FM director’s broad career should serve him well in AFSC role

  • Published
  • By Mike W. Ray
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Jose R. Aragon, director of the Financial Management Directorate and Comptroller for the Air Force Sustainment Center headquartered at Tinker, has enjoyed a non-traditional career.

Among other things, Mr. Aragon worked directly for eight general officers in the Air Force, has traveled to 33 countries, and met Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan. Mr. Karzai was "charismatic" and "interesting to listen to and to talk to," and he spoke with a British accent, Mr. Aragon recalled.

In AFSC, Mr. Aragon serves as fiscal adviser and counselor to the AFSC commander and his staff in all financial and resources management matters. Mr. Aragon is responsible for establishing policy and the overall operation of programming, budgeting, accounting, disbursing and resource analysis.

Previously he was the chief financial officer at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M., and before that he was the CFO for the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland.

During a brief stint as a business consultant in private industry, Mr. Aragon directed a staff of 25 in the San Antonio, Texas, area serving myriad Air Force clients.

His broad and diverse Air Force career included an unusual blend of assignments. He served as a financial manager, acquisition manager, congressional liaison officer, plans and programs officer, executive officer, aide-de-camp, and as an intelligence cryto-analyst during his enlisted tenure.

Mr. Aragon joined the Air Force in 1970 as an Airman and became a sergeant in 1972 before separating after three and one-half years in the enlisted corps. Following an eight-year break in service, he returned to the Air Force in 1980 as a second lieutenant and rose to the rank of colonel before retiring Aug. 1, 2005, after 29½ years on active duty.

During his career as an officer he was an aide-de-camp for the commander of the Air Force Logistics Command, assistant executive officer for former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Ryan, executive officer for two vice commanders of the Air Force Materiel Command, military assistant for a former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, the Commander's Action Group Chief for two generals at Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center, and he spent two years as a congressional liaison officer.

"All of those assignments were career-broadening opportunities, and all occurred outside the FM career field," Mr. Aragon noted.

After retiring from the Air Force he entered the Civil Service, and joined the Senior Executive Service two months ago when he became the FM director at Tinker.
For two years Mr. Aragon was the budget chief at Hickam AFB in Hawaii, and he was named the Budget Officer of the Year in two MAJCOMS: the Air Education and Training Command and the Air Force Systems Command.

He earned a bachelor's degree in business management at the University of Pittsburgh, an MBA at Central Michigan University, and an MSA in national strategic studies from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He also participated in the National Securities Studies Executive Seminar at Syracuse University.