Eglin Eagle soars into cyberspace

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., -- As I mentioned in the January 19 issue of the Eglin Eagle, amidst the challenges of today's manpower and budget cuts, public affairs is not immune to these great challenges. 

By April 2007, the 96th Air Base Wing public affairs office will undergo an approximate 50 percent manpower reduction. 

These tough times called for tough decisions on how to carry-on with day-to-day business. The decision to transition from a hardcopy newspaper to a Web-based news source is an innovative way to keep business going while alleviating the burden on a smaller workforce. 

We have been transitioning into an electronic-informational age for some time now and Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century is focused on continuing these types of transformations. 

AFSO21 is an Air Force initiative that applies to a mix of business strategies designed to streamline everyday processes across the Air Force. This initiative will allow for better allocation of resources through saving time, money and manpower through optimizing processes. 

Of course, one example of streamlining processes is the reduction of the traditional hard copy base paper. As many of you know, the Eglin Eagle has been around since 1941, under one name or another. The storied tradition isn't over. The Eglin Eagle is not going away, it is transforming to an online news source--a new look and a new way of doing business. 

The vital Team Eglin mission spans more than 20,000 personnel, seven wings, and 50 associate units as the Department of Defense's largest installation; what better way to share information than through the Internet. Rest assured, our news delivery method is changing, but our commitment to quality remains the same. 

Our redesigned web page is now available at www.eglin.af.mil and is the official source of all Eglin Air Force Base news. Take some time to become familiar with its features and see all it has to offer. 

In conclusion, I challenge each of you to support the Air Force's streamlining initiative and find ways to make a difference. The more we streamline and improve our processes the better able we are to accomplish our mission. Please feel free to submit process improvement ideas through your chain of command. As always, thank you for your outstanding support.