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Story by 1st Lt. Rachel M. Kim
106th Financial Management Support Unit, 16th Special Troops Battalion
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – Thirteen U.S. Army Finance Soldiers are currently deployed to Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, providing financial management support to Kosovo Forces assigned to the NATO peacekeeping mission.
The forward deployed team from the 106th Financial Management Support Unit, 16th Sustainment Brigade, is responsible for the daily accountability of a U.S. Treasury account—to include all currency disbursements, contract vendor payments, and payroll for active duty, reserve, National Guard U.S. Soldiers, Marines and Airmen in the Balkans Theater.
The U.S. Army has maintained a presence in Kosovo for the last 15 years, assisting in regional stabilization and NATO-led peacekeeping efforts for the Kosovo people. In conjunction, the finance mission has been sustained throughout 19 rotations of deployed troops.
Despite the extent of mission longevity, the current KFOR 106th FMSU unit has sought to modernize internal operations with specific focus on audit readiness, as part of the overall Army Audit Readiness Strategy for the new fiscal year, and the introduction of Electronic Funds Transfers for contract payments.
More notably, within two months of their arrival, the Commercial Vendor Services section successfully implemented General Fund Enterprise Business Systems, the Army’s new web-enabled financial, asset and accounting management system that standardizes, streamlines, and shares critical real time data. GFEBS allows the CVS team to pay the vendor invoices via EFTs, thus replacing the phased out Computerized Accounts Payable System and physical cash payments.
The CBS KFOR Finance unit maintains its own account with the U.S. Treasury and works closely with U.S. financial institutions and local banking institutions for automated teller machine currency procurement and foreign currency payments.
Additionally, the unit oversees daily accountability of EagleCash Card operations with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston as part of the enduring contingency mission to mitigate U.S. currency overseas.
The “EagleCash Card” is an electronic vending system that deployed U.S. personnel use to substitute the use of hard currency. With the EagleCash system, service members use a smart card for purchases instead of cash.
Daily operations also include oversight of all Defense Travel System and Government Travel Card processes for U.S. Army personnel deployed to Kosovo.
Since their assumption of CBS financial operations in October 2014, the team has processed over $2.12 million in currency disbursements and contract payments to multinational vendors, and over 1,800 transactions for military pay.
“GFEBS has enabled us to process payments in a timelier and more efficient manner,” said Sgt. Ahmed Attia, the CVS non-commissioned officer in charge and native of Alexandria, Egypt. “This was my first time using GFEBS so the establishment was difficult at first, but with extensive research and the unyielding efforts of everyone involved, we were able to make EFT payments for the first time in Camp Bondsteel history. I’m a firm believer that if there is a will, there is a way.”
The deployed environment enables Finance Soldiers to perform contingency financial management operations that are not conducted elsewhere.
“Being deployed allows me to train, learn, and apply new technical skills that I would not have received back in garrison,” said Pfc. Othmane Messouli, a military pay clerk and native of Morocco. “I want to learn as much as possible here so I can become proficient and train fellow Soldiers.”
In addition to the finance mission, the unit participates in biweekly volunteering events with a local women’s shelter and center for disabled children.
“I really enjoy and appreciate the volunteering opportunities we have participated in throughout this deployment so far,” said Spc.Yunju Hughes, a native of South Korea. “I feel that volunteering enhances our overall mission in Kosovo. By contributing to the community and meeting the local people, I am able to learn more about the Kosovo culture, but more importantly, forge new friendships that will last for a lifetime."
| Date Taken: | 02.26.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2015 07:48 |
| Story ID: | 155456 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 346 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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