3Cs see Misawa through fiscal year

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Alyssa C. Wallace
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Every year on Sept. 30, members of the 35th Comptroller, Contracting and Civil Engineer Squadrons can be found in their offices late at night diligently working on the end of year closeout.

For the squadrons - often called the "3Cs" - closeout means making sure every dollar of the fiscal year's budget was spent, contracts are signed and projects are underway.

Although the organizations have different responsibilities, they each have the same start point.

The whole process begins with a need.

"We work with the wing commander to determine his priorities on how he wants to execute the base budget," said 1st Lt. Elizabeth Mitchell, 35th Comptroller Squadron budget officer. "We have to make sure we are satisfying all our requirements, spending all our funds, and we're getting everything the base needs."

Ten years ago, annual funds may have been used for enhancing work areas with things that may not have been entirely necessary. Those days are over. Each of the $137 million in Misawa's FY 13 budget went to items that were required for mission success.

"Bottom line, we're not supporting items that are just 'nice to have' anymore," said Capt. Reid Touchberry, former 35th Civil Engineer Squadron chief of operations engineering. "Nobody received fancy knives or flat screen televisions. We're more focused on our failing infrastructure. The base is old and we have to either repair or upgrade it to make sure our mission meets today's and tomorrow's requirements."

Each year, the budget flight is responsible for certifying funds and notifying the 35 CES when the money becomes available, while CONS must responsibly obligate government money by awarding a contract to the company that is most cost effective and capable of handling the job.

"The work doesn't stop when a contract is awarded," said 1st Lt. John Kulikowski, 35 CES officer in charge of requirements and optimization.OIC, Requirements and Optimization. "We work with CONS for up to two years on some projects through site visits, inspections, closing out the projects and making sure every dollar is spent and the Government received what it paid for."

Of this year's obligations, 82 percent was executed by CES in projects and work orders - paying for utility bills, power, fuel and service contracts that sustain the base. This accomplishment led to Misawa being recognized as number one in obligations within Pacific Air Forces Command for the eleventh consecutive year, all thanks to the three squadrons...and their secret weapons.

"We would be helpless without the Japanese Nationals in our squadrons," Touchberry said. "We would be at mission fail without them. Some have been here for 30 years and have seen a lot of military members rotate in and out. They go through these storms annually - they're our main continuity."

The units understand and epitomize the true meaning of teamwork.

"One can't happen without the other," Kulikowski said. "It's like a train...you have to have the front engine, the caboose and everything in between. You have to have everything to get the job done."

Although they may not have the easiest of jobs, the 3Cs stay focused and keep the mission the priority.

"We may get frustrated from time to time because it's stressful, but at the end of the day, we do everything in the best interest of Misawa Air Base," Touchberry said.