WASHINGTON (July 6, 2010) -- The Army's first chief management officer, Under Secretary of the Army Dr. Joseph W. Westphal, and the Army Office of Business Transformation acting director, Lt. Gen. Robert Durbin, spoke to participants of the first Army Financial Improvement Plan Conference about transforming and improving Army business processes.

"We are better positioned than ever before to make resource-informed decisions, and accomplish audit initiatives," said Westphal, the event's keynote speaker. "We can, and we owe it to the warfighter and families to find ways to do that."

As directed by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal year 2009, Westphal, in his role as chief management officer, leads the Army's business transformation efforts and works directly with the secretary of the Army and other pertinent stakeholders to determine and carry out business transformation initiatives. The focus of the conference was to give guidance and direction on improving processes, save valuable taxpayer dollars, promote civilian workforce initiatives, and get more value for less.

Westphal touched on key points regarding the need for an integrated management approach, improved business process alignment, better strategic planning, modernization of systems, and innovative methods to create a more effective and auditable Army. His message was for the Army to align, integrate and innovate.

The objective of the conference was to inform attendees of Army auditabilty efforts and to outline the Army's approach to obtaining it. The OBT's main mission is to work together in obtaining and sustaining auditability and improvement of business processes.

Durbin also spoke on the Army's near and long-term business transformation and its role in process improvement changing the current culture.

Durbin noted, "It will take all of us and then some. We will get there and align internally and externally. What is best for the nation is what is best for ... the Army."