Photo By Julianne Sympson | Carrie Dalton (left) and Rhiannon Vogt, from the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command...... read more read more
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. - The Joint Enabling Capabilities Command’s (JECC) Managers’ Internal Control Program (MICP), a tool designed to mitigate waste, fraud and abuse of command resources, has become the JECC’s solution for quality assurance and oversight. At multiple tiers, the MICP ensures the JECC maintains compliance with: Secretary of Defense mandates, U.S. Transportation Command’s (USTRANSCOM) inspection requirements and internal measures to manage risk and areas related to ethics within the command. As a secondary effect, the broad use of this in-house tool within distinct command functions has also made improvements in efficiency.
Although the JECC’s MICP is aligned with the basic premise of other Department of Defense (DOD) MICPs, the JECC’s program is administered internally and remains flexible enough to meet command priorities. The MICP is a JECC Chief of Staff-led program that incorporates key personnel in the JECC MICP Council from each of the command’s directorates and the JECC’s three subordinate joint commands – the Joint Planning Support Element (JPSE), the Joint Public Affairs Support Element (JPASE) and the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE).
Each year the JECC subordinate commanders and directors formally submit a command-wide Risk Assessment based on their distinct functional areas to identify the level of risk associated with current practices. Subsequently, the MICP Council develops the Management Control Plan (MCP) which describes the necessary oversight and internal control measures used throughout the year to mitigate potential risks. At the end of the year, the Commander, JECC signs a Statement of Assurance which validates to USTRANSCOM, the JECC’s higher headquarters, that the command has sufficient internal controls to prevent waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement of taxpayer resources.
“Based on the Risk Assessment, the commanders and directors determine in the MCP how each directorate will control the level of risk associated in their area of expertise,” said Mr. Kirk Barley, the JECC J8 programs chief and MICP functional manager. “The Statement of Assurance demonstrates how the JECC complies with measures put in place and shows how USTRANSCOM and subsequently, the Secretary of Defense can have full confidence in our internal control program which underpins the ethics and integrity of the organization.”
At the action officer-level, the MCP identifies JECC directorate and subordinate joint command’s measurable processes, or assessable units (AUs), and their assessable unit managers (AUMs) – the resident subject matter experts trained on MICP requirements. Following the MICP’s self-reporting infrastructure, approximately 40 AUMs monitor over 60 AUs across the command and provide monthly and quarterly progress reports to the JECC Chief of Staff and their respective leadership. These on-going checks maintain integrity of the program and also help determine the effectiveness of the current year’s MCP particularly in workplace safety, appropriate use of funds and inventory management across the command.
“The MICP does not dictate what needs to get done, but helps track when and how compliant the command is with specific processes based on the JECC subordinate commanders’ and directors’ guidance,” said JECC member, Dr. Bill Alexander, the Business Process Engineer who maintains the MICP’s day-to-day requirements.
Although the JECC implemented the MICP years ago, the role and effectiveness of the program has evolved and has been used in the standup of a number of new JECC programs. For instance, the JECC used the MICP to save resources by integrating the Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) program. For the JECC, the FIAR ensures that the command’s financial and property records support an audit of DOD accounting systems. By consolidating this program and trusting the analysis of the MICP, the JECC eliminated the need for the development of an additional program staff.
“The JECC’s commitment to due diligence has been apparent in the directors’ extended use of the MICP in streamlining efforts for the FIAR, a Secretary of Defense-required program for all DOD organizations, ” said Barley. “The MICP provides a written record that we continue to legitimately use federal money wisely and have on-going efforts to adjust processes when necessary.”
The JECC directors have also played a more active role in monitoring their respective functional areas and the MICP’s continual spot checks ensure better accountability of JECC resources. The MICP encourages the AUMs to identify potential risk factors to the JECC leadership and proactively address concerns before they adversely affect the JECC mission. In particular, the JECC J4 Logistics Director, Mr. Jerry Johnson, who is responsible for providing logistical and resource support for JECC initiatives, employs the MICP to effectively track more than 6,000 JECC property assets, including communications equipment, deployability gear and weapons, that JECC personnel rely on to meet mission requirements.
“For JECC property management, one of the JECC J4’s main AUs, the MICP has helped us instill cost-effective reviews, timely action and more accurate reports,” said Johnson. “I rely on my AUMs to do a thorough job and the on-going weekly checks have helped us identify discrepancies in our official records that may have previously gone unnoticed. With our routine checks, we are now exceeding the required 100 percent inventory of all assets over a 12-month cycle.”
The JECC uses the MICP to remain actively aware of issues that may be reviewed during an Inspector General inspection. Even though USTRANSCOM does not formally inspect all JECC assets, the JECC routinely schedules external staff assist visits to ensure the program is effectively monitoring MICP requirements.
“The MICP is proof we have internal controls and provides records that we do what our plans and policies say we do in case the command was ever audited,” said Barley. “The MICP ensures the command is in compliance in how we use our federal resources and underpins the ethics and integrity of the organization. The on-going spot checks are a better solution than periodic third-party inspections.”
Overall, the MICP provides the JECC leadership with an increased level of confidence in routine business practices that comply with government statutes. Additionally, the JECC directorates and subordinate commanders continue to find new ways to use the MICP structure within their areas of expertise. Based on the MICP’s structure and effective tracking mechanism, the JECC continues to make internal improvements which ultimately enhance the JECC’s ability to meet mission requirements.
| Date Taken: | 03.19.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 03.19.2014 13:54 |
| Story ID: | 122237 |
| Location: | NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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