The Communications-Electronics Command Software Engineering Center has successfully streamlined the military's massive year-end financial process, ensuring the books for Fiscal Year 2025 were closed accurately while setting the stage for a smooth start to the new year.
Every year, the U.S. Army undertakes a critical process known as the Fiscal Year End Close. Essentially, the FYEC is a balancing of the entire Army's checkbook. The goal is to finalize one year's spending and prepare the Army's primary financial system, the General Fund Enterprise Business System, for the next.
This annual review creates a detailed snapshot of the Army's financial health and is essential for leaders to plan future budgets, allocate resources effectively, and measure performance against previous years. It ensures that the Army's strategies are aligned with financial realities.
CECOM SEC's efforts began in July with a mock year-end close to validate updated processes and major enhancements—such as Government Invoicing, a tool that standardizes how agencies manage interagency bills, against staged data. The mock run gives the U.S. Army Financial Management Command's System Support Operations a chance to practice the most current procedure, as well as flush out any bugs that need fixing prior to the FYEC. After that validation is completed and the system’s technical performance is fine-tuned, GFEBS is ready for year-end close activities in September.
This year, the core of the complex operation began on September 30. The process involved a mix of manual and automated tasks detailed in a comprehensive playbook. However, FY25 placed the Army in a unique position, as the lapse in appropriations required the team to halt processing these critical financial transactions. The system and all prior planning were based on continuous operations, and it was unclear how the system would respond to pausing FY25 close activities while preparing other transactions for FY26.
Despite the pause, the Office of Management and Budget and the DOW stressed the urgency of completing the review. A key report, known as the Defense Departmental Reporting System Trial Balance, was needed to help develop the President’s FY27 budget proposal. This report consolidates the Army's financial data into a unified statement for Congress, the Treasury, and the public.
The team quickly resumed work, restarted activities, and swiftly transitioned to completing approximately 125 specific year-end tasks. Their most significant achievements came from new automation initiatives. These improvements led to remarkable results:
• A 56% reduction in the time required for the month-end billing cycle.
• Automated programs assistance in successfully closing out $498 million in expiring funds and $355 million in canceling financial obligations, significantly reducing manual work and increasing accuracy.
• Manual efforts for the critical DDRS process were reduced by 21 hours due to automating the notifications process.
Ultimately, the team’s efforts ensured the Army's financial reports were submitted on October 10, 2025, without any errors or discrepancies. Their work not only improved the efficiency of this year's process but also established a more responsive and reliable system for the future.
Social Sharing