thedrifter
02-01-08, 04:13 AM
Marines look to expedite awards process with latest online system
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, February 1, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corps is introducing a new computer
system
that should ensure Marines get their awards more quickly.
As of March 1, all recommendations for awards will be processed through
the improved Awards Processing System, or iAPS, which will replace the
current computer system for processing awards that has been in place
since 2000, Corps officials said.
The new system will make it easier to fill out the recommendations and
—
officials hope — cut down on errors and omissions that can cause
recommendations to be delayed, according to Lee Freund, head of the
Marine Corps Military Awards Branch.
The current system relies on users forwarding recommendations up the
chain of command, meaning a recommendation can get lost if users
misspell an e-mail address or the recipient’s e-mail address has
changed, Freund said.
One big advantage of the new system is it allows users to keep tabs on
the status of award recommendations, he said.
In another change, the new system does not require users to reattach
files, such as witness statements, as awards recommendations make their
way up the chain of command, he said.
The system is also tied into the Corps’ manpower database, allowing
users to get the rank and correct spelling of a Marine’s name by
typing
in the Marine’s Social Security number, Freund said.
And the system will tell users if the Marine being recommended for the
award has pending or previous awards in order to cut down on
duplication, said Capt. John Housand, of Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
All Marines involved in submitting and reviewing awards — about
20,000
in total — have until Feb. 29 to register in the new system, Freund
said.
In a few days, the Corps will add a link to the new system on Marine
Online, the Corps’ Web portal, he said.
To access the site, users must already have access to the Manpower
Information Portal, officials said.
“The Manpower Information Portal (MIP) is the overall environment for
all of the [Manpower and Reserve Affairs] Web content and applications
locally managed by M&RA,” Housand said in an e-mail Wednesday.
Most of the portal’s content is public, but the new awards system is
not, Housand said. The portal is accessible to Marines with Common
Access Cards.
“All Active and Reserve Marines [with a CAC] automatically get access
to
iAPS,” Housand said. “Other users must go through an approval
process
prior to gaining access.”
Marines can register on the awards system by going to:
www.manpower.usmc.mil/iaps. The link is case sensitive, a recent
Corpswide message said.
Ellie
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, February 1, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corps is introducing a new computer
system
that should ensure Marines get their awards more quickly.
As of March 1, all recommendations for awards will be processed through
the improved Awards Processing System, or iAPS, which will replace the
current computer system for processing awards that has been in place
since 2000, Corps officials said.
The new system will make it easier to fill out the recommendations and
—
officials hope — cut down on errors and omissions that can cause
recommendations to be delayed, according to Lee Freund, head of the
Marine Corps Military Awards Branch.
The current system relies on users forwarding recommendations up the
chain of command, meaning a recommendation can get lost if users
misspell an e-mail address or the recipient’s e-mail address has
changed, Freund said.
One big advantage of the new system is it allows users to keep tabs on
the status of award recommendations, he said.
In another change, the new system does not require users to reattach
files, such as witness statements, as awards recommendations make their
way up the chain of command, he said.
The system is also tied into the Corps’ manpower database, allowing
users to get the rank and correct spelling of a Marine’s name by
typing
in the Marine’s Social Security number, Freund said.
And the system will tell users if the Marine being recommended for the
award has pending or previous awards in order to cut down on
duplication, said Capt. John Housand, of Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
All Marines involved in submitting and reviewing awards — about
20,000
in total — have until Feb. 29 to register in the new system, Freund
said.
In a few days, the Corps will add a link to the new system on Marine
Online, the Corps’ Web portal, he said.
To access the site, users must already have access to the Manpower
Information Portal, officials said.
“The Manpower Information Portal (MIP) is the overall environment for
all of the [Manpower and Reserve Affairs] Web content and applications
locally managed by M&RA,” Housand said in an e-mail Wednesday.
Most of the portal’s content is public, but the new awards system is
not, Housand said. The portal is accessible to Marines with Common
Access Cards.
“All Active and Reserve Marines [with a CAC] automatically get access
to
iAPS,” Housand said. “Other users must go through an approval
process
prior to gaining access.”
Marines can register on the awards system by going to:
www.manpower.usmc.mil/iaps. The link is case sensitive, a recent
Corpswide message said.
Ellie