The Air Reserve Personnel Center wants to change the dynamics of how reservists conduct their personnel administrative actions—changing from nearly all done face-to-face to mostly online transactions. ARPC currently finds that 85 percent of personnel actions are handled in-person, with 10 percent conducted online. It wants to reverse that. First, however, it must expand its new virtual Web portal, which officials say is maturing in capability as successive phases go online. Right now, reservists can correct their duty history and points or sign up for Tricare Reserve Select, among other capabilities.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
