If DNA sampling is the only reason for drawing blood, most of the time lab technicians will use a finger stick like the ones used by blood banks. The DoD DNA Registry collects specimens not only for service members but also for contract employees who may be sent to hostile areas. Instead, he suggested that interested family members contact local hospitals and commercial firms that advertise DNA reference services. Although the decision to collect DNA samples has met with little resistance, Armbrustmacher said the registry gets questions about how blood specimens are used, for example, what medical information they provide. We base these identifications on the lengths of repeated sequences in the DNA that vary according to hereditary background.
People also wonder whether the samples can be used in criminal cases.
Use of the DoD DNA cards is so restricted, in fact, that the registry can only match them with physical remains. Then, a body will be discovered and the family recalls that we have this DNA file and wants us to help identify the individual as perhaps their missing relative. We'll compare samples of the remains sent to us against our database. If there's no match, we say so, put the cards back and don't release any other identification information. This is a very simple program, solely for the identification of remains.