Sergeant serves as financial adviser for operations group Published Nov. 19, 2014 By Senior Airman Joshua Eikren 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Today in the Air Force every dollar matters, especially for the 375th Operations Group, which is in charge of all flying operations here. One 375th Comptroller Squadron Airman is assigned to the special duty of the OG Finance Resource Adviser. Staff Sgt. Carlos Esguerra provides financial decision support to the OG and squadron commanders on budget planning, execution and accounting, while offering additional support in areas such as Defense Travel Systems and military pay. "Staff Sgt. Carlos Esguerra's role as our Group RA is critical," said Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Gabel, 375th OG Superintendent. "Having him embedded in the daily workings of the group may be viewed as unique, but is key for both his and the mission's success." Whether it's making sure someone's travel orders are good to go and they have airfare booked, or buying equipment that pilots and aeromedical evacuation Airmen use on their missions, Esguerra feels it's easy to see the impact and importance of the role the finance resource adviser plays. "Being in this position has been a great opportunity," said Esguerra. "Working in a support function at a support squadron can sometimes make it difficult to see and understand the impact of the work we [comptrollers] do. So coming out and working at an operations group allows me see, first hand, the difference that a finance Airman can make." To become the resource adviser, finance Airman must normally be an NCO and recommended for the position by their supervisor. The finance resource adviser position is about a two year tour and available to finance career field Airmen with experience in budget analysis. "I am the only finance management Airman at the OG and because of that, I am allowed a good amount of independence and autonomy," said Esguerra. "So it's been crucial for me to take ownership of the work and the program and of course to stay organized." Esguerra added that it helped he'd spent the last year working as the budget analyst for the OG and it made sense for him to be the resource adviser. Working with OG, Esguerra sees not only what he brings from his financial background, but also what he's able to take away and strengthen his knowledge of Air Force operations. "As an example of his work, in the past year, we de-activated one of our squadrons, the 311th, at Peterson Air Force Base," said Gabel. "I have no doubt, that without the RA position at the Group for the day to day questions, and most notably, Staff Sgt. Esguerra in the position, providing funding guidance to leadership, things would not have gone as smoothly." Esguerra says that having this position gives the OG a focal point for finance issues, with a focus on budget. It provides the group and squadron commanders a team member who is knowledgeable on budget and procurement, someone who can analyze accounting data, and can deliver this information to them so that it is useful. "We say 'right person, right time, right job' as a target for positions," said Gabel. "I can tell you having Staff Sgt. Esguerra as part of our OG team has met the target goal and been the catalyst for many of our successes over the past year and a half." He's also focused on the long term goals, making sure the group stays on track to spend within its current fiscal year budget, plan for the next fiscal year, clean up prior year accounts as needed, and coordinate with the squadrons for any new major requirements that might arise to ensure they can get funding for them. "It is very apparent that my job has to get done and that there are very real impacts to day to day operations if it does not get done," said Esguerra. "I have been pretty fortunate to get this opportunity, working here has been a challenging and awesome experience."