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ARMS online here, Dover 1st in AMC

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Effective immediately, Dover Airmen will no longer have to make a trip to the Military Personnel Flight to get copies of paperwork filed in their Unit Personnel Record Group.

The Automated Record Management System is now loaded with Team Dover's 3,400 UPRGs, a task that took records technicians Mark Williamson and Connie Andres hundreds of hours to ensure each UPRG was accurate and up to date.

"If you need a copy of your (Enlisted Performance Reports) for a decoration or a copy of your Servicemember's Group Life Insurance for your mobility folder, they are now maintained electronically," said Ms. Andres.

Virtually, any document held in members' personnel records is now available directly from their computer, she said. When a member needs to re-accomplish their security clearance paperwork, or needs another copy of their orders, there is no longer a need to leave their desk.

The MPF Records Section has spent nearly two years preparing Team Dover's active-duty military UPRGs for conversion into ARMS. The hard-copy UPRGs were mailed to the Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, in April.

This week, Dover became the first base in Air Mobility Command to have all electronic UPRGs available in ARMS, said Mr. Williamson. Every active-duty Airman now has access to their individual record, through the AFPC secure Web site www.afpc.randolph.af.mil.

In addition to Airmen having access to their UPRGs, the MPF and unit orderly room also have access using the secure Web site, said Mr. Williamson.

"At this time, AFPC has issued a quota of two additional passwords per unit," he said, elaborating on the MPF and orderly room' s ability to access member's files. "In the future they'll be adding access for chief master sergeants, first sergeants and others with a need to know."

The changes are about convenience and saving time. Team Dover is leading AMC in another lean process.

In addition to the process being leaner, the electronic format could also expand record permanence.

"In the past, a lot of important documents were only found in the hard copy UPRG," said Ms. Andres. "If you're a technical sergeant or below and your UPRG was lost or destroyed, your original EPRs were gone and the UPRG had to be re-built. This conversion fixed this issue. After being scanned into ARMS, AFPC will back up the records on two different systems to ensure the protection of records."

From this point forward, any new documents will be reviewed by the applicable MPF office or commander' s support staff and forwarded to AFPC to be scanned into the record.

"This electronic conversion is part of a bigger shift in the personnel world to focus more of our resources on the war-fighting mission," said Mr. Williamson. "Automated personnel systems like ARMS and virtual MPF, along with the newly developed Air Force Contact Center, are promoting a self-service environment in the human resources arena."