New finance program helps the Air Force achieve higher readiness

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cliffton Dolezal
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  The 19th Comptroller Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base has been transitioning to the newest auditing program called DEAMS.

The Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System also known as DEAMS, is the newest way of transforming the Air Force's financial management goals and achieving audit readiness. The new software is the same software used at many other federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration.

"DEAMS is a new-way system that streamlines cost accounting, purchase requesting, accounts payable, financial obligations and collections and customer billing," said 2nd Lt. Nathaniel Manning, 19th CPTS financial analysis flight chief. "Giving the Air Force more timely, accurate, relevant, financial data and helping the service archive auditable standards is the goal with the program."

Under the former legacy system, the Air Force was unable to achieve audit readiness, a mandate included in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act.

Five months ago, Little Rock AFB, along with three other bases from Air Mobility Command, began the transition from the world of the legacy accounting systems to the 21st century auditing program that is DEAMS.

A DEAMS team, consisting of subject-matter experts from the 19th CPTS, accepted the challenge and introduced a whole new language and financial processing format to the comptrollers. After a few weeks working within the beta program, they began to understand the expanded line of accounting and the new roles and responsibilities that are now established within DEAMS.

"We are all learning as we go, and every question and answer not only makes each base stronger, but will make the U.S. Air Force stronger as it continues to roll out DEAMS," said Manning.

Slowly but surely, the team of Airmen from the 19th CPTS are getting used to the system and learning the new terminology that goes with the program. Users who have used both the legacy system and the new system have expressed that DEAMS is much easier to learn and master.

"DEAMS is a large, but very manageable change to how the financial management analysis team handles business," said Senior Airman Nathan Heiser, a 19th CPTS budget analyst. "My best advice is to stay actively involved in DEAMS on a daily basis to acquire a deeper familiarization with the new process."

DEAMS has taken great leaps since its introduction in May 2010. It is much more than an accounting or financial management system, users express how it changes the way they do their daily jobs. It provides a new way of doing business, making it easier than ever to achieve necessary results.