Updated December 17, 2020
Defense Primer: Department of the Navy
One Military Department with Two
appropriation account contains operation and maintenance
Military Services
funding for the Marine Corps.
The Department of the Navy (DON) is a single military
department that includes two military services—the Navy
A few DON appropriation accounts include funding for
and the Marine Corps. As such, DON has a single civilian
both the Navy and Marine Corps, even though their titles
leader, the Secretary of the Navy, and two four-star military
refer only to the Navy. For example, the Aircraft
service chiefs—an admiral whose title is the Chief of Naval
Procurement, Navy (APN) appropriation account funds the
Operations (CNO), and a general whose title is the
procurement of both Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, and
Commandant of the Marine Corps. Although the title
the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Navy
“Secretary of the Navy” includes only the term “Navy,” the
(RDTEN) account includes research and development
secretary serves as the civilian leader for both the Navy and
funding for both the Navy and Marine Corps. The
Marine Corps. The CNO and the Commandant of the
Procurement of Ammunition, Navy/Marine Corps
Marine Corps are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
(PANMC) account includes funding for procuring both
(JCS).
Navy and Marine Corps ammunition.
“Naval” Refers to Both the Navy and
The Navy’s shipbuilding account, known formally as the
Marine Corps
Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy (SCN) appropriation
Although the term “naval” is often used to refer specifically
account, funds the procurement of various types of ships,
to the Navy, it more properly refers to both the Navy and
including amphibious ships. Although amphibious ships are
Marine Corps, because both the Navy and Marine Corps are
Navy ships operated by Navy crews, the primary function
naval services. Even though the Marine Corps sometimes
of amphibious ships is to transport Marine Corps personnel
operates for extended periods as a land fighting force (as it
and equipment and support Marine Corps ship-to-shore
has done in recent years, for example, in Afghanistan and
movements and Marine Corps operations ashore. The
Iraq), and is often thought of as the country’s second land
Navy’s amphibious ships are sometimes referred to
army, it nevertheless is, by law, a naval service. 10 U.S.C.
informally as the “Gator Navy,” a shortening of the term
8001(a)(3) states that “The term ‘member of the naval
alligator, an animal that, like the Marine Corps, can move
service’ means a person appointed or enlisted in, or
from the water to land, and then back into the water.
inducted or conscripted into, the Navy or the Marine
Corps.” DON officials sometimes refer to the two services
DON Budget
as the Navy-Marine Corps team. See also the section below
DON’s proposed budget for FY2021 requests a total of
entitled “The Naval Service.”
$207.1 billion, of which, DON states, $161.0 billion
(77.8%) is for the Navy and $46.0 billion (22.2%) is for the
“Navy” in DOD Budget Documents Can
Marine Corps. In terms of appropriation groups, about
Mean DON
26.7% of DON’s proposed FY2021 budget is for military
DOD budget documents that divide the DOD budget into
personnel, about 34.1% is for operations and maintenance,
four military departments often label those departments as
about 27.6% is for procurement, about 10.4% is for
Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense-Wide. In using data
research and development, and about 1.3% is for
from such documents, it is important to remember that the
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’s proposed budget for FY2021 requests a total of
850,101 personnel, including 531,900 active-duty
“Blue Dollars” and “Green Dollars” in
uniformed personnel (62.6%), 97,300 reserve personnel
DON Budget
(11.4%), and 220,901 civilian personnel (26.0%). The
People who work with the DON budget sometimes refer to
budget requests a total of 604,605 Navy personnel (347,800
“blue dollars,” meaning funding in the DON budget for the
active-duty, 58,800 reserve, and 198,005 civilian), or about
Navy, and “green dollars,” meaning funding in the DON
71.1% of the total requested for DON, and a total of
budget for the Marine Corps. Of the more than two dozen
245,496 Marine Corps personnel (184,100 active-duty,
appropriation accounts that form DON’s budget, many
38,500 reserve, and 22,896 civilian), or about 28.9% of the
contain funding specifically for either the Navy or Marine
total requested for DON.
Corps. For example, the Operation and Maintenance, Navy
(OMN), appropriation account contains operation and
Coast Guard in Relation to DON
maintenance funding primarily for the Navy, while the
Unlike DON, which is part of DOD and is covered (along
Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps (OMMC),
with the Departments of the Army and Air Force) in the
U.S. Code primarily in Title 10, the Coast Guard is part of
https://crsreports.congress.gov

