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Advancing Unified Messaging Across the Department of Defense Comptroller Community

Posted on 03.31.25

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Delivering consistent mission-critical messaging for 55,000 financial professionals

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) (OUSD(C)) led efforts to strengthen operational messaging across the Department of Defense (DOD). As the principal advisor on budget and financial matters to the Secretary of Defense, OUSD(C) aimed to align 55,000 financial professionals within the department, promote fiscal responsibility and establish clear guidance for all DOD comptroller offices. Aptive delivered mission-critical operational support to build internal agency coordination systems and streamline financial messaging across DOD.

The Aptive Advantage

Built operational messaging systems for agency-wide financial alignment
Delivered modern templates and internal content to enhance coordination
Supported resource allocation optimization through improved communication planning

Results at a Glance

Unified vision for 55,000 financial management professionals
First department-wide financial management conference delivered successfully
Strategic plan implementation achieved across all OUSD(C) objectives

Challenge

Improving alignment and communication across decentralized offices

OUSD(C) did not have direct oversight of individual DOD component comptroller offices, yet it needed to guide financial transformation efforts, improve internal alignment and ensure consistency across the department. Communicating guidance at scale, supporting legislative coordination and working with financial leaders across government, academia and industry required a scalable, structured approach.

Solutions

OUSD(C) partnered with Aptive to develop systems and tools to align financial offices, deliver consistent operational messaging and support enterprise-wide implementation of the department’s financial management strategy.

Modernizing visual systems

Aptive helped OUSD(C) refresh its document templates, integrating official seals with a modern design system to reflect professionalism and innovation. These templates supported leadership communications and improved recognition of the office’s materials across DOD.

Internal agency coordination

Aptive developed a communications framework to align staff with OUSD(C)’s financial management strategy. Deliverables included internal briefings, leadership talking points, newsletters, print materials and action plans to translate goals into daily operational relevance. Aptive also helped overhaul OUSD(C)’s internal portal, improving document access and usability.

External messaging infrastructure

Aptive prepared OUSD(C) to launch a new external-facing website and advised on how to better communicate the office’s priorities to non-financial audiences, including Congress and mission partners. The team developed frameworks to support direct public service impact and led planning for the first-ever DOD-wide financial management conference.

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Results

Delivering unified financial guidance across the Department of Defense

Aptive helped OUSD(C) create and implement a cohesive communication infrastructure that connected 55,000 financial professionals to the department’s overarching mission. Through internal messaging improvements and the launch of the first department-wide financial conference, OUSD(C) advanced its goals for transparency, alignment and mission execution.

The improved internal portal reduced information silos and provided clear access to strategic documents and messaging tools. Employee-focused events helped reinforce the office’s direction while giving leadership channels for real-time feedback.