United States Transportation Command

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (USTCNS) -- If you've ever wondered why your e-mail service isn't "all it can be", or been frustrated by constant "on-the-job" interruptions in network services, the good news is that all that is about to change; and the even better news is that Air Mobility Command is taking one of the lead roles in support of the primary agent for change -- the Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff's new vision of One Air Force...One Network.

Over the past dozen years or so, the Air Force's computer and computer network gurus have done a magnificent job cobbling together the patchwork of systems that sprouted up around the world as each base, wing and major command felt its way into the information age. And a massive undertaking it has been, with each system a bit different from the next with widely varying types of hardware and software. Considering the hundreds of thousands of e-mails and messages moving through the system each week nowadays, it's amazing our communication organizations keep it running as smoothly as they do.

But as our experts continued to patch and bridge our legacy systems, we also knew that there had to be a better way. Hence, the Secretary and Chief's vision: "One Air Force…One Network".

There are lots of moving parts in our work toward this vision, but AMC's initial role has been to begin to consolidate our e-mail and other network services at one central service location. Lessons learned from large commercial computer businesses who have already made this transition promise that consolidation will not only provide AMC and the Air Force with an e-mail system that is cheaper and easier to operate, it will significantly improve the reliability of our service.

As you may know, the transition to centralized service is well underway in AMC. Since late this summer, systems administrators from all 12 AMC bases have been running their base's systems from AMC's Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC) at Scott Air Force Base. In effect, they are operating each base's system by remote control. And the advantages have already become obvious. For example, it's now a lot easier for our administrators to share information and experiences with each other, thereby raising everyone's level of expertise. And problems at one base can now be discussed, face-to-face, with other administrators and quickly resolved.

Our next step will be to consolidate some of our other base computer network services, such as firewalls, file servers, and networks/servers currently being run by other base organizations or functional communities. Beginning in early November, Charleston Air Force Base began to permanently transfer their e-mail services to the AMC NOSC. Once that transition is successful and we have collected any lessons learned, we will then begin the same process with other base e-mail systems. At the same time, we will be setting the baseline for the rest of the Air Force.

While all AMC e-mail and network services will eventually be located at the NOSC, there will also be a mirror site that will take over during times of scheduled maintenance or an unforeseen problem. Further, there will be built-in safeguards to prevent a virus from corrupting or crippling the entire system. We are not going to move your communications squadrons--they will still be your base's first line of support on everything from your computers to your phone systems. They will continue to provide the same high-quality service you require to execute your mission that they always have.

As you might guess, there are challenges to overcome as we move your e-mail service to a central location. We have identified many of the issues and made detailed plans to reduce the risk as much as possible. Further, extensive testing will take place to ensure most problems are resolved before any changes to the system take place.

But that doesn't mean there might not be a few hiccups along the way. Besides the e-mail and network consolidation, our communications people are also working with other system changes like the global address listing and the Defense Messaging System that bring their own set of challenges.

But any inconveniences will be temporary.

This consolidation of services is a tough challenge for our SC team. But the good news is that they are up to the challenge, and the even better news is that the end result will be better service to you at greatly reduced cost to the Air Force. (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).

One Air Force …One Network

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