DISAM Journal of International Security Assistance Management

Note From Commandant

THE DISAM JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE MANAGEMENT Our featured organization in this edition is the Security Assistance Accounting Office of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service-Indianapolis Center (DFAS-IN).

Message From the Director of Defense Finance and Accounting Service - Security Assistance Accounting

Scope of Business * Cases Managed - 12,266 * Cases Implemented - 1,373 * Cases Amended - 13,951 * Cases Closed- 1,073 * Field Accounting Support (134 sites) - $2,981.3 Million * Audited Financial Statements - $44 Billion * Non-FMS Accounts Receivables - $134 Million It is with the desire to offer world class service we established an SAA web site and initiated a quarterly news update in December 2008.

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

In 1991, the Secretary of Defense created the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) to reduce the cost of Department of Defense (DOD) finance and accounting operations and to strengthen financial management through consolidation of finance and accounting activities across the department. Since inception, DFAS has consolidated more than 300 installation-level finance and accounting offices into 13 DFAS sites and reduced the work force from about 28,000 to less than 12,000.

The History of Security Assistance Accounting

(Security Assistance Accounting is currently in the review process once again, preparing for the termination of the contract period.) Once the bid was awarded to DFAS, Security Assistance Accounting moved into their new organization as stated in the contract proposal, reducing the staff and streamlining the process. Because contractors are not allowed to perform certain government tasks, Security Assistance Accounting was split into two divisions.

Security Assistance Accounting Most Efficient Organization Functions

The departmental function includes case reconciliation, processing of interfund transactions, preparing accounting reports, providing budget execution data, maintenance of funds, and processing State Department Voucher Auditor Detail Requests (VADRs) for accounting activities assigned Security Assistance funds. Security Assistance Accounting DFAS Limestone - Air Force Accounting The FMS Section at DFAS Limestone performs accounting support for the following: * Air Combat Command (ACC) * Air ...

President Obama's Requests for $83.4 Billion for War

[The request includes:] * $38 billion to fund the incremental costs of ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during the remainder of fiscal year 2009 * $3.1 billion for classified activities in support of ongoing counter-terrorism operations- these activities include support to military operations, intelligence collection and analysis, and overseas law enforcement efforts * $400 million for the new Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capabilities Fund which would allow Central Command to...

2008 Country Reports On Human Rights Practices

America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity; but to those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. Since the days of our own nation's founding, we have endeavored to correct injustices and fully promote respect for fundamental freedoms for all of our citizens.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee Discusses the Department of Defense Role in Foreign Assistance

Representative Howard L. Berman of California, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the decision to hold this hearing was due to the fact that several full and subcommittee hearings addressed the issue of foreign assistance last year and that they touched upon the Defense Department's increasing role in foreign assistance. Interestingly, in a letter attached to a report submitted last week on one of DOD's international programs, the Pentagon stated, "Humanitarian as...

Four Billion Dollar Increase for Foreign Affairs

Senator John Kerry, Democrat-Massachusetts, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, said this week that he and ranking Republican Richard G. Lugar, Republican-Indiana, have been gathering supporters to help them push for a $4 billion international affairs spending increase to the 2010 budget resolution, offset by unspecified budget cuts.

Testimony of General Michael Hagee United States Marine Corps (Retired)

I am here because I have been on the front line of America's presence in the world, in some of the most difficult security environments; and I know that the U.S. cannot rely on military power alone to keep us safe from terrorism, infectious disease, economic insecurity, and other global threats that recognize no borders. [...] I know that the military should not do what is best done by civilians. Ms. Nancy Lindborg, President, Mercy Corps; Reuben Brigety, Ph.D., Director of the Sustainable ...

Defending the United States Warfighters' Technology Advantage

[...] let me thank the Society for International Affairs (SIA) and in particular its President Barbara Clark and her fellow Board members for inviting me to speak at the annual Volunteer and Speaker of the Year Luncheon. [...] let me thank you for SIA's part in developing a long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship with Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA).

Armed Services Committee Testimony

In February and in May 2008, our men and women aided China after it was struck first by extreme winter storms and followed by an earthquake in the Sichuan province; and in the wake of Typhoon Fengshen, the USS [U.S. Ship] Ronald Reagan Strike Group delivered critical supplies to outlying areas of the Philippines. Rather, the military leaders shared a common concern over the issues surrounding energy and the impact on the environment and regional security.\n Fiscal year 2008 witnessed continu...

Iran: United States Concerns and Policy Responses

First and foremost, according to President Obama, [the goal] is to look for opportunities to expand direct engagement with Iran. The multilateral efforts to pressure Iran include three United Nations (U.N.) Security Council resolutions (1737, 1747, and 1803) that ban weapons of mass destruction (WMD) related trade with Iran, freeze the assets of Iran's nuclear and related entities and personalities, prevent Iran from transferring arms outside Iran, ban or require reporting on international t...

Fiscal Year 2009 Security Cooperation Legislation

Security assistance legislation was not available until 1 1 March 2009 with the enactment of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009, PL. 11 1-08. Because of the changes in the Administration and Congress and its senior leadership and the accompanying delay in the legislative process, a summary for FY 2009 security assistance allocations was not available until 7 May 2009 when general program funding requests for FY 2010 were published.

French Exports Rose to $8.1 Billion in 2008

Morin said he had told industry that he would not hesitate to go around the world promoting French products where they had made it to a final selection. Because a country's purchasing decision depends on the quality of the product of course, the product's price, but also it's a political act.

