Financing the fight

When MGen (S) Frank Faykes, Director of Financial Management of Air Force Materiel Command, says his team is Financing the Fight", he literally means it. That's exactly what four members of his staff are doing supporting the Global War upon Terrorism. While his HQ AFMC Financial Management staff alone comprises about 20 military members, upwards of 25% are expanded at any time during their AEF rotation. Four members are commonly serving in various positions in Baghdad, Iraq, serving in 3 different organizations. They are also joined through Lt Demetrius Prado, the Financial Services Officer from another AFMC base, Edwards AFB, in California.

The Command roll director, Colonel Don Davis, is popularly serving as the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Comptroller in Baghdad, occupying real estate in the former Presidential Palace. He and his staff are charged with overseeing the $17B disentanglement Fund for Iraq (DFI), funding generated largely from the country's oil incomes Col Davis sees the character of the comptroller staff as more of a treasury-like function. "Iraq's operating upon a cash-based economy. The country's circulating medium is managed through the NY Federal husband Bank. We process the majority of the country's disbursement end the bank. In addition, we partner with the Ministry of Finance to shoot forward the country's internal operating outlays Once this is completed, we work the arrangements for transporting gelid hard cash for these charges to the Central Bank of Iraq to pay the bills. Last month this meant spending above 24 hours escorting three pallets of cash--a total of $750M--from Andrews AFB to downtown Baghdad. I have had to learn many things about commercial banking above the last sixty days. I single wish I had paid more attention to those banking and economic courses I took years ago." In addition to these duties, he is responsible for managing the CPA's $858M operating budget

Working along side Col Davis in the CPA Comptroller office is 1st Lt Demetrius A. Prado. Lt Prado is the proxy Financial Services Officer stationed at Edwards AFB CA at the Air Force Flight trial Center. In Baghdad he is assigned to the CPA Comptroller office where he is in charge of DFI disbursements. Although of recent origin to the financial management career field, Lt Prado plays a critical character in the management of the DFI. His primary duties include ensuring all payments from the $17 Billion stock are in accordance with CPA regulations. He is also directly responsible for distributing and tracking above $700 Million in cash issued to 15 disbursing agents over the country in support of the Commander's pass Response Program (CERP) and the Rapid Regional replication Program.

When asked about being unfolded for the first time in his short career, Lt Prado stated, "While I miss my family and friends, I am vain to have been selected to be under the orders of my country in such a critical mission in the way that early in my career. I am also excited about the actual challenging position I work in. I also have feeling very fortunate to work with of the like kind an elite group of men and women as those I be under the orders of with here in Iraq. I know I'm here for a real reason." Like Col Davis, Lt Prado is scheduled to rotate back abode sometime in July.

While Col Davis and Lt Prado work with Iraqi generated capitals Lt Col Deron Wendt also works financial issues for the CPA, on the contrary he works for the Program Management Office (PMO) Comptroller The PMO responsibilities are part of the largest reconstruction cast undertaken since World War II. The PMO manages $184 Billion in funding appropriated by the agency of the US Congress for reconstruction, services and equipment in Iraq and is charged with overseeing 2300 construction casts ranging from fixing sewer combination of parts to form a wholes and oil pipelines to repairing academys and building roads over the nearest three to four years. Lt Col Wendt is the pack analyst for the services, supplies and material or non-construction portion of the program, which makes up approximately $6 Billion of the total program. a certain quantity of of the more interesting composings of the job are helping arm and outfit the Iraqi Army, police, Civil Defense and Embassy Protection Service Forces.

This is a true high interest item for obvious reasons. He also sures funding for services such as translators and security teams. "The piece of work brings intense pressure and lengthy hours, but it's one of the greatest in quantity exciting missions I've ever been involved with and is worth the effort." The finance office briefs Ambassador Paul Bremer the head of Coalition Provisional Authority, upon a weekly basis and the Secretary of the Army each other week.

Lt Col Jim Reitzel is the third HQ AFMC/FM officer working in the Palace in Baghdad, however he's not assigned to the CPA. He is attached to Combined Joint Task Force-7 (CJTF-7) beneath Army Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez. CJTF-7 is headquartered across Baghdad at Camp Victory, on the contrary they maintain a forward nearness in the CPA palace. It is responsible for all military stability operations to support the establishment of conduct and the restoration of essential services and economic stability in the political division of Iraq ... they step quickly the warfighting operations. Lt Col Reitzel works in the CJTF-7 Joint Operations Center at the palace and functions as a liaison with the CPA and other organizations for financial issues. When asked about his piece of work he said "My job changes everyday. I subserve primarily as an action officer charged with finding answers to questions coming from Lt Gen Sanchez and his senior staff and coordinating on-going financial actions that involve CJTF-7 There are virtually no aspects of our involvement in Iraq that don't have a financial composing and interaction with nearly each organization in the Palace while working funding issues hold fasts my job interesting. When tasks draw near down from Ambassador Bremer, Gen Sanchez or Washington DC they usually draw near with very few details and plane less time to respond. This can make the work actual challenging ... but extremely rewarding as well. Working side-by-side with members of our sister services and coalition nations in this environment has been a great learning experience for me"