Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12)

The Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) is the directive that was issued for “Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors”. HSPD-12 calls for all federal employees and contractors to use a standard smart card credential to verify their identity for secure access to federal buildings and information systems.

HSPD-12 called upon the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop the actual technical standard, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to manage implementation of the credentials. The uses of the credentials are left to the agencies themselves to decide