Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)
The under secretary of defense (comptroller)/chief financial officer, abbreviated USD(C)/CFO, is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense for all budgetary and fiscal matters, including the development and execution of the Defense Department's annual budget. The Under Secretary is appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve at the pleasure of the President. The position of Defense Department Comptroller  was originally at the rank of Assistant Secretary until the "National Defense Authorization Act of 1995" upgraded the position to its current rank of Under Secretary. Overview. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/CFO is the principal staff office for the Defense Department on all budgetary and fiscal matters, including the development and execution of the Defense Department's annual budget of more than $700 billion. As Chief Financial Officer, the Under Secretary's Office also oversees the Department's financial policy, financial management systems, and business modernization efforts. The Under Secretary is chair of the Financial  Management Modernization Executive Committee, which has the goal of making sure that each of the Department of Defense's critical accounting, financial, and data feeder systems are compliant with applicable federal financial management and reporting requirements. The Comptroller is also a member of the Defense Business System Management Committee. With the rank of "Under Secretary", the USD(C) is a Level III position within the Executive Schedule. Since January 2019, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $176,900. Reporting officials. Officials reporting to the USD(C) include: The Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), abbreviated DUSD(C), is the USD(C )'s chief deputy and assumes the duties of the USD(C) in his or her absence. Pursuant to Public Law 111-84, the DUSD(C) is appointed from civilian life by the President of the United States with the consent of the Senate. Budget. Budget totals. The annual budget for the USD(C) is contained in the Office of the Secretary of Defense's (OSD) budget, under the Defense-Wide Operation and Maintenance (O&M) account. Office holders. The table below includes both the various titles of this post over time, as well as all the holders of those offices. Under Secretary of Defense