DoD will begin a major rollout in January of chip-and-PIN type travel cards for its travelers, beginning with cardholders whose cards are up for renewal, the Pentagon has announced.
Following those cardholders will be those considered to travel frequently, but by late summer all cardholders are to have replacement cards. In addition, cardholders will be able to request the new cards earlier if they travel to a location where those types of cards are dominant—as they are in Europe, for example.
Those types of cards are considered more secure than a traditional swipe card because the card contains a computer chip in addition that requires the user to enter a four-digit personal identification number. President Obama recently issued an executive order telling agencies to transition payment processing terminals and credit, debit, and other payment cards to employ enhanced security features, including chip-and-PIN technology. However, the Pentagon already had been testing the cards in a pilot program since February, involving about 600 users, and considers the initiative a success.
Counting both civilians and military personnel, DoD has about 1.3 million travel cardholders.
The announcement is here: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123512
