Defense-wide Service Day.

The Honorable Dr. Dov S. Zakheim Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)

Mr. Ed McIntire Project Officer Defense Finance and Accounting Service-Indianapolis

Mr. Ron Maccaroni Deputy Comptroller Defense Information Systems Agency

Ms. Elaine Kingston Comptroller United States Special Operations Command 

The fifth annual Defense-wide (DW) Service Day in the Big Easy featured presentations by leaders of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)-Indianapolis Center, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The 198 attendees enjoyed a series of briefings, each devoted exclusively to contemporary Treasury Index No. 97 budgeting, accounting, and reporting issues. The speakers were preceded by the appearance of Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) (USD(C)) Dr. Dov S. Zakheim and a tribute to the late David O. Cooke, known to many as the "Mayor of the Pentagon."

Dr. Zakheim, after keynoting the opening session for the Professional Development Institute, graciously performed the same function for the DW community. His remarks addressed the objectives of the on-going DFAS Capitalization Study and its potential outcome; the urgent need for Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM) certification for all Department of Defense (DoD) financial management professionals to strengthen public trust and congressional confidence; and the restructured Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution System (PPBES), with its renewed emphasis on internal budget execution.

A pictorial collage served as the backdrop for the homage paid to Mr. David O. "Doc" Cooke. He died of injuries suffered in an automobile accident in June 2002. The collage traced his long career from Navy combat duty in World War II, through his role in creating the Defense Agencies during the reorganization of the DoD in the 1950s, to his rise to the position of Director, Administration and Management, for the Secretary of Defense. He swore in and served 15 different Secretaries (16 if you count Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld twice).

Mr. Cooke was a long-time supporter of efforts to unify the fourth estate (a term used within DoD to refer to the Defense agencies as opposed to the three military departments) and championed the annual DW Comptroller's Conferences. He can rightfully be called the "Father of the Defense Agencies" for his instrumental efforts in establishing the Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Supply Agency (later renamed the Defense Logistics Agency), Defense Investigative Service, and Defense Mapping Agency (now the National Imagery and Mapping Agency), among others.

Secretary Rumsfeld has eulogized him as "not only the operational brains of the Pentagon but its spiritual ballast." Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen praised him as "the embodiment of all the values and virtues America could hope for in a public servant." In a position that carried great power and wide influence, "Doc" is remembered today as much for his humanity as for his many outstanding accomplishments.

Mr. Ed McIntire, project officer at DFAS-Indianapolis, then gave an update on the DFAS Corporate Information Infrastructure (DCII) project to centralize Treasury Index No. 97 departmental accounting reports. The DCII provides financial data management capabilities through the use of the DFAS Corporate Database/DFAS Corporate Warehouse (DCD/DCW) and realistically has the potential to revolutionize DoD budget execution reporting.

The DCII uses standard business language and data elements, applies consistent business rules, implements standard transactions that reflect improved business processes, performs standard edits using centrally managed Global Edit Tables, uses standard interface formats (for example, EDI), and maximizes the use of electronic commerce.

The TI-97 Interagency Solution (IS) is a central database of budget execution information received from multiple sources and systems presented in a standardized format. It provides detailed near real-time and accurate budget execution information.

TI-97 IS clients include the USSOCOM, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Washington Headquarters Services, TRICARE Management Activity, Missile Defense Agency, and The Joint Staff. Significant milestones are set for Enterprise Testing (June 6, 2003) and Initial Implementation (June 16, 2003), with Deployments Complete by March 12, 2004.

Mr. Ron Maccaroni, the DISA Deputy Comptroller, followed with an overview of DISA efforts to meet the President's Management Agenda for performance results. He quoted top leaders to emphasize that "this Administration is dedicated to ensuring that the resources entrusted to the federal government are well managed and wisely used."

He then linked the DISA mission to the success of key DoD goals. The agency must demonstrate a structure of measures that reflect its strategic direction and that support evaluations of agency progress; show evidence of program management, strategic planning, and performance budgeting to define priorities and spending across agency programs; clearly show the relationship between requested funding and strategic goals; reveal the agency's unified approach for planning and budgeting; and demonstrate compliance with financial and human resource requirements in legislation and regulation.

Mr. Maccaroni explained the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), the Administration's standard mechanism for measuring effectiveness of every federal program. The OMB reviewed 234 programs for the fiscal year (FY) 2004 budget, which represented almost one-fifth of all government programs and $480 billion in funding.

By the end of FY 2008, the entire inventory of federal programs will have been reviewed. PART will be used to inform budget decisions by requiring proof of program results for dollars spent. The DISA is working now to achieve all of the efforts previously described.

Ms. Elaine Kingston, the USSOCOM Comptroller, ended the morning session by giving rare insights into financial operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She elaborated on 4 key points: the combat mission needs statement, statutory spending authorities, the impact of Special Forces operations, and financial management lessons learned in a combat environment.

The USSOCOM headquarters used the combat mission needs authority to provide relief and assistance to our warfighters within the first 48 hours of combat action in Iraq. USSOCOM used this authority to provide cash for low-level source activities and for Title 10 (United States Code) materiel provisions to foreign national personnel serving in country alongside U.S. Forces.

The impact of our Special Forces was felt very effectively through the wide distribution of leaflets designed to protect our troops and to affect the behavior of the enemy by demanding that they surrender or be killed. The key lesson learned was to have trained paying agents in place before the onset of operations in order most effectively to support the war effort. One example cited was the use of cash to purchase food for starving indigenous personnel in exchange for intelligence information about the enemy.

After breaking for a Louisiana-style lunch, the DW group joined with DFAS personnel for their Service Day afternoon sessions.