---

Defense Primer: Department of the Navy
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is
The Sea Services
covered primarily in Title 14. Even though the Coast Guard
The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are sometimes
is not part of DOD, Title 14 states that the Coast Guard
referred to collectively by officials of those services and
“shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces
other observers as the sea services.
of the United States at all times.” (14 U.S.C. 101) Title 14
states that the Coast Guard “shall be a service in the
The Naval Service
Department of Homeland Security, except when operating
The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are also
as a service in the Navy” (14 U.S.C. 103(a)), and that
sometimes referred to collectively by officials of those
services and other observers as the naval service. For
Upon the declaration of war if Congress so directs
example, a tri-service strategy document released in
in the declaration or when the President directs, the
December 2020, entitled Advantage at Sea, Prevailing with
Coast Guard shall operate as a service in the Navy,
Integrated All-Domain Naval Power, states that the three
and shall so continue until the President, by
services are “collectively known as the Naval Service,” and
Executive order, transfers the Coast Guard back to
defines the term naval service in its glossary as meaning the
the Department of Homeland Security. While
three services. As another example, the April 2020 edition
operating as a service in the Navy, the Coast Guard
of a tri-service doctrine publication, Naval Doctrine
shall be subject to the orders of the Secretary of the
Publication 1, Naval Warfare, states: “The United States
Navy, who may order changes in Coast Guard
Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and the United
operations to render them uniform, to the extent
States Coast Guard collectively form the nation’s Naval
such Secretary deems advisable, with Navy
Service.”
operations.” (14 U.S.C. 103(b))
The last time the Coast Guard operated as a service in the
The Coast Guard, however, is not frequently referred to as a
Navy was during World War II. The possibility that the
naval service in annual Navy or Coast Guard documents
Coast Guard might at some point operate as a service in the
submitted to Congress, and the U.S. Code does not
Navy is why legislation concerning the Coast Guard
specifically define the Coast Guard as a naval service (as
sometimes uses phrases such as “the Secretary of the
opposed to a military service or a branch of the armed
Department in which the Coast Guard is operating.”
forces) in 10 U.S.C. 8001(a)(3), 14 U.S.C. 101, 14 U.S.C.
103(a), or other provisions.
The four-star admiral who heads the Coast Guard, called
Tri-Service Strategy Documents
the Commandant of the Coast Guard, is not a member of
the JCS.
The three services in recent years have from to time issued
joint maritime strategy documents, including, most
Unlike the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, the
recently, the previously mentioned document entitled
Coast Guard is not only a military service and a branch of
Advantage at Sea, Prevailing with Integrated All-Domain
the armed forces, but also a law enforcement agency. For
Naval Power, which was released in December 2020.
this reason, Navy ships whose operations create a distinct
possibility of encountering potential law enforcement

situations sometimes embark detachments of Coast Guard
Relevant Statutes
personnel.
Title 10, U.S. Code, Subtitle C – Navy and Marine Corps
The Coast Guard’s budget is funded primarily through the
Title 14, U.S. Code, Chapter 1 – Establishment and Duties of the
annual DHS appropriations act. DON’s budget sometimes
Coast Guard
includes small amounts of funding to support the Coast
Guard’s national defense mis

sion. In addition, the
procurement of one of the Coast Guard’s polar icebreakers

(Healy) was funded primarily through the SCN account, in
Other Resources
FY1990, 33 of the Coast Guard’s 49 Island-class 110-foot
Department of the Navy, Highlights of the Department of the Navy
patrol boats were procured under a Navy contract that
FY 2021 Budget, accessed March 17, 2020, at
included FY1990 SCN funding, and $300 million of the
https://www.secnav.navy.mil/fmc/fmb/Documents/21pres/
funding that has been appropriated for the Coast Guard’s
Highlights_book.pdf.
new Polar Security Cutter (aka polar icebreaker) program
U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Advantage at
was appropriated through the SCN account ($150 million
Sea, Prevailing with Integrated All-Domain Naval Power, December
each in FY2017 and FY2018). The Coast Guard’s reserve
2020, 29 pp. accessed December 17, 2020, at
end strength (but not its active end strength) is authorized in
https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/17/2002553489/-1/-1/0/
the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
201217-N-NO101-176.JPG.
The Navy and Coast Guard have mechanisms, including a
Department of the Navy FY2021 Budget Materials, accessed
Navy and Coast Guard (NAVGARD) Board, to coordinate
March 17, 2020, at https://www.secnav.navy.mil/fmc/fmb/Pages/
matters of joint interest. The Navy and Coast Guard on at
Fiscal-Year-2021.aspx.
least three occasions (2002, 2006, and 2013) have issued
National Fleet policy statements on the coordination of their

procurement and operational activities.
Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs
https://crsreports.congress.gov

---

Defense Primer: Department of the Navy

IF10484


Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10484 · VERSION 15 · UPDATED

---