ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --
Although the mission of financing the fight can sometimes fly under the radar, the 78th Comptroller Squadron keeps operations on track at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and plays a significant role in Air Force readiness across all levels of operations.
“Our mission is three-fold,” said Lt. Col. Marvin-Ray Arida, 78th CPTS commander. “We ensure that all personnel on Robins Air Force Base are paid, fund the sustainment of Robins’ infrastructure, and certify over $13.9 billion in funding across all 54 mission partners.”
From advising the commander on budget decisions to managing payroll that ensures morale and readiness, the squadron’s impact resonates across the entire installation.
“We fund the warfighter so they can focus on the mission,” Arida said. “We fund the mission by making sure Robins is a projecting platform and supporting our mission partners.”
Translating those massive budgets into real-world operational capabilities is a continuous, behind-the-scenes effort.
“We turn resources into readiness. That’s what our Airmen do daily,” added Senior Master Sgt. Traci Coston, 78th CPTS senior enlisted leader.
To further this mission, Arida says the squadron is taking steps to broaden uniformed Airmen’s development across all aspects of financial management by giving them the opportunity to work across various flights within the squadron, ensuring they are well-rounded experts.
Beyond operations at Robins AFB, 78th CPTS is also training with other services to advance the Air Force’s joint interoperability in financial management.
In 2025, two 78th CPTS Airmen participated in Diamond Saber, a U.S. Army Reserve-led exercise that brings together finance and comptroller units from across all components of the Army, Air Force and Marines, to train on warfighting functions.
The exercise focused on essential capabilities like funding the force, payment support, disbursing operations, accounting, fiscal stewardship, decision support and data analytics.
After a week in the classroom, the Airmen participated in hands-on, realistic, scenario-based exercises, allowing them to practice their skills in a simulated deployed environment, fostering the joint financial interoperability that is crucial for success in austere multi-service operations.
“They forged a lot of relationships while there, and it’s going to help further the fight and make things run more smoothly when we go out to the field together,” said Coston. “We’re completely integrated with the Army, but this upcoming year, we’re going to incorporate more integration with the Navy.”
Due to the success of 78th CPTS’s previous involvement in Diamond Saber, eight 78th CPTS Airmen will be attending the next iteration of the exercise.
“We’ve are trying to collaborate with all of our mission partners,” explained Coston, “because we fight together downrange, we deploy together, and we work here together as one team.”