RAFINO

From the Chief of the Corps

October 2000 Article | Reunion 2000 Address

October 2000 Article:

In my last article, I wrote about the unprecedented challenges facing our Army and the role they play as catalysts for change.  In this issue, I want to give you an overview of the Army's ''Transformation" strategy to meet an uncertain and challenging future and achieve new levels of effectiveness in warfighting.  I also want to share with you how we are preparing the Finance Corps to respond to these challenges, support the Army, and maintain our relevance.

What is Transformation?  Transformation is the way forward - a game plan for the Army Vision.  Army doctrine, emerging organization, training, and technology must converge to produce a ready force capable of effective joint and multinational operations.  "Marines win battles," GEN Shinseki, the Army's Chief of Staff, reminded a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee recently, "but it takes the Army to win a war."  The Army, he said, "has a nonnegotiable contract" with America to fight and win its wars.  The objective of Transformation, therefore, is "a force strategically-responsive and dominant at every point on the spectrum of operations."

Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) has the lead for orchestrating the Army's Transformation.  Formulated in a comprehensive Transformation Campaign Plan, TRADOC works aggressively to translate innovative ideas into concepts and concepts into reality.  At the forefront of their effort is the creation of two new force structures:  the Initial Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) and Interim Division (IDIV). Revolutionary in their design, these force packages will enable the Army to deploy a combat capable brigade anywhere in the world in 96 hours, a Division in 120 hours, and 5 Divisions in 30 days.

While our current Finance doctrine is sound, we are continuing to look at future force structure changes and refining our processes to deliver even more effective support to the Army.  Using the opportunity our Regimental Week (16-20 May 2000) activities presented, we leveraged the knowledge and experience of our senior financial management leaders who comprised the 16th Finance Board to set the azimuth for the future.  Following a report on the State of the Corps, the Board's Executive Session sanctioned two key initiatives: the School's proposal to consolidate Finance and Resource Management (FI-RM) operations into a new Financial Management Corps (FMC) and the development of an enhanced financial management battlefield enabler. Approved and funded by the ASA(FM&C), the FI-RM study was extended Army-wide with the award of a contract to Cubic Applications, Inc (CAI) of Leavenworth, KS.   Finance COL(R) Roger C. Lee, the Senior Military and Systems Analyst leading the study has traveled throughout CONUS, Germany, Korea and Hawaii meeting with garrison, division, corps and MACOM commanders to identify financial and resource management functions critical to the commands, and to solicit views on the proposed consolidation.  CAI's findings and recommendations on viable FMC structures are due early November 2000.

To reduce the Combat Service Support footprint on the digitized battlefield, members of our staff have capitalized on commercial off the shelf computer systems to develop the Future Finance System (FFS) our enhanced financial management battlefield enabler.   To evaluate the ease of FFS deployability, how efficiently it can be put into operations, gain connectivity to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service database and how well the system exchanges data on the Signal Community's Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, we will test the system this December in Korea.

Beyond our efforts to anticipate and manage change, great things are happening throughout our Corps evident in the quality support we provide to the Army and the recognition our military and civilian teams continually receive for their commitment to excellence and service.  In the personnel arena, our Corps is extremely proud to have a second serving general officer. Congratulations to Brigadier General Edgar E. STANTON III who was promoted to the general officer ranks on 31 August 2000 at Fort Monroe, VA, by GEN Abrams, the TRADOC Commanding General.  The promotion marked a great day for the Army, the Finance Corps and the Stanton family.  We also extend sincere appreciation and best wishes to Command Sergeant Major Samuel L. Mollock who will retire on 1 November 2000 after 30 years of dedicated service to the nation culminating in his assignment as the Command Sergeant Major of the Finance Corps (Regiment).   As we say farewell to CSM Mollock, we welcome CSM Paul L. Morrissette, his successor, who will continue the great tradition of caring for our Finance Corps soldiers.

On behalf of the entire staff and faculty of the Finance School, we extend our very best wishes to each of you for a bountiful Thanksgiving and a festive, safe holiday season!"

The Army can't afford to go to war without us!

Reunion 2000 Article:

The future for the Finance Corps is as bright as ever.  We have great soldiers who are both technically and tactically proficient.  Our doctrine is sound and is passing the test daily as we support operations in deployed environments around the world.

Our current BC44 authorizations stands at 370 officers positions. We have an officer inventory of 580 officers serving in authorized BC44 positions and other non BC44 assignments.  Our current inventory of 2500 enlisted soldiers means that our enlisted force is smaller than the authorized force of 2900. However, our enlisted force will not grow any larger due to budget constraints.

Our soldiers and civilians are ready to meet the challenge of the future. We will be combining our 73 Series MOS into one enlisted MOS.  We are proposing the merger of the functions of BC44 and FA45 into one officer skill set.  The merger of functions and MOS's will pave the way for the Finance Corps to support our Army as it transforms to a new fighting force.

- Col. Charles R. Walker

ED: This is the gist of the message that COL Charles Walker gave to the Reunion 2000 meeting attendees.