The masters of balance: Comptroller squadron Airmen manage end-of-year funds

Photo By David Bedard | Second Lt. Race Southworth, 673d Comptroller Squadron deputy budget officer, reviews unfunded requirements Sept. 21, 2017, of elements at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. When units are below budget at the end of a fiscal year, UFRs can enhance mission effectiveness and address facility and equipment shortfalls. (U.S. Air Force photo by David Bedard)  

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, UNITED STATES

09.22.2017

Story by David Bedard 

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson   

Senior Airman Daniel Cordova, an accounting technician with 673d Comptroller Squadron's Financial Management Analysis Flight, has loved numbers for almost as long as he can remember.
“Since middle school, I have been pretty solid in math,” the Menifee, California, native said. “I have always been about numbers.”
Taking AP calculus and studying mathematics in motion by way of physics, Cordova grappled with the theoretical when he finished his homework and aced his examinations. When he joined the Air Force, a theoretical exercise became real life, because his efforts ensure dollars are turned into jet thrust and daily mission accomplishment at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, for units like 3rd Wing.
Because the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, the weeks leading up to the deadline make for a hectic time for Cordova, his flight, and anyone on base who has budgetary responsibilities.
“We have to make sure the bills are paid, and all of the money is used,” Cordova explained.
It's a tough balancing act, Cordova said, requiring strict monitoring of daily spending to ensure units get to budgetary zero without going over their limit.
Second Lt. Race Southworth, 673d CPTS deputy budget officer, said the year-end closeout is the culmination of year-round budget planning.
“The biggest thing is having a plan all year long,” the Dickinson, Texas, native said. “We have many different drills to make sure those plans happen. The No. 1 rule is you don't overspend your budget.”
Because budgets are projections by design, Southworth said units prepare unfunded-requirements lists that can be carried out when they are under budget. Though normally not mission-essential, UFRs can include combat multipliers or address an ongoing shortfall in facilities or equipment.
Last year, the 673d Security Forces Squadron used UFR money to upgrade kennel flooring for their military working dogs. Southworth said he was able to visit the renovated facility and see the results of his meticulous number crunching.
“We were able to see the kennels and actually see what was getting fixed, so it was really cool to be able to see the dogs, the people who are in charge of them, and to see the impact of what we do, because what we normally see is documents and numbers,” Southworth explained. “At the end of the day, each of those documents have something to do with the actual mission. That's why it's nice to be able to be here, because you can look at the flightline and see the F-22 [Raptors], and realize what you're doing is ultimately for that mission.”
An Airman who works with F-22s and the other tactical aircraft operated by 3rd Wing is Tech. Sgt. Matthew Nyulassie, 3rd Maintenance Group resource advisor. He serves as the conduit between the budget stakeholders such as government-wide purchase card holders in the wing, the squadron RAs and supply technicians, and budget professionals of 673d CPTS FMA.
“You try to balance the needs and wants of the squadrons, especially operationally with the aircraft and the mission,” the Tomball, Texas, native said. “You have to be careful not to go too far on the wants knowing that there might be a need right around the corner.”
Cordova said he helps manage 261 accounts associated with the purchase cards – the units' primary means of making daily purchases – spread across the base. In the last few weeks of the fiscal year, he has to track and verify each purchase to keep the books balanced.
“Getting all of the proper receipts, getting the correct amounts, that can be a challenge,” he said.
Southworth said he and his colleagues don't lose sight of their purpose: supporting the mission.
“They say accounting is the language of business,” he said. “Here, our business is winning wars.”
Working everyday with busy 3rd Wing squadrons, Nyulassie said he sees the results of his efforts when aircraft taxi and crew chiefs turn wrenches on the flightline.
“Being a finance Airman in the operational Air Force and seeing where those dollars tie into the mission, that's the most satisfying part of the job,” he said.

• Date Taken: 09.22.2017
• Date Posted: 09.22.2017 20:56
• Story ID: 249415
• Location: JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US
• Hometown: DICKINSON, TX, US
• Hometown: MENIFEE, CA, US
• Hometown: TOMBALL, TX, US