VIRTUALCAL.COM - mexico travel guide

NAVSUP's Government Travel Card Group aids stranded Reservists

By Naval Supply Systems Command Corporate Communications Office

Managing the government travel and purchase cards for the Navy is a people job! It's about helping Navy people do what is needed to complete the mission. The card management group, located at Naval Supply Systems Command Headquarters (NAVSUPHQ). Mechanicsburg, Pa., works to support Navy personnel around the globe--on board ships, at naval shore facilities, and especially in theater in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A recent example of just how vital a role the group plays involved helping out a couple of Reserve Sailors in Iraq. A junior Reserve officer and a fellow Sailor were authorized to rent a car to catty out a mission in Iraq. Once they were ready to turn the car back in, the Iraqi dealer refused to take the Government Travel Card and required cash payment to complete the transaction.

Not having enough cash on hand, the Reserve officer contacted the Level V Government Travel Card agency program coordinator (APC) in Naples, Italy, for help. The APC in Naples contacted the Naval Air Systems Command Level III travel card program coordinator in Patuxent River, Md, who in turn called a subject matter specialist for travel card operations at Naval Supply Systems Command Headquarters.

The first step, under normal circumstances, would be to increase the limit on the officer's credit card and send him to a bank to get the cash but Iraq has no banking system. He couldn't get to Bahrain either, where he could have received the cash needed.

Through the Marine Corps Travel Card Component Program Manager, the subject matter specialist was able to locate a disbursing office in Al Asad, Iraq, where the needed cash could be picked up. Working with the APC in Naples, the Navy Regional Contracting Office in Naples was able to put a contract vehicle in place for cash disbursement. The APC in Naples contacted the Reserve in Iraq to let him know where he could pick up the cash.

The subject matter specialist's efforts did not go unappreciated. The Reservist, now back in the PAX River area, was recently asked to speak at a local church. Unknown to him, the NAVAIR Level III coordinator invited the NAVSUP rep to attend the service and introduced them to each other. The Reserve officer expressed great appreciation for the way NAVSUP people had gone out of their way to help him out.

This is only one example of how far the Card Management Team at NAVSUPHQ is willing to go to do what it takes to make sure the mission is accomplished and our warfighters get the support they need. Bonita Armstrong, NAVSUP's Director of the Card Management Group, recently praised her team saying, "It's a real privilege to work with this group of people. They're extremely dedicated and always willing to make sure there is a solution to any challenge."

At the start of the war in Iraq, some Navy units were supported by an Army facility for their logistics requirements. When the Army support transferred to the Navy, NAVSUP card management people went to the Department of Defense to get an exception and made convenience checks available to the Navy unit so they could continue their mission.

The Card Management Group goes the extra mile to make sure the mission is supported, despite the challenges.

Rules and regulations are important in managing the Defense Departments spending but sometimes the circumstances faced by service people in harm's way present challenges to those rules. NAVSUP HQ card management people are ready to take the necessary steps to make sure the mission is accomplished!

VIRTUALCAL.COM - mexico travel guide

Menu