Photo By Christopher Gillis | QUANTICO, Va. (June 16, 2022) – DCSA Director William Lietzau is pictured with eight...... read more read more
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QUANTICO, Va. – Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) Director William Lietzau presented the Defense Meritorious Service Medal to U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Marcus Ayala during an award ceremony in recognition of his service at the agency from Oct. 1, 2019 to Aug. 5, 2022.
Ayala – the first military member to receive this award from DCSA – received the medal in front of his family, friends and colleagues after distinguishing himself with exceptional meritorious achievement while on active duty as a budget analyst and financial manager based in the DCSA Air Force Element at Fort Meade, Md.
“It was a humbling but rewarding experience working at DCSA. I came aboard just as it was established in 2019 and while assigned to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), we worked hard to re-align financial and budget support from our predecessor agencies to meet DCSA's mission and goals toward safeguarding national security,” said Ayala. “Through the constant involvement and support from OCFO and DCSA's program managers, we were able to standardize processes that enabled us to fully support mission requirements.”
Master Sgt. Matthew Fritz, DCSA Air Force element’s senior enlisted leader, reflected on Ayala’s myriad contributions and impact on the agency.
“Sergeant Ayala exemplified the core values of the United States Air Force – especially ‘Excellence in All We Do’ – while ensuring that the agency’s six prior entities merged into the new agency’s budget structure,” said Fritz. “Working within the structure of the Department of Defense can be difficult, but Sergeant Ayala was able to manage these actions, while still supporting the Air Force element at Fort George Meade.”
Specifically, Ayala invigorated DCSA’s financial management by integrating multiple operations and maintenance accounts from six separate entities while consolidating budgets totaling $215 million.
“Sergeant Ayala always explained the financial issues and the path forward, usually educating us in the process,” said U.S. Army Major Chris McLean, DCSA Reserve Integration Office chief.
“He also ensured that our members stationed here were paid correctly, resolving multiple pay-issues for our team,” Fritz added. “Sergeant Ayala truly deserved this decoration, and we are all proud that he was awarded the first Defense Meritorious Service medal issued by DCSA.”
The citation states that over the course of his 34-month active duty service at the agency, Ayala executed multiple critical purchase requisitions, managing accounts valued at $49 million – vital to U.S. national security interests, while directly enabling support functions for the agency’s vetting risk operations and adjudication missions.
Moreover, Ayala – resource advisor to the DCSA Office of the Chief Financial Officer – provided guidance on multiple DOD contracts, managing the transfer of five contracts while avoiding a world-wide shutdown of the adjudication mission.
“He personally managed the security maintenance contract valued at 1.7 million dollars, realigning separate support elements for 155 locations while shaping the overall agency security demand,” according to the citation. “Sergeant Ayala led the first-ever Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency’s Integrated Working Capital initiative, and consolidated and streamlined appropriated shared funding guidance, while mitigating a 33 percent manning shortfall amid the unprecedented Coronavirus-19 Pandemic.”
The Defense Meritorious Service Medal is awarded for noncombat meritorious achievement or service that is incontestably exceptional and of magnitude that clearly places the individual above his peers while serving in one of the assignments for which the medal has been designated.
“I left DCSA upon my separation from the Air Force proud of the impact I was fortunate to have at the agency,” said Ayala, currently working as a defense contractor program analyst in support of the Defense Information Systems Agency. “There is no doubt that the teams will continue to develop and strengthen their processes and DCSA's mission.”
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.31.2022 14:20 |
| Story ID: | 428419 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 347 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S. Air Force Reservist Honored for Impact on DCSA Financial Management Vital to U.S. National Security Interests, by John Joyce, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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