New software release provides clearer deployment picture Published July 8, 2009 By Richard Salomon Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- Air Force officials here recently rolled out a new software upgrade whose benefits extend well beyond the office setting to the often arduous expeditionary arena. The new 4104 version of the Deliberate and Crisis Action Planning and Execution Segments, or DCAPES, consolidates all personnel deployment functions within the same classified information-sharing environment, and it provides deployed Airmen live access to the same deployment data being used by Airmen at various bases and major commands. DCAPES is the Air Force's classified database for planning and executing deployments, contingency operations, emergency actions and everything else that has to do with moving people and equipment in support of Air Force operations worldwide. DCAPES provides the Air Force with end-to-end personnel accountability in one database and gives Personnel Support for Contingency Operations, or PERSCO, team members the ability to monitor the duty status of deployed Airmen. "DCAPES spans all levels of responsibility -- from the base to the Pentagon to the joint community," said Terri Donahoe, chief of the readiness systems support section at the Air Force Personnel Center here. Mrs. Donahoe added that the new software will help the Air Force integrate seamlessly with joint and combined fighting forces around the globe. "This software update is huge because for the first time deployment managers and other functional leaders, whether at the home base, major command, or at the Pentagon, will be looking at the same information at the same time," Mrs. Donahoe said. "We won't have situations where PERSCO says, 'I gained this individual, so I don't know why you can't see the arrival date on your end.' Now, commanders can look across the entire theater and see all the personnel that are assigned to them." The DCAPES 4104 release, which replaces the previous 4020 version, also signals the end of the Manpower and Personnel Module-Base, or MANPER-B, as the main computer system used to account for deployed forces. The updated system incorporates the deployed accountability function, currently being used in MANPER-B into DCAPES. Since 1989, MANPER-B has been the primary tool used by Air Force manpower and personnel communities who support base level deployments and planning. "In the legacy MANPER-B system, functionality was limited to an offline database on a deployed laptop," Mrs. Donahoe said. "The personnel data was only as current as the last update. Using the new DCAPES software, PERSCO teams can now obtain deployed personnel information in realtime." As part of the new release, bar codes will be printed on the back of all Air Force deployment orders. This feature allows PERSCO team members to use agile force accountability scanners to capture all the information contained in the orders, such as name, grade, social security number, Air Force specialty code, line remarks and more. "This method gives PERSCO teams much more detailed information than just scanning the common access card," Mrs. Donahoe said. "It helps us capture a more accurate picture, especially for Airmen who are deploying for more than one requirement and may have more than one record in DCAPES. This new version recognizes that information." With the scanner, deployment managers can be at the processing line or at the terminal and capture everyone's information. After that, they can take the scanner back to the office, dock it and then load all the information they've captured into DCAPES. "This process saves time and greatly reduces manual errors," Mrs. Donahoe said. To ensure a smooth transition, AFPC's Air and Space Expeditionary Force Operations directorate sent Master Sgt. Mary Church and Tech. Sgt. Matthew Dickens to the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility to conduct software training for deployed PERSCO teams. "Their technical expertise made an extraordinary difference in the successful rollout of the new software across the AOR," said Lt. Col. Paul Valenzuela, a manpower, personnel and services director in Southwest Asia. "Their efforts have helped set in motion a new and better way to capture and report data. Now, with the new DCAPES module in place, PERSCO teams can ensure they have 100 percent force accountability at all times." DCAPES 4104 allows the Air Force to establish an accurate record system, which is critical to providing commanders at all levels the vital personnel data needed to carry out combat operations. "This new DCAPES module is a significant leap forward," Colonel Valenzuela said. "It has dramatically improved PERSCO processes and will help the A1 community fully exploit emerging technologies down the road." For a DCAPES user's guide and other details, visit AFPC's "Ask" Web site and enter "DCAPES" in the search function. For additional information, call the Total Force Service Center at 800-525-0102.