United States Arms Sales Seen Topping $40 Billion

Vice Admiral Jeffrey Wieringa, head of the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, told Reuters it was unclear if arms sales would keep rising, but noted that was possible since several large weapons competitions were underway, and many countries had aging equipment to replace. Wieringa said he participated in 40 separate meetings at the world's largest air show, where U.S. companies display their latest hardware and vie with global competitors for billions of dollars of commercial a...

Undercover Purchases On Ebay and Craigslist Reveal a Market for Sensitive and Stolen United States Military Items

According to the Department of Defense (DOD), it considers the sensitive items GAO purchased to be on the U.S. Munitions List (USML), meaning that there are restrictions on their overseas sales. According to DOD officials, U.S. military personnel are not authorized to sell certain items that have been issued to them, such as body armor; doing so is considered theft of government property.

Afghanistan Security: A Government Accountability Office Report

Without such regular inventories, it is difficult for CSTC-A to maintain accountability for weapons at the depots and detect weapons losses. [...] CSTC-A could not identify and respond to incidents of actual or potential compromise, including suspected pilferage, due to poor security and unreliable data systems.\nS. procurements and international donations.

Deal Near On Sale of Fourteen Rafales to Libya

Commercial and technical negotiations on a sale of 14 French Rafale fighter jets to Libya have been largely completed; and politics will dictate the timing of any announcement of a deal, an industry executive said March 19, 2009. Switzerland has completed a series of flight trials of the Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Sweden's Gripen as part of a tender to replace F-5 fighter jets.

Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry (Usa Retired) Pledges to Work Toward Afghanistan's Long-Term Success

[...] Eikenberry, who assumed command of U.S. Forces Afghanistan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) led International Security Assistance Force there in 2005, said terrorists seek to inflict more damage. The General vowed to work closely with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, U.S. military Commanders, U.S. government agencies, and international partners "to ensure that all elements of national power are brought to bear in mutually reinforcing ways."

United States Buys Russian Helos for Iraq

In a rare case of the U.S. Government buying military or dual-use equipment from Russia, the Pentagon awarded an $80.6 million contract to Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC), an Annapolis, Maryland company, to buy and deliver 22 Russian Mi- 17CT helicopters North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) codename "Hip-?" for the Iraqi government, according to a March 27 [2009] DOD contract announcement.

Department of Defense Supports Pakistan's Anti-Taliban Operations, Hopes for Sustained Effort

Defense leaders are "clearly pleased" to see the Pakistani military take action against increasingly emboldened Taliban forces and have offered additional support if Pakistan's government will accept it to promote a sustained effort, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today.

The Joint Operating Environment 2008: The Implications for the Joint Force

[...] those skilled at making the enemy move do so by creating a situation to which he must conform; they entice him with something he is certain to take. [...] with lures of ostensible profit they await him in strength. [...] a skilled Commander seeks victory from the situation and does not demand it of his subordinates.1 Sun Tzu In an uncertain world, which will inevitably contain enemies who aim to either attack the United States directly or to undermine the political and economic stabil...

Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services Announces a Fee Reduction

The Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services (WWRS) is a tri-service program designed to assist in the redistribution of excess foreign military sales (FMS) acquired spares and support equipment between FMS customers.

The Building Partner Capacity Imperative

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt The United States faces a "diverse set of security challenges"1 and a "wider range of adversaries" than any time in recent history.2 The international environment is characterized by significant instability, insecurity, and uncertainty and America faces substantial strategic challenges as it attempts to maintain an effective international presence in such an environment while facing mounting resource constraints. [...] American leaders must balance nationa...

Air Force Officials Deliver First C-130 to Polish Military

[The article below originally appeared in Air Force Print News Today.] American and Polish airmen delivered the first of five refurbished C-130E Hercules military transport planes and spare parts March 24, 2009 to the Polish air force at Powidz Air Base [AB], Poland. [...] on hand for the celebration were Stanislaw Komorowski, Poland's Vice Minister of Defense; Polish Lieutenant General Andrzej Blasik, Commander of the Polish air force; Pamela Quanrud, the Deputy Chief of Mission for the Ame...

Building Partnerships: Slovenian, Croatian Air Forces Visit 31st Fighter Wing

Whether it's a joint training mission or providing an overview of how USAFE conducts operations, the Command is continuously identifying, assessing, and developing key niche Air Force capabilities to develop with key friends and allies. Since April 4, 1 949, 26 countries from North America and Europe now form the alliance committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty.

The United States European Command Rebuilds School for Croatian Children

In addition to a refurbished outdoor basketball court with a new backboard, new asphalt, and new lights to allow for community league night play, Army engineers also oversaw the restoration of cracked flooring in the school, new perimeter fencing around the playground, and new concrete curbs.

Defense Security Cooperation Agency: Foreign Military Sales Reach $36.4 Billion in 2008

According to Vice Admiral Jeffrey Wieringa, DSCA Director, if the current trend is any indication, fiscal year 2009 sales could total as much as $40 billion. [...] of all the equipment procured by the United States and the Government of Iraq (GoI) over the last five years, only 30 percent came through FMS.

Foreign Military Sales Case Closure Process

The first stage is supply complete when the implementing agency (IA) has provided all of the material and services that were requested and has identified the cost to security assistance accounting (SAA) at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service-Indianapolis (DFAS-IN). Due to the complicated nature of the reconciliation and closure process, it is beneficial to start thinking about the case closure when the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) is signed.