Page 21 - FCA Diamond Point March 25 smg v4 (20 Mar 25)

FROM THE FIELD

Training Readiness and Operational Finance Support by LTC Benjamin R.
Ecklor, 106th Finance Battalion Commander (Cont’d)

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AFRICAN LION 25: The 376 FI BN deploys their teams in support of AL25. Leveraging the
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outcome of the recent FC TTX and our soon to be published doctrine, the 106 FI BN has been
working with 376 since last year preparing for this exercise. Coordinating with USAFMCOM for
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home station training, the 376 will arrive in Germany fully trained on their core mission set. They
will spend a few days with our disbursing team, receive access to our site and ultimately get
funded from our HQ Disbursing Officer. They will move forward to Tunisa and Morocco to conduct
their mission and then clear their business prior to departing theater. This validates our ability to
seamlessly integrate COMPO 2&3 units into an already established disbursing site. Much like the
TTX and Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) finance fight suggests.

FLINTLOCK 25: Our HQ Early Entry Team (EET) deploys to Cote d’Ivoire in support of Flintlock 25
early next month. This exercise will serve as the validation of our EET to rapidly deploy anywhere
in the theater and establish operations and start building relationships for follow on FC forces if
necessary. Once validated, the EET will continue to focus on their training and at least quarterly
execute near no notice missions in order to remain ready to respond to a crisis across Europe or
Africa.

Concerns/Risk: The 106 FI BN is able to execute all the above even with about 25% of our
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operational manpower tasked to support the garrisons MILPAY mission. Currently sitting at
around 230 personnel assigned of our 194 authorized, we have the breathing room to absorb this
non METnon-mission essential task (MET) tasking. As our excess personnel attrit over the spring
and summer, manning projections put us at or just under Modified Table of Organization and
Equipment (MTOE) strength. At this point, a decision must be made…Do we continue focusing on a
non -Mission Essential Task List (METL) METL task that any other Soldier can be trained to do, or
do we double down and focus on the things that ONLY a Finance Battalion can
execute? Disbursing Operations, Vendor Pay to include Acquisition and Cross-Servicing
Agreement (ACSA) payments are organic to the finance battalion structure. The other mission
distractors are not.

As the days get longer, and the temperatures rise let’s all reflect on how we got here and where
were going. Cheers!

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Left: HHC, 106 FI BN 1SG Godoy and NCO Leadership reviewing counseling packets during payday activities inspections
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Middle: HHC, 106 FI BN HHC Soldiers participating in Paying Agent Operations training
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Right: HHC, 106 FI BN SFC Lankford conducting Master Resilience Training for HHC Soldiers
Left: A CO, 106th FI BN Soldier SPC
Kielem zeroing at the Engagement Skill
Trainer.
Right: A CO, 106th FI BN Soldiers
practicing magazine changes honing
the fundamental skills for the range

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