Effective 11 May 2023, JB MDL is transitioned to HPCON Alpha due to low COVID levels in the community

https://www.tricareonline.com/tol2/prelogin/desktopIndex.xhtml

https://www.facebook.com/TRICARE

https://twitter.com/TRICARE

https://www.youtube.com/TRICAREhealth

https://tricare.mil

COVID-19 Hotline: 609-754-9050  (Weekdays from 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

Appointment Line: (866-DRS-APPT/377-2778) 

Nurse Advice Line: 1-800-TRICARE / 888-901-7144 or via https://www.MHSNurseAdviceLine.com.  

PHONE NUMBER: 404-639-3286

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website

PHONE NUMBER: 609-754-9050

(Weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

AF Portal Airmen Telework Resources - 3 Apr 2020  http://​https://www.my.af.mil/gcss-af/USAF/ep/contentView.do?contentType=EDITORIAL&contentId=c2832F16970EA199B0170EA58D8A40000&channelPageId=s6925EC1356510FB5E044080020E329A9

General Information:
VPN is intended for people who need access to share drives and other AFNET only based services.  If members only need access to email please utilize OWA on government or personal computers without using VPN.  This prevents the overloading of VPN services and maximizes availability to those who need it.  This also applies for the majority of websites and web based services such as vPC, vMPF, TBA, and ADLS as they can be accessed from personal or government machines without the need of a VPN connection.

Some services work better on some browsers than others so please attempt to use a different browsers if you encounter any issues. Edge, Internet explorer, and Chrome should be on every computer.

How to use the new USAF VPN Client:

1. Establish a functional internet connection (wireless or wired) outside the AFNet
2. Double click on the USAF VPN Client icon on the desktop or by selecting BIG-IP Edge Client through the Start Menu
3. Click “Connect” button – the client will attempt to start a VPN connection
4. The client will display a DoD monitored resource message. Click ‘Okay, Proceed to App” green button to proceed
5. Select the “Authentication Cert” (PIV-Auth) certificate from more choices. Note: Some users who have not migrated may still have to select the 10-digit “ID Cert”
6. After VPN session is established, VPN will minimize to the system tray
7. To Disconnect, open the client and select “Disconnect”. To find the client in the system tray, click on the up arrow in the bottom right corner of your screen near the date/time.

Notes:

• VPN connectivity will disconnect after two hours of inactivity, or when the computer goes to sleep—whichever occurs first.
• The new VPN capability fielding was expedited; planning and fielding for full capacity continues.
• If not actively working, log off VPN to allow other users to access the AFNET VPN. Utilize OWA Webmail if you only need email access. OWA is the recommended first option if email is your primary requirement
• For additional information see EURAM User Guide in resources section below.

How to use the old USAF AFNET SSL VPN:

If you cannot connect to the new VPN service, you can attempt to use the old VPN system using the following instructions: (Note: The old VPN service is much more limited than the new system. Overall, it only supports 9K simultaneous connections.)

1. Establish a functional internet connection (wireless or wired) outside the AFNet
2. Open ‘AFNet VPN Client’ or ‘AFNet SSL VPN Client’
3. Click ‘Connect’ to establish VPN connection
4. Select the “Authentication Cert” (16-digit PIV-Auth certificate) from more choices

Additional remote access capabilities:

Office 365: Offers cloud versions of the Microsoft Office suite you have on your computer.  This includes Teams, Outlook, and more.

1. Establish a VPN connection listed above if not directly connected to the AFNet
2. Open browser (Edge preferred), go to site: https//www.office.com/
3. Sign in with your us.af.mil email address (e.g. first.last@us.af.mil)

Outlook Web Access (OWA):  Primary option for users needing only email access. Requires AFNet account, CAC reader, personal or government computer. OWA Common Issues/Fixes located in the Resource section below.

•  Users Internal to AFNet (on VPN or at work):

1. Open browser (Internet Explorer/Edge), go to site: https//webmail.apps.mil/
2. Select the email certificate to access your email via the internet

•  Users External to AFNet: 

1. Open browser (Internet Explorer/Edge), go to site: https//owa.us.af.mil/
2. Select the email certificate to access your email via the internet

Notes:

•  S/MIME software is required to open encrypted email in OWA for both home and work computers. This was previously pushed to AF devices for Edge/Chrome, but requires manual installation for personal devices.  Of note, there is not an S/MIME solution for Chrome home use.
• Incident tickets and reports indicate that many users are still using previous URLs or typing http instead of https.
• For additional information see SMIME Instructions in resources section below.

