News

EagleCash simplifies military life

Soldiers from Multi-National Division - Baghdad will now be able to handle nearly all of their cash transactions within their base camp, as well as at select forward-operating bases, with just a card and a simple touch on a screen.

June 28, 2006

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq - Soldiers from Multi-National Division - Baghdad will now be able to handle nearly all of their cash transactions within their base camp, as well as at select forward-operating bases, with just a card and a simple touch on a screen.

The EagleCash cash-management program, which utilizes NCR's EasyPoint kiosk, was developed by the U.S. Army Finance Command and the U.S. Treasury Department to support financial needs of personnel serving in "contingency areas of operation."

Currently being rolled out at selected sites in the Operation Iraqi Freedom theater, the program allows cardholders to access funds from their accounts back home.

The program will add convenience to soldiers' lives, said Graham Mackenzie, program manager, U. S. Treasury Department.

"With an EagleCash card linked to their bank or credit union, soldiers won't have to go to finance and stand in line. They can access their funds when they want to at convenient locations," he said.

At an EagleCash card enrollment drive held June 23 at the Liberty Post Exchange, one of the first MND-B Soldiers to sign up was Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Pearson, air traffic controller, G-3 Air, 4th Infantry Division.

"This is pretty cool. It will cut down on the time I spend in line," said Pearson.

EagleCash uses smart-card technology, allowing soldiers to access personal funds through a self-service kiosk. Cards and transactions are free for soldiers. They can load or unload money from and to their accounts on the cards as well as perform card-to-card transactions.

"This program was developed in 1999 to support Army personnel assigned to the U.S. peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo, and later to support the Joint Task Force at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras," said Mackenzie.

Over the last two years, the program has been expanded to support personnel based in Afghanistan, Krygyzstan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

"Now we're in the process of introducing it to bases in Kuwait and Iraq," Mackenzie said.

The program is scheduled to launch later this year to support bases on the Sinai Peninsula.

"It's dangerous and expensive to ship U.S. currency to a deployed location like the area Operation Iraqi Freedom supports. EagleCash is a cost-effective electronic replacement for cash," said Mackenzie.

"EagleCash reduces the amount of U.S. currency in circulation overseas. It helps reduce national debt and helps reduce the threat of counterfeit dollars being introduced into the U.S. monetary system," he added.

EagleCash implementation teams are made up of members from the 266th Finance Command (Forward), U.S. Army Finance Command, U.S. Treasury Department and Federal Reserve Bank. Teams are training local personnel in finance, postal, Army and Air Force Exchange Services and concessionaires on how to use the system. They also are setting up acceptance devices with merchants on all bases within the Camp Victory complex, including camps Victory, Liberty, Slayer, Striker, Baghdad International Airport and adjacent bases.