Air Force Network migrations on way to Malmstrom

  • Published
  • By Malmstrom Air Force base
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Malmstrom will soon become the first Air Force Global Strike Command base to migrate its computer users into a "central" Air Force Network. Over a one month period, beginning Sept. 6, technicians will begin migrating Malmstrom workstations, network users and email into the AFNet.

The goal of this project is to collapse all individual or stand-alone Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard networks into the AFNet. To the majority of Malmstrom computer users, most of the changes will be transparent and should not cause any interruption to network access or normal day-to-day operations, but for the Air Force, represents a major change to how computer networks are managed.

Until now, MAJCOMs and various other Air Force organizations have been operating their own independent networks, consequently driving unique and unit specific requirements. Over the years, this county option approach led to standardization and security problems, high operation and maintenance costs, and a lack of enterprise situational awareness.

In short, there was no single organization or commander responsible for the network. The AFNet migration project addresses these issues and places Air Force cyber operations under the operational control of a single commander. This approach will yield a significant improvement in the Air Force's ability to fight daily virus activity and malicious intrusion attempts. Additionally, AFNet migrations will centralize services like email and data storage, significantly improving network security and standardization. Finally, operational and training costs will be reduced through the elimination of redundant systems and services.

So how will this affect you?

The most visible change will be the email address. The migration replaces the old first.last@malmstrom.af.mil email address with a standard first.last@us.af.mil address. The new addresses will remain with users for the duration of their career, employment or affiliation with the Air Force regardless of the base or organization assigned. As more bases join the AFNet, Airmen will be able to log in to their accounts from any AFNet base without requesting and creating an additional account. This will allow easy access to the network during deployments, and throughout TDY and permanent change of station moves. Sites such as the Air Force Portal, Air Force Personnel Center and Defense Finance Accounting Service, will also remain easily accessible regardless of duty location.

As Malmstrom approaches its projected start date, a team comprised of members from the Air Force Network Integration Center, 690th Network Support Group, and 341st Communications Squadron technicians are busy preparing equipment and resources to facilitate the migration of almost 4,200 users. To ensure a smooth transition to the AFNet, look for future Comm Focal Point-generated eAdvisories for additional migration related information.