New defense account system rolls out in USAFE

  • Published
  • By U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Financial Management
  • U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Financial Management
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  U.S. Air Forces in Europe financial managers, resource advisors, and contracting officers will soon be transitioning to the Air Force’s new accounting system, the Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System (DEAMS).

Just as the Air Force is updating its aircraft inventory, it is updating a 60’s-era accounting system to one that combines multiple legacy systems into one, and makes our financial records compliant with federal law, DoD regulations, and policy. DEAMS will start operating in USAFE full time on 1 June 2018. The DEAMS Functional Management Office (FMO) began working with Comptroller personnel at HQ USAFE and its bases in October 2017 to prepare for the deployment.

DEAMS may be new to USAFE units; however, the system has been operating since 2007. DEAMS is now the primary accounting system in AMC, ACC, AETC, AFRC, AFDW, ANG, AFSOC, AFGSC, and most recently, PACAF. Initially after the rollout, USAFE will process transactions in both DEAMS and current legacy systems. This is called dual processing, not to be confused with parallel processing. During this time, most business transactions that started in legacy systems will remain in the legacy systems; new business and projects will be executed in DEAMS. Some exceptions to this are Government Purchase Card (GPC) accounts, fuels and other Interfund transactions, which will all move into DEAMS. Eventually the legacy systems will be phased out as all transactions transition into DEAMS.

Members of the FMO will conduct Town Hall briefings at each USAFE installation to provide information and to field questions from end users. The current schedule starts on 12-16 February 2018 at RAF Alconbury, RAF Croughton, RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, followed by Lajes Field on 20-21 February, Spangdahlem AB (22-23 February), Aviano AB (26-28 February), Ramstein AB (1-2 March), and ending at Incirlik AB on 6-8 March 2018. Following each Town Hall meeting, the DEAMS FMO team will meet with smaller groups of leaders and users to address specific issues and concerns.

As mentioned earlier, the DEAMS Deployment Team is already working with POCs at each USAFE base and the MAJCOM to identify users, analyze data and processes, and formulate plans for implementation. Beginning in May 2018, DEAMS training teams will arrive to provide hands-on training to all end users. This training begins at a macro level, but will also provide instruction for users with more specific responsibilities, e.g., funds certification. Following “go live” on 1 June 2018, teams of DEAMS subject matter experts (SMEs) will be on-site for 60 days to provide over-the-shoulder training and assistance for users. During this entire process, the SAF/FMF, USAFE/FM, the DEAMS Team, DFAS, and many stakeholders will monitor over 200 checklist tasks to ensure a successful transition to DEAMS.

Users who wish to learn about DEAMS in advance can visit the DEAMS Outreach Portal, which is a one-stop location for all information related to DEAMS. A new feature on the Outreach Portal called “New to DEAMS?” connects visitors to the DEAMS 101 briefing, suggested training, informational fact sheets, and more. This information is also helpful for those who have never used DEAMS but are about to PCS to a DEAMS base.

The DEAMS FMO and Ops Center are always interested in feedback from our fellow FMers in the field. If you have suggestions or questions, please email the DEAMS Strategic Communications Team at SAF.DEAMS.StratComms@us.af.mil.