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(upbeat music)

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- Diamond Saber is the Army's
largest Financial Management

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training exercise.

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It incorporates individual training,

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collective small unit training

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as well as an assessment
opportunity for commanders to see

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how their units are performing.

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- The relationship with
DFAS has been amazing.

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They have really gone of out their way

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to ensure that we are getting
what we are requesting

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because they understand that we are trying

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to better our soldier's training

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and they have a passion for soldier's pay

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because they understand
the meaning that is behind

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the soldier's pay.

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- DFAS had a very exciting
role in Diamond Saber.

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Our Defense Military Pay
Officers that perform

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field level pay at the Army installations

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had representatives there.

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- Okay what DFAS is doing here is training

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reserve soldiers in active
duty and reserve pay.

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- Diamond Saber was, it was an
incredible exercise this year

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and that technical piece of it,

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I mean for that,

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those guard in reserve,
reserve meaning women,

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is the best training that
they'll get throughout the year.

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- From a DFAS perspective,

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military pay is our number
one mission essential task,

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mission essential function.

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We take it very serious and
so we partner with the Army

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to make sure that when
soldiers go down range

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and they perform that function,

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that they are equipped
to be able to perform.

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- DFAS bring the right training.

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Diamond Saber started 15 years ago

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and starting is just

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just by PowerPoint.

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And so it evolved into live coding.

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All total, there were
more than 9,000 documents,

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live documents that were coded
with over a 96% accuracy rate

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which is pretty dug on.

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- They are able to bring
the system accesses,

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they're able to bring the
workload that they perform here.

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CONUS and soldiers can actually do inputs

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which is really meaningful
training for the soldiers.

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- The things that I saw
last year at Diamond Saber

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were totally different than
what I've seen this year.

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This year you had soldiers
that came in more motivated

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and willing to actually pay attention

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to the training.

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Because this year they
actually had live documents

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they actually processed.

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- The lot of them get
more value out of doing

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live transactions and performing the task

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rather than listening to a PowerPoint

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or going through an ocean of scenarios.

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This really brings the realistic training

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that they really need

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to ensure that they're processing
soldiers' pay correctly

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and accurately.

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- The units that are
currently in theater now,

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whether they like I say
if they in Afghanistan,

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Iraq or Kuwait,

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we bring those guys, guys and gals back in

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to actually help and
facilitate with the training.

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- We were the ones bringing
the the lessons that we learned

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from our deployment in 2017 through 18.

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- There were upwards of
45 units at Diamond Saber

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to include Army Reserves, Active
Duty and the National Guard

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The majority of those units are deploying

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within the next 12 months

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which makes the training
very timely and relevant.

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- Military pay is near
and dear to my heart

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because as I've mentioned earlier,

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it ties directly to soldier's morale.

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It allows them to
concentrate on their mission

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and not have to worry about
not getting paid on time

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or accurately.

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That is why we are committed to bringing

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really meaningful training here

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so that soldiers fighting
the fight up front

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are able to get their sum entitlements,

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get their correct pay and
get it on a timely manner.

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- It is our responsibility to
help to prepare those soldiers

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to make sure that they are
equipped with the information

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and the training that they need

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to be able to take care of those soldiers.

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When you're deployed,
there's always a risk there

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and when you are focusing on
anything except your mission,

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your buddy to the left and right,

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then you put yourself and your
buddy on your left and right

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at harm in addition to
the overall mission.

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So it very much is an
issue of life and death.

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(upbeat music)