What's the best way to sign documents from a civilian laptop, trapped in the new mil mail system?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 13:00:22 -0500

Is there a way I can sign a trapped document while in the mil mail system through my civilian laptop in the span of the Army Cloud Drive without having to need a military ARNET computer so I could at the very least send it on it's merry way?

Further, I now realize, if this system continues to work as it works even if I were to be given military computer for a future command I would not be able to have copies of key documents regarding that command once I turn in said lap top.

I was pondering another Command while I'm a CPT, but now I see all sorts of road blocks that will make what I already experienced even 10X harder.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Jan 9 at 2022 1:15 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 13:15:23 -0500

Assuming there no spillage or PII issues, and that you have your own CAC reader (they're pretty cheap now, and commercially available) you can always forward the item to a civilian email address, save the documents to your computer, do whatever signatures are needed, and then just forward back the signed version from your PC.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 9 at 2022 2:18 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 14:18:14 -0500

Army 365 will continue to evolve. There is a plan for a BYOD solution. It will mean that you will not be able to store products on that local computer, but that is not inappropriate. I cannot give you a decent forecast date, just that it is coming.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 9 at 2022 6:37 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 18:37:13 -0500

ARNet portal remote through citrix on a civ laptop and CAC reader, then just use Outlook (if the ARNet Portal is still available https://aramp.usar.army.mil .)

And it looks like you should be able to download and upload documents on teams with a civ windows machine, just worked when I tried it. That does not work on linux.
Truth be told, when we can finally sign docs in Teams, that will save tens of thousands of hours a year.

Also, if you to get GFE, (Govt Furnished Equipment, and every MDAY/TPU commander should have one) everything you want to retain for future records (all documents, all pst files of everything you sent and received on Outlook, etc), you can just burn to dvds before you give the laptop back. That's how fulltimers manage switching laptops every 2-5 years.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 9 at 2022 8:59 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 20:59:14 -0500

Thanks for the responses. It validates my current SOP, and challenges.

Completely different area of discussion, but I can sit pretty where I am in my current USAR slot till I retire, and not be exposed to the headaches this causes on a grander scale than my personal affairs.

I will not be exposing myself to commander duties/slots unless I can be confident I can navigate the administrative requirements I barely skated by as a CO while a LT. Even the challenge of a Gov issued device poses problems when the device needs a hard line ARNET connection to receive updates. This poses even further problems when the Unit is hundreds of miles away and the possibility of an entire system reload is required when hard line ARNET activity cannot be guaranteed.

It's more common than one thinks with AT that are nowhere near an ARNET, and holiday months like DEC potentially not having an BA weekend causing two periods a year where as many as 60+ days between connectivity.

As petty as it sounds, something this insignificant can be the foundation of a unit meeting readiness metrics or not.

Response by Giovani Hamilton made Mar 18 at 2024 8:05 PM

Giovani Hamilton — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 20:05:24 -0400

Navigating military systems can feel like a maze sometimes, right? I remember being in a similar bind when I needed to sign documents while on civilian equipment. What worked for me was finding a workaround within the system's constraints. Have you considered reaching out to your IT support or exploring alternative signing methods online? Oh, and speaking of finding solutions, stumbled upon some handy contracts at https://atpgov.com/contracts/2git/ that might offer some insights or resources.

2nd Generation Information Technology | ATP Gov

2GIT BPAs provide the following categories of products and associated services worldwide: networking equipment, servers/storage/peripherals/multimedia...

Response by Bob Brook made Apr 19 at 2024 5:22 PM

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