By Debbie Gregory.

The U.S. Army will be moving $31.5 billion over the next five years from lower-priority programs to the service’s top-priority needs, according to undersecretary Ryan McCarthy. The 2020 fiscal budget will ensure that the service branch’s top priorities of readiness and modernization, the “Big Six” , remain on track.

“All six of the Army modernization priorities will have vast increases, and you will see a sustained push to the readiness portfolio because we made hard choices inside of our budget,” McCarthy said.

The Big Six include: long-range precision fires, next-generation combat vehicle, future vertical lift, a mobile network, air and missile defense, and soldier lethality.

This year, the Army plans to launch a competition for new armored vehicles; award development contracts for scout aircraft and helicopter engines; conduct key tests of long-range missiles, anti-aircraft defenses, rifles, targeting goggles, and multiple battlefield networks; and field new electronics for command posts.

Overall, McCarthy said, “We are trying to enable the National Defense Strategy” — which prioritizes preparing for high-intensity war with China and Russia — “and have taken some pretty dramatic steps in order to get there. We’ve been very consistent about where we were trying to take the Army… with that comes some very difficult choices.”

McCarthy would not give details about which programs have been cut, restructured or canceled. The question is whether Congress will accept the painful cutbacks, slowdowns, and outright cancellations required.

Both Republicans and Democrats on the Hill have objected to taking money from military construction, which would impact readiness, military families, and home-state jobs.

By constantly shifting money to top priorities in both near-term readiness and long-term modernization, Army Secretary Mark Esper expects the Army to hit a critical turning point within the next four years, and barring any unforeseen crisis, the Army will reach its readiness goal by 2022.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA,

By Debbie Gregory.

Making and sticking to a realistic budget is an effective way to help keep your business profitable. Budgets involve making revenue forecasts and estimating your costs, which will determine whether you make a profit or loss.

In this day and age, where there seems to be an app for most things, here are some apps to help you navigate your business finances:

Albert is your financial genius – a smart and powerful financial assistant. Albert connects to all of your accounts and helps you put your financial plan on auto-pilot. The app provides a team of human financial geniuses to guide you through your financial journey and answer your most complex questions.

Clarity displays your financial picture, helps you cancel wasteful accounts, and delivers insights to you. The built-in service scans your accounts for subscription fees and verifies your usage of the service or product. It also has tools to remind you to pay bills, budget, and save.

Fudget is a simple and fast alternative to feature-rich, complex budget planner / personal finance apps. There are no categories to manage, no charts to interpret and no learning curve.

If you share expenses with another person, Honeyfi allows you to choose what to share with your partner and see all of your balances and transactions in one place. You save time when you simplify your finances.

Mint keeps all of your bills and money together in one place, making it easier than ever to track.The more accounts, cards and bills you link, the more the app will help you stay on budget. See what you have and what you owe. Understand where money goes and where you can cut back. Create budgets, track investments, discover new ways to save and more.

Wally lets you take control of your money. Balance your income and expenses. Understand where your money goes. Set and achieve your financial goals. Seamlessly and intuitively. The app gives you a 360 view on your money; what comes in, what goes out, what you have saved, what you have budgeted.

You Need a Budget helps you to be mindful of how you are spending your money, asking you to think about what you want your money to do before you spend it.