just getting exemptions until now, instead of just complying :rolleyes:
 
I'll be watching this thread....we are in Missouri.

I wonder how it will work for Plebes, parents, etc. for I-Day, PPW and such.

Wondering if we should bite the bullet and get passports - a costly endeavor for a large family.

The short answer is that unless Missouri has said they are planning on moving to Real ID compliant drivers' licenses, you probably should get a passport.

I believe the WPAlert announcement is tied to the roll out of enforcement of the Real ID Act. You might recall that there were a number of news reports before the holiday indicating that certain state licenses were not going to be accepted by TSA by spring of 2016. This was tied to various agencies beginning to enforce the act. Some states had worked our arrangements with DHS, an extension, but others did not. DHS website states: "Six states and territories – Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Washington, and American Samoa – are noncompliant and do not currently have extensions." Those states "will be subject to enforcement for accessing most Federal facilities, nuclear power plants and military bases beginning Jan. 10, 2016."

The list of states which were compliant, not compliant or had worked out with the government some other implementation date may be found here:
http://www.dhs.gov/current-status-states-territories

Or as a graphical map, here: http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-enforcement-brief#

On Friday, Jan 8, 2016, DHS made an announcement that at least for air travel, they were giving states a bit more time to be compliant. Until Jan 22, 2018, that announcement may be found here: http://www.dhs.gov/news/2016/01/08/...ohnson-final-phase-real-id-act-implementation

Once Friday's announcement filters through the system, hopefully someone from the service academies will know the latest in terms of their time frames for enforcing Real ID compliance for entering.

I suspect some states are pushing back or delaying due to the cost while others are resisting more on the principle that they believe drivers' licenses are more or a states rights issue. So this could drag on for some time or even be reversed. If you live in a state which is not compliant, then your safest bet is probably to get a passport.
 
I also wonder if my younger kids Sea Cadet ID's would work for PPW. They are to young for FOID. We have no plans to travel out of country so a passport seems overkill.

For Missouri, the Fed law goes against state law, and Missouri has been just getting exemptions until now, instead of just complying :rolleyes:

DoD issued ID are valid for admittance to military bases. If you do not have a substitute ID you will not be allowed inside the academy grounds in parents weekend.

If you don't want to spend the money for a passport, look into a passport card. It's only $30 per person and you can use it to travel and gain access to the academies.
 
The card is limited with respect to travel. It's not as useful as a passport.
 
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The card is limited with respect to travel. It's not as useful as a passport.

Some people don't want to spend the money for a passport though, especially large families that aren't planning on traveling outside of the US and really only need the card to travel inside the US and get on base. In the end it's a personal decision based on cost and use.

My family is made up of dual citizens so we all have passports and some of us have two of them. Some people never get a passport. To each, her own.
 
The card is limited with respect to travel. It's not as useful as a passport.

For our family, we have no plans to travel outside the U.S. We have a large family, with five kids. If our DD is offered an appointment, our plan is for just my husband and I to take her for I-Day, but bring the siblings for PPW. If we all need passports, we're looking at around $700. Ouch!
 
Don't need a passport to get on. It's just easier than a license and birth certificate.
 
LITS - Do you have a link to what will be acceptable documentation for access to Military Installations for residents of the states listed above? Will an Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico or Washington Drivers license plus a birth certificate be accepted for access?
 
The below was put out by my installation yesterday as acceptable forms of secondary ID. I copied this directly from their release.

"Customers who have IDs (driver’s license, state issued ID) from Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico and Washington who are requesting unescorted access must provide a second form of ID.

Approved secondary forms of ID include:

- U.S. Passport or U.S.Passport Card
- Permanent Resident Card/Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551)
- Foreign passport with a temporary (I-551) stamp or temporary (I-551)
Printed notation on a machine readable immigrant visa
- Employment authorization document that contains a photograph (Form I-766)
- A foreign passport with Form I-94 or Form I-94A bearing the same name as the passport and containing an endorsement of the alien's nonimmigrant status, as long as the endorsement has not yet expired
- Current/valid driver's license from a REAL ID Act state or a state with a REAL ID Act extension for implementation
- Driver’s license or ID card issued by federal or local government agencies meeting REAL ID standards with photo, name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color and address
- School ID with photograph
- U.S. military or draft record
- U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Cards
- Transportation Worker ID Card
- Native American Tribal Document
Personnel who do not have an accepted form of secondary ID will be required an escort"
 
A "School ID with photograph" is considered valid ID to backup a driver's license from one of those states? Isn't that just piling potential junk on top of potential junk? Any nitwit can generate one of those- so if the concern is that the states not conforming to the Real ID act" don't take security seriously enough in issuing the documents- why would one assume that the security controls at "Slipinshitz State College and Deli" ("Go SSCD Fighting Lunchmeats!!") are any more stringent? That list is another example of issuing regulations "just cuz we say so" to comply with the checklist with no thought to what it is supposed to be accomplishing. :rolleyes:
 
A "School ID with photograph" is considered valid ID to backup a driver's license from one of those states? Isn't that just piling potential junk on top of potential junk? Any nitwit can generate one of those- so if the concern is that the states not conforming to the Real ID act" don't take security seriously enough in issuing the documents- why would one assume that the security controls at "Slipinshitz State College and Deli" ("Go SSCD Fighting Lunchmeats!!") are any more stringent? That list is another example of issuing regulations "just cuz we say so" to comply with the checklist with no thought to what it is supposed to be accomplishing. :rolleyes:
Personally I doubt that's the real concern. The real concern is to put pressure on these states to comply (IMHO).
 
Just a thought :
A Passport will be needed by your Mid/Cadet during the four Academy years ( Summer cruises as well as other foreign travel opportunities)....we opted to get our passports updated several years ago in order to visit our NAVY son overseas immediately if the need or an opportunity arose. At least one parent should have a passport..... also ..... those same listed states' drivers licenses may or may not be accepted as proof of identification by TSA security at domestic airports.
 
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ID issues are going to get tighter, not less restrictive. I'd bite the bullet and get the passports. In addition to airline and base access, they're also super handy for employment issues, especially filling out the I-9 form. The passport is a one stop shop on that thing, allowing you to leave your SS card at home in the safe. And PS, I can't imagine the IL FOID card will be good for anything. To get the card you self-affirm identity. It's not applicable as an ID even in IL, it just proves a registration.
 
we opted to get our passports updated several years ago in order to visit our NAVY son overseas immediately if the need or an opportunity arose. At least one parent should have a passport.

This. Once your ‘child’ is commissioned, at least one parent should have a valid passport in order to immediately travel overseas should your officer be injured in the line of duty. The State Dept. works with people in these emergency situations to get passports, but would you really want to waste even one day in getting to their bedside? For those parents who are new to the military, this is some real world advice.
 
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