628th Comptroller Squadron Tests Readiness During Exercise Iron Ledger

Official Statements

• Joint Base Lindsey Graham, November 9: “JOINT BASE LINDSEY GRAHAM, S.C. — Fog blanketed the track as four Airmen assigned to the 628th Comptroller Squadron began the Combat Fitness Test during Exercise Iron Ledger, Nov. 4, 2026. As the morning progressed, the conditions shifted to warm, humid and partly sunny, but the Airmen continued through a series of events designed to test their physical capabilities, including an 800-meter run, tire flips and farmer’s carries. The test concluded with a simulated Tactical Combat Casualty Care scenario, in which one squadron member acted as a simulated casualty.

  The fitness test was one component of the three-day exercise, held Nov. 3-5, which evaluated how quickly financial management teams could deploy and sustain essential operations in a contested environment. “Iron Ledger is a Secretary of the Air Force Financial Management and Comptroller exercise and competition that tests our ability to establish and sustain critical financial management operations in a contested environment.," said 2nd Lt. Caleb Costen, 628th CPTS budget officer. “Our four-person team must be prepared to execute disbursing, accounting, budgeting and customer service functions under austere, contested conditions, where resources are limited and the mission cannot wait.”

  The team’s performance is assessed alongside those of comptroller squadrons throughout the Air Force, providing opportunities to compete for higher-level recognition and progression to command or regional-level evaluations. These efforts continue to evolve as the Air Force expands implementation of the Iron Ledger program.

  Throughout the exercise, the team navigated simulated combat scenarios from an environment designed to replicate an austere deployed location. Airmen performed currency exchanges, disbursements and other financial operations while wearing Mission-Oriented Protective Posture gear, adding another layer of complexity to their responsibilities.

  “This exercise reinforced that readiness isn’t something we can develop once we arrive in a deployed environment,” said Tech. Sgt. David Corbett, budget noncommissioned officer, 628th CPTS. “We have to maintain that readiness daily, because when we’re called to execute the mission, there isn’t time to start preparing.”

  The scenarios challenged Airmen to maintain financial operations while navigating the constraints of a deployed environment, where limited resources and competing demands require adaptability and quick decision-making.

  “Operating in MOPP gear adds another layer of complexity to tasks we perform every day. Something as routine as processing a financial transaction becomes more challenging when you’re working through protective equipment,” Corbett stated. “It forces you to adapt, maintain accuracy and continue accomplishing the mission despite the conditions.”

  Beyond the physical and operational challenges, the exercise reinforced the connection between financial management and mission execution. Costen emphasized that finance Airmen play an immediate role in ensuring deployed operations have the resources and support they need.

  “I understand the immediate impact of finance and how it directly ties to the mission,” he said. “Iron Ledger demonstrates that finance isn’t separate from the mission, it’s an essential part of making the mission happen.”

  Teamwork was equally important throughout the exercise. With each Airman responsible for a specialized financial function, the team had to rely on one another to maintain continuity when individual members were tasked elsewhere.

  “As finance troops, we have to understand how our roles connect,” Corbett said. “If one Airman is pulled away to support another requirement, the rest of the team must be capable of maintaining operations without interruption. Our ability to rely on one another across those responsibilities is what keeps the mission moving.” That shared responsibility reflects the demands placed on financial management Airmen beyond the exercise itself. Supporting the mission requires availability, flexibility and a readiness mindset.”