Air Force automates active-duty assignment notifications Published Jan. 19, 2011 By Master Sgt. John Asselin Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Air Force officials will start to automate active-duty assignment notifications Jan. 21. Airmen in the ranks of lieutenant colonel and below will receive their assignment notification through e-mail, which they will acknowledge receipt through the Virtual Military Personnel Flight web site. "There will be no more six-page, hard copy assignment rips to track," said Maj. Walt Heathcoat, 99th Force Support Squadron Manpower and Personnel Flight commander. "When members are selected for their assignments, they will receive an e-mail from the Virtual MPF notifying them that they have been selected. They will be given a suspense to go into the virtual MPF to do their initial assignment briefing and acknowledge the assignment." Steps also will be taken for people who do not have regular access to their e-mail accounts, the major said. "For members who don't have daily access to e-mail and do not see the e-mail before the suspense date, they [the MPS] will send reports to commanders to let them know they have members who have an assignment and need to acknowledge it in Virtual MPF," he said. With this change to automated assignment notification, Major Heathcoat said it's important people update their contact information in Virtual MPF. "Keeping the virtual MPF updated with all current duty and home information is very important, especially when you deploy," Major Heathcoat said. "The virtual MPF will use both [duty and home e-mail addresses] to notify members that they have been selected for an assignment. And remember to change it back when you return from deployment." The automated process does more than save on manpower at the military personnel section, it saves time and provides convenience for the customer, the major said. "It eliminates members coordinating assignment rips through the commander to the MPS," he said. "[Before] they had to carry it [the rip] around for signatures, fill in family information and hand-carry it to the MPS; that's all eliminated -- they do all assignment acknowledgement actions on Virtual MPF." For more information about the automated assignment notification process, visit the Air Force personnel services web site or call the Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102.
