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325th Comptroller Squadron: rich in talent

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Solomon Cook
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Some might be skeptical about the old saying, "Money make the world go around" - but it certainly rings true to the professionals at the 325th Comptroller Squadron here at Tyndall.

Their mission enables air dominance operations by providing steadfast financial services, analysis and sound budgetary decision making. By ensuring efficiency and effectiveness they ensure taxpayers get the best Air Force for their money. 

"The Comptroller Squadron provides financial customer service to more than 4,000 base personnel," said 1st. Lt. Kara Noble, 325th CPTS flight commander. "Additionally, we manage the cost, accounting, and budgetary functions of the base.

Through budgetary guidance and decision support, it is our fiduciary responsibility to ensure funds are spent efficiently and properly. Overall, we provide support to more than 23,000 Airmen, civilians, contractors and their families."

The 325th CPTS affects Airmen personally through their military pay, and professionally through the funding and execution of their respective mission budgets, Noble added.

The comptroller squadron has a rich history of support to the 325th, Noble said.

"The Air Force activated the 325th Finance Disbursing Unit, Fighter, All Weather, in June 1948 at Hamilton AFB, Washington," Noble said. "An original 325th Fighter Wing Unit, it moved to Moses Lake AFB, Washington before inactivating and disbanding in August 1950. Reconstituted and re-designated as the 325th CPTS on 15 Aug 1988, it rejoined the then 325th Tactical Training Wing at Tyndall AFB, Florida, with both units working for the Air Force Air Defense Weapons Center. In 1996, the unit became the 325th Comptroller Flight before resuming squadron-level functions on 14 Sep 1998."

As years have gone by, changes have been made continuously to keep up with technology and the needs of the Air Force and its Airmen.

"On Oct. 1, 2014, the 325th CPTS implemented the accounting system, Defense Enterprise

Accounting and Management System," said SMSgt. Dorothea Singleton, 325th CPTS superintendent. "The reason DEAMS is being implemented is because the existing accounting system, existing since1969, cannot keep up with the current need for general ledger accounting.  Under the legacy system, the Air Force was unable to achieve audit readiness, a mandate included in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act."

The DEAMS system works hand-in-hand with other systems and countermeasures to ensure accurate accounting.

"This new system, DEAMS, operates on the Global Combat Support System - Air Force Integration Framework," Singleton said. "It interfaces with approximately 40 other systems that provide travel, payroll, disbursing, transportation, logistics, acquisition, and accounting support. We need to be able to deliver auditable books of how we allocate and spend money.  We are in a critical time where we must step up to the challenges of a tough budget environment."

Airmen may not see the seamless work of the 325th CPTS, but Airmen would certainly feel the void left without this squadron, said Noble.

"Without financial customer service capabilities and budgetary functions the mission would be degraded.  There would be potential setbacks in ensuring Airmen are paid properly," Noble said.

From small scale customer service to Airmen to large scale budgeting for the 325th Fighter Wing, the professionals of the 325th CPTS strive to provide excellence in all they do, said Noble.

"As the budget officer, I oversee base budgetary functions, and get to witness our wing budget being executed," Noble said. "It is rewarding to watch our mission, as a wing, unfold from a financial perspective. The budget analysts and team leads within my flight are true experts within our career field, and I am fortunate to learn from them each day. "

"I enjoy working as a team both within my flight and within the squadron to accomplish our mission, and directly support the Tyndall mission," Noble added.