The Pentagon has recently announced the redistribution of the chief management officer (CMO) functions, Federal News Network reported on Wednesday. Of the changes, the Pentagon will strengthen the Department of Defense (DoD) comptroller’s office to head business process improvements across the department.
The comptroller will serve as DoD’s performance improvement officer and take the lead on the department’s compliance with the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA).
“Building on the gains we have made with the financial statement audit and development of Advanced Analytics for Executives tool, [the department will] expand the role of the undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) to improve accountability and performance in DoD business operations,” said David Norquist, deputy defense secretary and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient.
The comptroller’s office will also undertake new data analytics responsibilities, including hosting DoD’s ADVANA platform, creating policies for the department’s working capital funds and setting requirements for DoD’s business IT systems.
In addition, the office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) will be responsible for creating guidance on how the military services will design their forces.
The comptroller and CAPE will take on new oversight functions over the “fourth estate.” The offices will leverage a “portfolio” approach to defense agencies when they issue fiscal guidance, grouping them into areas such as research and engineering, intelligence and surveillance and compensation.
“The [comptroller] will ensure that business oriented defense agencies and DoD field activities provide the necessary business performance detail in the submission,” Norquist said. “CAPE will ensure that mission-oriented and capital-intensive DAFAs provide the necessary mission effectiveness detail in the submission.”
