Non-finance officers eligible for financial leadership program

  • Published
  • By Debbie Gildea
  • Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs
Non-finance officers interested in financial management leadership opportunities have until January to apply for the calendar year 2015 Financial Management Leadership Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

"FMLP is a four-year program that specializes in developing future Air Force leaders by providing the opportunity for non-finance officers to gain leadership experience as comptroller squadron commanders," said Capt. Tyler Hess, an official in the comptroller officer assignments section.

Senior raters of officers who meet the basic criteria may submit a nomination package for each eligible officer, due to the Air Force Personnel Center by Jan. 8, 2015 for the electronic selection board that convenes Jan. 13.

Interested officers who meet eligibility criteria must be approved for temporary release from their career field by their functional AFPC officer assignments team before submitting an application.

Eligibility criteria include the following:

- Air Force Specialty Code: All Air Force line AFSCs, except rated and Finance (65F), are eligible, with assignment team approval.
- Duty performance: Applicant must have a history of superior performance and potential for promotion to senior-level positions.
- Grade: Officers from year groups 2003-2006 may apply.
- Time on station: Officers are eligible if they will have at least 36 months TOS by June 1, 2015, a date eligible for return from overseas in 2015, or are in a must move status for calendar year 2015.
- Joint duty credit: Officers in joint duty credit positions are eligible, if they meet the above criteria, but they must complete a minimum of 24 months of joint credit in their current joint tour prior to departure for FMLP.

Nominees selected will participate in a two-phase four-year program, Hess said.

Phase I is a two-year internship with a major command financial management staff, during which officers rotate through different finance functions including financial services, budget analysis and planning and programming. In addition, participants will attend the Financial Management Staff Officer Course at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, and the Defense Financial Management and Comptroller School at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

"After the internship, officers will take command of a comptroller squadron," Hess said. "A participant could command between 35 and 75 people, serve as the wing commander's chief financial advisor, and manage a multi-million dollar annual operating budget."

After the command phase, officers will be released back to their original career field, the captain said.

"No matter what field they're originally from, FMLP participants return to their fields with broader awareness of resource management challenges and opportunities. That awareness is absolutely critical for all Air Force leaders" Hess said.

Officers who have been passed over for promotion, those with an approved retirement or separation date, those who declined with prejudice from any command candidate selection board, and officers with an active unfavorable information file are not eligible to apply.

For more information about FMLP, including application instructions, visit myPers and select "search all components" from the drop down menu and enter "FMLP" in the search window.