FInance Airmen fund the fight

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Gustavo Gonzalez
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  The finance office may not be the first agency that comes to mind when Airmen think about going to war, but here at Kunsan they're just as involved in the fight as anybody else. 

More accurately known as the 8th Comptroller Squadron, the men and women assigned there deal with everything and anything related to funds, control, disbursing, military pay, travel pay and civilian pay. They also prepare budget analysis on appropriated funds like procurement, military construction, operations and maintenance, and non-appropriated funds like income and expenses of all services programs. 

"The Comptroller is the Wolf's [Col. J.D. Harris, 8th Fighter Wing commander] right hand man when questions arise about whether or not procurement is authorized with the appropriated funds available." said Staff Sgt. Thomas Cadick, 8th CPTS. 

In a combat environment--or as is common locally, during an Operational Readiness Exercise--the squadron's focus shifts. Normal daily operations are paused and the majority of the support they provide is geared toward the deploying Airmen and Soldiers. As members pass through the Personnel Deployment and Reception Function Line squadron members are present brief them on to educate and inform the war fighters of their entitlements before they head out. 

"Our goal is to reassure the members that their pay and entitlements will be taken care of so they can focus on their jobs when they are forward deployed," said 1st Lt. Richard Lam, 8th CPTS Financial Analysis Flight deputy commander. 

However, when Kunsan goes to "war," they not only send the Wolf Pack Airmen out the door, but also company them. 

"We also have a small team that deploys with the Logistic Deployment Kit," Lieutenant Lam said. "[They] set up at a bare base in order to pay vendors for service or supplies that will enable the build-up or support the operations at the forward location." 

According to Lieutenant Lam, the comptroller squadron is tied into every level of the Wolf Pack mission. Defending the base requires funds for training, procurement of weapons and ammunition, and the upkeep of defense systems. Financial services operations Airmen also enable the acceptance of follow on forces--ensuring their entitlements get started and travel pay is correct. And, they keep Kunsan's Airmen in the air to take the fight north when necessary, with operations and maintenance dollars. 

"As the squadron that controls the funds, I believe our contribution to the Wolf Pack mission is critical and essential," he said. "We literally impact every individual on this base from a military pay, travel pay and civilian pay perspective. We also keep all the groups and squadrons in line throughout the year from over-spending or under-spending their budgets for that fiscal year." 

According to Sergeant Cadick, during the exercise, the 8th CPTS faces many challenges and obstacles. 

"In the end, we all must contribute during a war regardless of your job, whether we are in MOPP 4 (Mission Oriented Protective Posture), doing PAR (Post Attack Reconnaisance) sweeps, or any other obstacles we face," he said. "In our case, we must continue to work together and make sure we are receiving enough funds for what we are trying to accomplish as a part of the Wolf Pack team, which is to defend the base, accept follow-on forces and take the fight north."