Army and Financial Management 235th Birthday

FM Military and Civilian Warriors
 

This Birthday is especially noteworthy, as it not only marks our Finance heritage that is 235 years strong, but our second anniversary as Branch 36--Financial Management Warriors as well!

Our Corps has one of the longest lineages in the Army and has continually transformed to meet the needs of changing operational environments:

(1) It originated on 16 June 1775, when the Second Continental Congress appointed a Paymaster General of the Army.

(2) In 1816, the Pay Department was established and remained unchanged until 1912, when it joined the Quartermaster Corps during WWI.

(3) In October 1918, at the end of the war, Congress reestablished the Finance Service.

(4) In June 1920, it became the Finance Department as a separate branch of the War Department.

(5) In 1950 it became the Finance Corps as a basic branch of the Army.

Transformation into a modular force, emerging Full Spectrum Operations and establishment of the 36 Branch led to a re-examination of our traditional roles and ability to support combatant commanders.

As a result, our Corps is becoming a ready and balanced force capable of executing Full Spectrum Operations through superbly trained, educated, adaptive and agile Military & Civilian FM Warriors enabled with state of the art FM and C2 systems and adept at the coordinated application of fiscal and economic power in support of national and military objectives.

This is no idle boast...Leaders at all levels understand the concept of "Money as a Weapon System" and appreciate Financial Management contributions at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels.

Mr. Howe, our Museum Curator, prepared a short video to celebrate this special Birthday...please watch it.

I hope you are as proud as I am to serve as a Financial Management Warrior at this defining moment in our history!

COL Milt Sawyers, Commandant