Air Staff Agency uses 'New Media' to talk

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. John N. Bryan
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  Since the beginning of warfare, the toughest battles for commanders have always been communicating with their own troops, ensuring everyone is hearing the same message.

Lt. Gen. Michael W. Peterson, the Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Office director, took a different approach when he held an "all-call" Aug. 28 by video teleconference.

"I thought we'd give this a try, while saving enormous costs in time and money to reach out to all our folks to hear what their Air Force was doing," General Peterson said. "I couldn't be more proud of the hard work they do every day, and I wanted them to hear it from me directly."

The general used Defense Connect Online on the Air Force Portal to talk to more than 700 Airmen in the Pentagon and throughout the United States. The all-call also included individual mobilization augmentees and Air National Guard members who weren't on active duty at the time, and other Airmen who were on temporary duty and leave but wanted to listen to the general.

One of his staff members listened at his own Pentagon workstation.

"I think it's a great tool," said Staff Sgt. Brandon Ferris, the NCO in charge of information management. "You can connect from anywhere if you're not here and see everybody's questions real time. I think this could really be used around the Air Force."

With geographically separated units at places like Scott Air Force Base, Ill.; Nellis AFB, Nev.; and Langley AFB, Va.; getting hundreds of people together in one place, at one time for a traditional commander's call is often difficult and expensive. In addition, making sure everyone hears the same message of what's happening in the Air Force at the highest levels is difficult.

During the all-call, Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Office Airmen watched a live video teleconference of General Peterson, saw his slides and messages, and then interacted with him via real-time chat rooms. He answered several of the questions as they came in, giving Airmen direct and immediate feedback.

During the call, the general focused on a recent Air Force senior leader summit where officials discussed the new mission statement, global wing reorganization plans and the Air Force uniform. 

For more information, check out the Air Force Portal and look for the DCO logo on the right hand side. DCO can also be used for having virtual meetings, recording meetings, sharing documents and files, videos, white boards, pod displays and instant messaging at www.dco.dod.mil.

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