Updated December 19, 2019
Defense Primer: Department of the Navy
One Military Department with Two
A few DON appropriation accounts include funding for
Military Services
both the Navy and Marine Corps, even though their titles
The Department of the Navy (DON) is a single military
refer only to the Navy. For example, the Aircraft
department that includes two military services—the Navy
Procurement, Navy (APN) appropriation account funds the
and the Marine Corps. As such, DON has a single civilian
procurement of both Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, and
leader, the Secretary of the Navy, and two four-star military
the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Navy
service chiefs—an admiral whose title is the Chief of Naval
(RDTEN) account includes research and development
Operations (CNO), and a general whose title is the
funding for both the Navy and Marine Corps. The
Commandant of the Marine Corps. Although the title
Procurement of Ammunition, Navy/Marine Corps
“Secretary of the Navy” includes only the term “Navy,” the
(PANMC) account includes funding for procuring both
secretary serves as the civilian leader for both the Navy and
Navy and Marine Corps ammunition.
Marine Corps. The CNO and the Commandant of the
Marine Corps are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Navy’s shipbuilding account, known formally as the
(JCS).
Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy (SCN) appropriation
account, funds the procurement of various types of ships,
“Naval” Refers to Both the Navy and
including amphibious ships. Although amphibious ships are
Marine Corps
Navy ships operated by Navy crews, the primary function
Although the term “naval” is often used to refer specifically
of amphibious ships is to transport Marine Corps personnel
to the Navy, it more properly refers to both the Navy and
and equipment and support Marine Corps ship-to-shore
Marine Corps, because both the Navy and Marine Corps are
movements and Marine Corps operations ashore. The
naval services. Even though the Marine Corps sometimes
Navy’s amphibious ships are sometimes referred to
operates for extended periods as a land fighting force (as it
informally as the “Gator Navy,” a shortening of the term
has done in recent years, for example, in Afghanistan and
alligator, an animal that, like the Marine Corps, can move
Iraq), and is often thought of as the country’s second land
from the water to land, and then back into the water.
army, it nevertheless is, by law, a naval service. 10 U.S.C.
8001(a)(3) states that “The term ‘member of the naval
DON Budget
service’ means a person appointed or enlisted in, or
DON’s enacted budget for FY2019 is $196.066 billion, of
inducted or conscripted into, the Navy or the Marine
which, DON states, $152.914 billion (78.0%) is for the
Corps.” DON officials sometimes refer to the two services
Navy and $43.152 billion (about 22.0%) is for the Marine
as the Navy-Marine Corps team.
Corps. DON’s proposed budget for FY2020 requests a total
of $205.572 billion, of which, DON states, $159.698
“Navy” in DOD Budget Documents Can
(77.7%) is for the Navy and $45.874 billion (22.3%) is for
Mean DON
the Marine Corps. In terms of appropriation groups, about
DOD budget documents that divide the DOD budget into
25.3% of DON’s proposed FY2020 budget is for military
four military departments often label those departments as
personnel, about 33.3% is for operations and maintenance,
Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense-Wide. In using data
about 29.7% is for procurement, about 9.9% is for research
from such documents, it is important to remember that the
and development, and about 1.7% is for infrastructure.
category called “Navy” in these cases refers to the
Department of the Navy, and thus includes funding for both
DON Personnel
the Navy and Marine Corps.
DON in FY2019 included a total of 833,384 personnel,
including 521,500 active-duty uniformed personnel
“Blue Dollars” and “Green Dollars” in
(62.6%), 97,600 reserve personnel (11.7%), and 214,284
DON Budget
civilian personnel (25.7%). The Navy included a total
People who work with the DON budget sometimes refer to
587,202 personnel (335,400 active-duty, 59,100 reserve,
“blue dollars,” meaning funding in the DON budget for the
and 192,702 civilian), or about 70.5% of DON total, while
Navy, and “green dollars,” meaning funding in the DON
the Marine Corps included 246,182 personnel (186,100
budget for the Marine Corps. Of the more than two dozen
active-duty, 38,500 reserve, and 21,582 civilian), or about
appropriation accounts that form DON’s budget, many
29.5% of the DON total.
contain funding specifically for either the Navy or Marine
Corps. For example, the Operation and Maintenance, Navy
DON’s proposed budget for FY2020 requests a total of
(OMN), appropriation account contains operation and
841,676 personnel, including 526,700 active-duty
maintenance funding primarily for the Navy, while the
uniformed personnel (62.6%), 97,500 reserve personnel
Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps (OMMC),
(11.6%), and 217,476 civilian personnel (25.8%). The
appropriation account contains operation and maintenance
budget requests a total of 595,002 Navy personnel (340,500
funding for the Marine Corps.
active-duty, 59,000 reserve, and 195,502 civilian), or about
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Defense Primer: Department of the Navy
70.7% of the total requested for DON, and a total of
The Coast Guard’s budget is funded primarily through the
246,674 Marine Corps personnel (186,200 active-duty,
annual DHS appropriations act. DON’s budget sometimes
38,500 reserve, and 21,974 civilian), or about 29.3% of the
includes small amounts of funding to support the Coast
total requested for DON.
Guard’s national defense mission. In addition, the
procurement of one of the Coast Guard’s polar icebreakers
Coast Guard in Relation to DON
(Healy) was funded primarily through the SCN account, in
Unlike DON, which is part of DOD and is covered (along
FY1990, and 33 of the Coast Guard’s 49 Island-class 110-
with the Departments of the Army and Air Force) in the
foot patrol boats were procured under a Navy contract that
U.S. Code primarily in Title 10, the Coast Guard is part of
included FY1990 SCN funding. The Coast Guard’s reserve
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is
end strength (but not its active end strength) is authorized in
covered primarily in Title 14. Even though the Coast Guard
the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
is not part of DOD, Title 14 states that the Coast Guard
“shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces
The Navy and Coast Guard have mechanisms, including a
of the United States at all times.” (14 U.S.C. 101) Title 14
Navy and Coast Guard (NAVGARD) Board, to coordinate
states that the Coast Guard “shall be a service in the
matters of joint interest. The Navy and Coast Guard on at
Department of Homeland Security, except when operating
least three occasions (2002, 2006, and 2013) have issued
as a service in the Navy” (14 U.S.C. 103(a)), and that
National Fleet policy statements on the coordination of their
procurement and operational activities.
Upon the declaration of war if Congress so directs
in the declaration or when the President directs, the
The Three Sea Services
Coast Guard shall operate as a service in the Navy,
The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are sometimes
and shall so continue until the President, by
referred to collectively as the sea services. The three
Executive order, transfers the Coast Guard back to
services in recent years have from to time issued joint
the Department of Homeland Security. While
maritime strategy documents.
operating as a service in the Navy, the Coast Guard

