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Transitioning to a new era

  • Published
  • By Col. Scott Hanson
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  The March 30 edition of the Fairchild Connection marks the last print edition of our base newspaper. Since the beginning of the year, we have migrated news and information onto our public Web site - coined The e-Connection.

We are at the cutting edge of a sweeping Air Force-wide initiative to revolutionize news delivery. Our Web site is now the central hub for all Fairchild news and information - a .mil site that can be viewed from any computer, anywhere in the world. This effort aligns with a key wing priority: Modernization.

Modernization efforts are critical as we continue to provide world-class aerial refueling with a tanker that turned 50 years old last year. But modernization is much more than just replacing our aging aircraft - you can see it in improvements and new projects across base, including transforming the way we communicate news and information.

Our Web site allows us to deliver news with precision and velocity. Stories and photos are posted to the Web in near real-time rather than published only once a week.

Additionally, our news service will be sent out twice weekly. It is automatically sent to everyone on the Fairchild-All mailing list. Anyone else is eligible to sign up for delivery as well - retirees, community supporters, friends, and family members around the world.

Deployed Airmen, personnel on leave and other wing personnel outside the local area will also have quick, easy access to news about Fairchild.

This transformation brings Fairchild's news delivery into the new millennium. Now more than ever, the Web is a part of our way of life, so transitioning base news onto the Web is a natural progression.

By posting Fairchild stories to the Web, we have increased capability - many of these stories have been picked up and published by Air Mobility Command and Air Force Link, telling our Airmen's story to an even wider audience.

Our base newspaper has had a storied history since it was first published April 2, 1948 - then called the "Spokane Bomber Views" - winning numerous AMC and Air Force-level awards over the years.

This transformation is the paper's next step. These advancements will allow Airmen, their families, retirees and the public faster and easier access to news and information than ever before.

Your outstanding effort and professionalism make our wing one of the premier 21st Century Air Mobility Wings in the Air Force, and the story of your accomplishments is one I am proud to tell any day to audiences across the globe.

Your News Connection - Online. On-time.