157th Comptroller Flight Secured $1.5 Million for the Air Refueling Wing's Unfunded Request

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Taylor Queen
  • 157th Air Refueling Wing

This year, the Airmen assigned to the 157th Comptroller Flight at Pease Air National Guard Base helped secure an additional $1.5 million for the Wing’s unfunded requests (UFR’s).

Every year 157th Air Refueling Wing resource advisors submit UFR’s for items that would otherwise be unfunded by the annual budget.

“This is the highest year on record,” said 1st Lt. Kyle Starkweather. “It really comes down to the execution of the programs and how effectively the money was used during the year.”

The resources, which came from the National Guard Bureau, is part of a reimbursable program that goes to units that use their budgets efficiently throughout the fiscal year.

“Behind every mission there is a dollar cost,” added Starkweather. “We do a lot of decision support so the commanders can use the proper resources to execute the mission.”

The reimbursement program can be tough to navigate, especially because nothing like it exists in the civilian sector.

“It’s a lot of training and knowledge you need to have,” Said Staff Sgt. Katlyn Legerstee. “Learning, prepping and knowing what you can and can’t do. The funding usually comes down at the last minute, so having everything ready and signed really helps make sure things can be funded with the UFR’s.”

Even with a record setting year in the books, the comptroller flight is always reviewing and fine-tuning and is currently looking at ways to become more effective by developing two new programs.

“We review efficiency methods and make a lot of recommendations,” said Capt. Jon Febonio. “We try to go off of previous experiences and apply them to things that would help benefit the wing.”

Febonio is one of eight National Guard officers helping to develop and implement a new software that will help give easier access to commanders on managing finances within their unit.

Simultaneously Staff Sgt. Legerstee is working on helping bring a comptroller services portal to Pease, which will help individual Airmen submit and track finance requests.

“While we might not be the very tip of the spear, we are what helps allow that spear to move forward,” added Starkweather. “At the end of the day, the best thing every Airman can do is let their needs be known.”