shall be subject to the orders of the Secretary of the
Relevant Statutes
Navy, who may order changes in Coast Guard
operations to render them uniform, to the extent
Title 10, U.S. Code, Subtitle C – Navy and Marine Corps
such Secretary deems advisable, with Navy
Title 14, U.S. Code, Chapter 1 – Establishment and Duties of the
operations.” (14 U.S.C. 103(b))
Coast Guard
The last time the Coast Guard operated as a service in the

Navy was during World War II. The possibility that the

Coast Guard might at some point operate as a service in the
Navy is why legislation concerning the Coast Guard
Other Resources
sometimes uses phrases such as “the Secretary of the
Department of the Navy, Highlights of the Department of the Navy
Department in which the Coast Guard is operating.”
FY2020 Budget, accessed July 26, 2019, at
https://www.secnav.navy.mil/fmc/fmb/Documents/20pres/Budget
The four-star admiral who heads the Coast Guard, called
%20Highlights%20Book.pdf
the Commandant of the Coast Guard, is not a member of
Department of the Navy Budget Materials, accessed July 26,
the JCS.
2019, at https://www.secnav.navy.mil/fmc/fmb/Pages/Fiscal-Year-
2020.aspx
Unlike the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, the
Coast Guard is not only a military service and a branch of

the armed forces, but also a law enforcement agency. For
this reason, Navy ships whose operations create a distinct
Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs
possibility of encountering potential law enforcement
situations sometimes embark detachments of Coast Guard
IF10484
personnel.


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Defense Primer: Department of the Navy


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