The Pentagon designated the Air Force to ensure the Defense Department gets reimbursed for expenses related to military support to Hurricane Katrina. Officials calculate the tab at about $1.6 billion. The money is to come from FEMA, Homeland Security, or whoever is going to provide those funds,” says John Vonglis, acting Air Force assistant secretary for financial management and comptroller. Vonglis considers the role an honor that reflects “superb skill in financial management, our people skills, our processes, and our systems.” No offense to the Air Force’s sharp comptroller corps, but we bet USAF got the short straw.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
