Finance
New York Army National Guard Activates a Finance Battalion
WHITESTONE ARMORY, QUEENS, New York — The New York Army National Guard’s 27th Financial Management Support Unit became the 27th Finance Battalion during a Dec. 16, 2023, ceremony held at the Whitestone Armory in the New York City borough of Queens.
For many years, the 27th Financial Management Support Unit operated like a battalion and was federally ordered to transition into a finance battalion on October 1st, 2023, as part of the US Army’s force structure changes.
Lt. Col. Sara Mitchell, the incoming commander of the battalion, uncased the new colors with her senior enlisted advisor Command Sgt. Maj. Alfonso Villacres.
As battalion commander, Mitchell said that she expects the companies to continue supporting stateside and overseas missions with a high operational tempo, so a main goal is to retain Soldiers and ensure they are properly trained while paying close attention to human resource and time challenges to prevent burnout.
Mitchell explained that prior to 17 years ago, their organization was a battalion and although it became a unit, the mission never really changed.
“Going back to being a battalion is the right structure for our type of unit and will, hopefully, allow us to grow and perform even better,” she said.
Activation changes included the reorganizing detachments into companies and the standing up of a headquarters and headquarters detachment (HHD), adding several new positions to the organization.
The battalion manages five units in total – The 4th, 7th, 14th, and 37th Finance Companies, and HHD 27th. Currently, there are 194 Soldiers in the battalion.
On deployment, the finance battalion and its companies manage funds directly but stateside is responsible for all federal funds and property provided to the National Guard.
The 4th Finance Company is currently deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and led by Capt. Matthew Lenzi and Sgt. 1st Class Vuthy In.
Stateside, the organization regularly supports domestic operations and emergency response to natural disasters, including hurricanes Irene and Sandy, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, when called upon.
Maj. Miguel Rodriguez, the outgoing commander of the 27th FMSU, earned a meritorious service medal presented by Col. Patrick Clare, 369th Sustainment Brigade commander.
The unit transitioned to HHD with Capt. Schashuna Whyte and Sgt. 1st Class Byron Acuria as the new command team.
Whyte said that the headquarters’ role is unique. They support three battalions within the 369th Sustainment Brigade and all subordinate companies within those battalions.
“It’s a big role to fill and the team is capable of fulfilling it,” she said.
As former executive officer of the 27th FMSU, Whyte saw firsthand how the commander functions.
“This role provided the opportunity to see the big picture of the battalion’s operations, and prepared me for command within the HHD,” Whyte said.
Whyte said that she was looking forward to working more closely with the USP&FO Comptroller’s Office to support the joint mission of readiness in terms of pay and entitlements for the Soldiers of New York state.
USP&FO stands for United States Property and Fiscal Office of New York and is responsible for financial management, property accountability, federal contracting and internal review.
Additionally, they submit periodic reports concerning the use of these funds and equipment to the Secretary of the Army and Secretary of the Air Force.
The newly uncased battalion’s colors feature a spread eagle embedded with the finance crest, which has silver gray and golden yellow piping with a motto signifying the zeal of the battalion in pursuit of their mission, ‘FINANCE THE FIGHT.’
These colors have long been associated with the Finance Corps and are universal symbols of treasury and money matters.
The U.S. Army’s Finance Corps was born two days after the Continental Army began when the position of Army Paymaster General was established on June 16, 1775. Since then, the Army’s Finance Corps has been integral to winning our nation’s wars, funding, and sustaining the fight around the globe.
Mitchell, who previously served as the 42nd Infantry Division’s finance staff officer said that her previous assignment was a needed break from command and allowed her to get back into the rhythm of staff work. She once served as commander of the 27th FMSU.
The headquarters deployed as a battalion to Kuwait, in 2008, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2013 they deployed again in support of Operation Enduring Freedom recognized as a company, and in 2019 to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, recognized as a unit.
Capt. Daniel Jacobson and 1st Sgt. Daniel London lead the 7th Finance Company.
Capt. Jason Kim and 1st Sgt. Kenneth Geib lead the 14th Finance Company.
Capt. Sea Na and 1st Sgt. Orin Gall lead the 37th Finance Company.
Completion of all US Army Finance Corps reorganization efforts are expected by the end of Fiscal Year 2025.
| Date Taken: | 12.16.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2024 04:49 |
| Story ID: | 462788 |
| Location: | NEW YORK, NY, US |
| Hometown: | WHITESTONE/QUEENS/NEW YORK, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 10 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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The World Bank is ditching its commitment to steer 45 percent of its spending toward projects with climate benefits, after facing pressure from the Trump administration.
The move, announced Monday following a meeting of the bank’s board of directors last week, marks a victory in President Donald Trump’s effort to purge climate policies from U.S. foreign policy. His administration has described the target as “distortionary” and “nonsensical.”
The bank preserved its broader Climate Change Action Plan — of which the 45 percent target was a key metric — just days before it was set to expire at the end of June. In addition to directing money toward climate projects, the plan provides technical support for helping countries reduce their greenhouse gas pollution and adapt to rising temperatures.
“We will retire the 45% climate co-benefits target,” the World Bank Group said in a statement, noting that it had “done significant work in answering client demand and needs.”
The bank’s work on climate “is and will remain firmly client driven, supporting them in delivering on their own ambitions as set out in their national plans and NDCs,” the statement added, referring to the nationally determined contributions countries submit under the Paris Agreement.
The decision to drop the climate finance target follows months of pressure from the Trump administration. People with knowledge of the negotiations said the U.S. was firm that the target must go despite other countries indicating their support for the bank’s climate goal. The U.S. has sway over the bank’s decisions as its largest shareholder.
Beyond the finance target, the Climate Change Action Plan also provides diagnostic reports on countries’ climate and development goals and aims to align lending with the Paris Agreement, which calls for preventing temperature rise from surpassing 2 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution.
The bank said it would honor a board request to undertake an independent evaluation of the climate plan to determine if it’s helping countries grapple with rising temperatures. The decision effectively extends the plan beyond its expiration at the end of June.
The climate target was supported by many of the bank’s shareholders. It’s also been a prominent signal of the bank’s support for climate action at a time when the impacts of rising temperatures are accelerating.
“This is way, way away from where we should be for a responsible financial architecture,” said one official from a developed country who was directly involved in the negotiations and was granted anonymity to describe internal discussions.
The bank will continue to track and report on the amount of money going to projects with climate co-benefits. It exceeded its own target last year by directing 48 percent of its financing to climate-related projects.
Other climate targets embedded in agreements that govern different arms of the bank will remain, including one for the International Development Association, the bank’s fund for the poorest countries.
Multilateral development banks play a key role in global climate negotiations, where wealthy countries have committed to helping provide $300 billion a year for poorer countries by 2035. That no longer includes the United States, which has left the Paris Agreement and will exit the underlying United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change early next year.
“Targets send enormous signals about an institution’s direction of travel,” said Clemence Landers, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. “At the same time, it’s a sign of the times and the World Bank is doing its level best to not rankle its largest shareholder.”
She believes the bank will continue financing renewable energy projects in countries that want them, despite having dropped its climate target.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if the bank continued to have an extremely robust clean pipeline with or without this target,” said Landers.
The bank says retiring the 45 percent target is part of its shift from a focus on “inputs to outcomes.” It will continue to monitor and report net greenhouse gas emissions across its projects and countries’ ability to withstand climate risks.
“We will continue to report to the Board on progress, including on climate co-benefits, and to contribute to our related joint MDB efforts,” the statement said, referring to its role as a multilateral development bank. “We will explore and discuss ways to better structure our engagement on adaptation, nature and pollution.”
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