SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., (USTCNS) --- U.S. Transportation Command is diligently working to improve financial visibility of the Department of Defense distribution pipeline enabling new efficiencies and synchronization. These efforts are closely tied to the command's expanded role in managing the military's supply chain.

In September 2003, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld designated USTRANSCOM as DoD's Distribution Process Owner (DPO). The combatant command, headquartered here, is now responsible for directing and supervising strategic distribution and for synchronizing all participants in end-to-end supply, transportation and distribution.

"Financial visibility is critical to the transformation of the military's supply chain," said Navy Capt. Richard Dawe, director, Program Analysis and Financial Management at USTRANSCOM. "Accurate and timely access to financial data must parallel the visibility of the materiel that moves through the distribution pipeline."

The Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System (DEAMS) is a joint initiative involving USTRANSCOM, the Air Force and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. The goal is to modernize accounting and financial management systems and business processes to be compliant with the DoD's Business Management Modernization Program/Business Process reengineering (BMMP/BPR).

One of the Defense Secretary's top 10 priorities, BMMP is chartered to streamline DoD processes, shorten budget and acquisition timelines by 50 percent, and advance financial management reforms. Making these changes will require a major mindset shift, and to some degree, deeper cultural change.

DEAMS will accomplish its modernization goals by using Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP) qualified Commercial Off-The-Shelf software (COTS) and accepted commercial business practices and procedures. The aim is to implement an integrated accounting and financial system that produces fully auditable financial statements throughout the military.

The DEAMS acquisition strategy for software selection is being developed jointly, and a request for proposal (RFP) is expected within the next couple months.