Blackberry Unified Endpoint Management (BUEM) Devices:  The following AFNet resources are available via government furnished, BUEM-enabled devices (phones and tablets). BUEM applications offer many capabilities and features that provide access to AFNet resources and enhance productivity for Air Force mobile device users. The following resources are available to BUEM-enabled devices (phones and tablets) that are updated to the mandated iOS version (iOS 13.2):

• Blackberry Work – AFNet email, contacts, and calendar along with the ability to sign and encrypt messages
• Smart Office for Blackberry – Viewing and editing documents and files, include digital signing of configured PDF documents
• Blackberry Access Secure Web Browsing – Access to CAC-enabled websites (DTS, AFPC Secure, AF Portal, MyPay, etc)
• Blackberry Tasks and Blackberry Notes – Allows users to create, edit, and manage tasks and notes that sync with their Microsoft O365/Outlook Tasks
• OneDrive and SharePoint Online – Access to these capabilities can normally be configured through Blackberry Work but are currently unavailable. Full restoral is estimated 23 Mar 20

Notes:

• BUEM users received a direct email 18 March advertising capabilities available.
• Some BUEM applications referenced above may require user to download through the Work application and should automatically configure when select the UEM Client for access.
• For additional information see Blackberry UEM Instructions and How to Guides in resources section below

FAQs:

What Can I Do to Improve My Telework:

• ONLY USE WHAT YOU NEED/WHEN YOU NEED IT – if you only need to get on email, use OWA; this frees up VPN connections and bandwidth for those who need greater access
• Update your signature block with the phone number you can be reached at
• Use the VPN outside peak usage windows (1100-1600 EST); consider alternating shifts within your sections
• Connect your laptop/tablet to the VPN for at least 2 consecutive hours during nights or weekends to receive updates and patches (once a week)
• Try different a different certificate when connecting to OWA, VPN, etc.

What Are Some Common Errors When Trying to Connect to the VPN Client?

• “Credentials or account could not be found”:  Ensure you are choosing your CAC authentication certificate and not your CAC email certificate
• “Access denied by Access Policy” or “Session could not be established”:  The selected VPN server is at capacity, try a different VPN server or try again outside peak times

What Do I Do if I Can’t Get My VPN to Connect?

• Exhaust all other telework options (OWA, SharePoint, etc.)
• BE PREPARED TO BRING YOUR LAPTOP TO BASE; technicians cannot go to private residences to troubleshoot.  Times will be provided to units when they can bring their laptops in.  Please call 452-2666 for further guidance.

Troubleshooting Steps:

• Prior to contacting the help desk please attempt the steps listed below:

1. Verify you have internet connectivity without a VPN connected.
2. Attempt to connect to a different VPN server or VPN service and/or attempt to use different certificates.
3. If an application or service is not working attempt to use other services that require the VPN. 
   1. The Spangdahlem help desk is unable to assist with specific services not being available from a VPN connection. 
   2. If the service is working from within the AFNet on Spangdahlem but not over VPN we are not capable of resolving those issues.
   3. For example: If Outlook is not connecting attempt to use Teams, access shared drives, open Skype, etc.
4. If you receive a message about a proxy login asking for username and password this is likely due to an issue with the proxy server on the base and is not an individual issue.  Attempt to connect to a different VPN server to see if the issue persists.
5. If your issue persists and does not fall into one of the categories listed above please contact the help desk at DSN 452-2666 or commercial 06565-61-2666, option 1.

Resources:

EURAM User Guide: https://cs2.eis.af.mil/sites/23802/690%20NSS/SS/Enterprise%20Training/Referenced%20Publications/EURAM%20User%20Guide.pdf

S/MIME Instructions: https://org2.eis.af.mil/sites/aetc-jbsa-cs/SCO/SCOS/CFP/NOTAMs_Atchs/Edge%20SMIME%20Fix%20for%20AF%20OWAv3.pdf

OWA Common Issues/Fix: https://cs2.eis.af.mil/sites/23802/690%20NSS/SS/Enterprise%20Training/Referenced%20Publications/OWA%20Common%20Issues%20and%20Fixes.pdf

Blackberry UEM Instructions and How to Guides: https://acc.eim.acc.hedc.af.mil/org/ACC/staff/a6/a6c/A6OX%20-%20Enterprise%20Capabilities/A6OX%20Mobile/Lists/COPE/AllItems.aspx