by Tech. Sgt. John Jung, Air Force News AgencyWhether you are a warfighter in Iraq or a retired Airman in Nebraska, accessing Air Force forms or publications is now easier than ever due to a centralized Web site that began Aug. 24.
The Air Force Departmental Publishing Office, or e-Pubs, officially migrated under the Air Force Public Web program and is now accessible at http://www.e-publishing.af.mil.
The program is a secretary of the Air Force for public affairs initiative designed to consolidate all Web content and standardize the appearance of Air Force public sites worldwide. A link to the new e-Pubs Web site is also available for customers on Air Force Link.
The new "one-stop shop" should be familiar to visitors of any Air Force public Web site. Publicly available forms and publications will be easier to find using the enhanced search capability available through Air Force Link.
"With streamlined navigation and enhanced search tools, customers will find the new site is an improvement over the former site," said Jessica Spencer-Gallucci, the director of Air Force Departmental Publishing Office in Washington, D.C.
"As a customer, I want to be able to use a key word or topic search to find what I need on the Web site," Ms. Spencer-Gallucci said. "If I know I need a particular form, I would want to be able to search and have that form readily available to me. This is what migrating to Air Force Link will bring to both Air Force and public users of the site."
The move should be seamless to users of the former site, and authorized customers who need special products will be automatically directed to the appropriate area or have access to instructions on how to order what they need.
Another benefit for customers is quicker availability of approved Air Force forms and publications. With a content management system in place, teams of analysts can post new forms and publications to the site as soon as they are approved. In the past, usually one or two people posted new products.
"AFDPO is constantly looking to improve our processes, to support the warfighter and the general public," Ms. Spencer-Gallucci said. "It's our job, and we know it is important to get new forms and pubs to customers as soon as possible."
The migration and launch of e-Pubs marks the completion of yet another milestone for Air Force News and the Air Force public Web program, said Joe Bela, the chief of the Air Force Public Web division at Headquarters Air Force News Agency in San Antonio.
The move to AFLink is expected to save AFDPO about $500,000 a year in hosting and information technology support services. Overall, a 2006 cost analysis determined that the Air Force public Web program will save the Air Force more than $30 million annually on system administration costs alone.
"We were asked to provide the expertise, hosting environment, technology and training necessary to establish the Air Force Public Web program; e-Pubs is just a natural extension of this mission," Mr. Bela said.
"To that end, we've gathered a group of military and civilian professionals with the skills we need to pursue our objectives -- to migrate and standardize all public Web sites in the Air Force, to provide a secure environment for our content, and to consolidate the infrastructure and IT support services in order to achieve cost savings for the Air Force," he said.