Bringing Fairchild communication into the 21st Century

  • Published
  • By Col. Scott Hanson
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe, relaxing holiday break, and also hope you are as eager as I am to make this year even more successful than 2006. The New Year always brings changes, and I'm excited to tell you about two of them.

Airmen's Center

The Cybercafé and recreation rooms adjacent to the dorms are undergoing a transformation to an Airmen's Center with additional amenities. First of all, the dorm managers are moving out of these facilities and back into their dorm of responsibility, which I believe is a positive change.

We have several modernization projects planned for the Center this spring, to include adding a coffee bar and wireless Internet. Just last week, we added seven new desktop computers to the Cybercafé. This brings the total to 13 computers. This is a tremendous resource for our Airmen and speaks volumes about the importance of quality-of-life projects at Fairchild. My vision is for this facility to become a place where our professional expeditionary Airmen can gather for fellowship, to study and/or recreate and relax. This transformation is a move in that direction.

The additional computers and wireless Internet will also come in handy as we revolutionize the method in which you receive Fairchild news.

Fairchild Connection going Online

As part of a sweeping Air-Force wide initiative, the print version of the Fairchild Connection will be phased out in favor of a Web-based product. Starting this spring, our public Web site will become the central hub for all Fairchild information - it is a .mil site that can be viewed from any computer, anywhere in the world.

As many of you know, Web-based news products are the wave of the future. This modernization initiative, as well as the all-new Airmen's Center, is right in line with our wing focus areas: People, Readiness and Modernization.

Additionally, our public affairs office will be standing up an online news service with the same information provided in the Fairchild Connection. This transition has many benefits. The online news service will enable public affairs to provide late-breaking information to base audiences - delivering the news with precision and velocity. Your access will be instantaneous, as stories and photos are posted to the Web site in near-real time - becoming Your News Connection. Online. On-time.

The online format will also provide multiple layers of interactive content, such as audio and video, instead of a one-dimensional print format.

Now more than ever, the Web is a part of our way of life; therefore, having access to base news via the Internet is a natural step in this progression. This conversion will bring Fairchild's news delivery into the new millennium. We are also working on plans to revamp and modernize the Commander's Access Channel as well. These developments will allow Airmen, families, civilians and retirees faster and easier access to news and information than ever before.

I wish you all a happy New Year and encourage you to stay tuned for other developments around the wing throughout 2007.

21st Century Mobility Wing - Precision and Velocity in Communications