Does an active US Army member need a passport to travel to cancun, mexico?

no

Technically no, but its a good idea to carry one. Make sure its one that is NOT issued by the military ( get a civilian passport)

If you are traveling on your own and not on orders, you must meet the same requirements as a civilian.

to travel TO cancun....no... to get back.... YES! Everyone taking a plane or boat into The US is required to have a passport, US citizens included.

no I don't think so, just show your active military ID. Also, I don't think anyone needs a passport to travel to Mexico. I have been there twice and have never had a passport.

Yes, everyone does

In the army on their paycheck, no. It's all taken care of. As a civilian, yep. Welcome to travel hell with the TSA where you're no longer an American, hell you're not even a human. Where you have no rights and if you complain they taser you...have fun, wear condoms...and, uh, pack clean underwear I guess.

I don't know if you or anybody else here responding has read the news lately but the passport laws and regs. have been changed. It's a nightmare to get a passport now and you will definitely have to have one getting back into the U.S. and it's territories. Call your local travel agent and they can fill you in. It can take months to acquire one now. Good luck.

If this is personal travel -- yes, a passport is now required for any travel outside the US, including Mexico and Canada. It's taking a long time to get passports right now because of the huge influx of applications. If you have a post office nearby, check with them. Most post offices accept applications for passports and forward them to a processing center. They should be able to tell you what the current rules are regarding the need for a passport.