FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Driver's licenses from five states will no longer be accepted as a form of identification to access Fort Drum, unless you have a permanent escort.
The Department of Homeland Security says licenses from Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico and Washington do not meet the standards of the Real ID Act and cannot be used to get into federal facilities, including military installations. Fort Drum currently has a policy for all non-Department of Defense personnel, that they must have an authorized (Government ID holding -like a soldier) sponsor to get on post.
This change means a person licensed in one of those five states who wants to get on post must have a passport, permanent resident card, school identification card with photo, an employment authorization document or alien registration card, or be accompanied by an ID-holding escort the entire time they are on post.
The Real ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005 and established tougher requirements for a driver's license to be recognized for federal purposes.