Air Force Network (AFNet) Migrations on Way to MHAFB Published April 5, 2013 By Master Sgt. Shawn Houser 366th Communications Squadron MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- Beginning May 13, MHAFB will migrate its workstations, network users, and email into a central Air Force Network (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. During the migration, some MHAFB users may experience network or email access interruptions, but for the majority, user impact will be minimal. Although software and hardware problems are to be expected, the AFNet migration project represents a major change to how computer networks are managed and is one of the most complex Department of Defesnt technology initiatives ever attempted. Until now, MAJCOMs and various other Air Force organizations have been operating their own independent networks, consequently driving unique and unit specific requirements. Throughout 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 migration 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 in the format of your email address. The migration formally replaces the old first.last@mountainhome.af.mil email address with a standard first.last@us.af.mil address. Regardless of the base or organization assigned, this new address will remain with users for the duration of their career, employment, or affiliation with the Air Force. As more bases join the AFNet, Airmen will be able to log into their accounts from any AFNet base without requesting and creating an additional account, allowing easy access to the network during deployments, and throughout TDY or PCS moves. Sites such as the Air Force Portal, Air Force Personnel Center, Defense Finance Accounting Service, will also remain easily accessible regardless of duty location. The migration will also result in a "consolidated" customer service help desk called the Enterprise Service Desk (ESD) and is designed to serve as a "one-stop" shop for the resolution of common user problems. As MHAFB approaches its projected start date, a team of Air Force Network Integration Center, 690th Network Support Group, and 366th Communications Squadron technicians are busy preparing equipment and resources to facilitate the migration of almost 5K users. To ensure a smooth transition to the AFNet, look for future 366 CS generated eAdvisories for additional migration-related information. For any questions, please contact the 366th Communications Squadron Comm Focal Point at 728-2666 or 366CS.CFP@mountainhome.af.mil.