Updated June 9, 2021
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 FY2022 budget requests $211.7 billion, of
entitled “The Naval Service.”
which, DON states, $163.9 billion (77.4%) is for the Navy
and $47.9 billion (22.6%) is for the Marine Corps. In terms
“Navy” in DOD Budget Documents Can
of appropriation groups, about 26.7% is for military
Mean DON
personnel, about 33.6% is for operations and maintenance,
DOD budget documents that divide the DOD budget into
about 27.5% is for procurement, about 10.7% is for
four military departments often label those departments as
research and development, about 1.4% is for infrastructure,
Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense-Wide. In using data
and about 0.1% is for revolving and management funds.
from such documents, it is important to remember that the
category called “Navy” in these cases refers to the
DON Personnel
Department of the Navy, and thus includes funding for both
DON’s proposed budget for FY2022 requests a total of
the Navy and Marine Corps.
843,213 personnel, including 524,700 active-duty
uniformed personnel (62.2%), 95,400 reserve personnel
“Blue Dollars” and “Green Dollars” in
(11.3%), and 223,113 civilian personnel (26.5%). The
DON Budget
budget requested a total of 604,992 Navy personnel
People who work with the DON budget sometimes refer to
(346,200 active-duty, 58,600 reserve, and 200,192 civilian),
“blue dollars,” meaning funding in the DON budget for the
or about 71.7% of the total requested for DON, and a total
Navy, and “green dollars,” meaning funding in the DON
of 238,221 Marine Corps personnel (178,500 active-duty,
budget for the Marine Corps. Of the more than two dozen
36,800 reserve, and 22,921 civilian), or about 28.3% of the
appropriation accounts that form DON’s budget, many
total requested for DON.
contain funding specifically for either the Navy or Marine
Corps. For example, the Operation and Maintenance, Navy
Coast Guard in Relation to DON
(OMN), appropriation account contains operation and
Unlike DON, which is part of DOD and is covered (along
maintenance funding primarily for the Navy, while the
with the Departments of the Army and Air Force) in the
Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps (OMMC),
U.S. Code primarily in Title 10, the Coast Guard is part of
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is
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Defense Primer: Department of the Navy
covered primarily in Title 14. Even though the Coast Guard
The Sea Services
is not part of DOD, Title 14 states that the Coast Guard
The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are sometimes
“shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces
referred to collectively by officials of those services and
of the United States at all times .” (14 U.S.C. 101) Title 14
other observers as the sea services.
states that the Coast Guard “shall be a service in the
Department of Homeland Security, except when operating
The Naval Service
as a service in the Navy” (14 U.S.C. 103(a)), and that
The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are also
sometimes referred to collectively by officials of those
Upon the declaration of war if Congress so directs
services and other observers as the naval service. For
in the declaration or when the President directs, the
example, a tri-service strategy document released in
Coast Guard shall operate as a service in the Navy,
December 2020, entitled Advantage at Sea, Prevailing with
and shall so continue until the President, by
Integrated All-Domain Naval Power, states that the three
Executive order, transfers the Coast Guard back to
services are “collectively known as the Naval Service,” and
the Department of Homeland Security. While
defines the term naval service in its glossary as meaning the
operating as a service in the Navy, the Coast Guard
three services. As another example, the April 2020 edition
shall be subject to the orders of the Secretary of the
of a tri-service doctrine publication, Naval Doctrine
Navy, who may order changes in Coast Guard
Publication 1, Naval Warfare, states: “The United States
operations to render them uniform, to the extent
Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and the United
such Secretary deems advisable, with Navy
States Coast Guard collectively form the nation’s Naval
operations.” (14 U.S.C. 103(b))
Service.”
The last time the Coast Guard operated as a service in the
Navy was during World War II. The possibility that the
The Coast Guard, however, is not frequently referred to as a
Coast Guard might at some point operate as a service in the
naval service in annual Navy or Coast Guard documents
Navy is why legislation concerning the Coast Guard
submitted to Congress, and the U.S. Code does not
sometimes uses phrases such as “the Secretary of the
specifically define the Coast Guard as a naval service (as
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.
The four-star admiral who heads the Coast Guard, called
103(a), or other provisions.
the Commandant of the Coast Guard, is not a member of
Tri-Service Strategy Documents
the JCS.
The three services in recent years have from to time issued
Unlike the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, the
joint maritime strategy documents, including, most
Coast Guard is not only a military service and a branch of
recently, the previously mentioned document entitled
the armed forces, but also a law enforcement agency. For
Advantage at Sea, Prevailing with Integrated All-Domain
this reason, Navy ships whose operations create a distinct
Naval Power, which was released in December 2020.
possibility of encountering potential law enforcement
situations sometimes embark detachments of Coast Guard

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


(Healy) was funded primarily through the SCN account, in
FY1990, 33 of the Coast Guard’s 49 Island-class 110-foot
Other Resources
patrol boats were procured under a Navy contract that
Department of the Navy, Highlights of the Department of the Navy
included FY1990 SCN funding, and $300 million of the
FY 2022 Budget, accessed June 9, 2021, at
funding that has been appropriated for the Coast Guard’s
https://www.secnav.navy.mil/fmc/fmb/Documents/22pres/Highligh
new Polar Security Cutter (aka polar icebreaker) program
ts_Book.pdf
was appropriated through the SCN account ($150 million
U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Advantage at
each in FY2017 and FY2018). The Coast Guard’s reserve
Sea, Prevailing with Integrated Al -Domain Naval Power, December
end strength (but not its active end strength) is authorized in
2020, 29 pp. accessed June 9, 2021, at https://media.defense.gov/
the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
2020/Dec/17/2002553489/-1/-1/0/201217-N-NO101-176.JPG.
The Navy and Coast Guard have mechanisms, including a

Navy and Coast Guard (NAVGARD) Board, to coordinate
matters of joint interest. The Navy and Coast Guard on at
Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs
least three occasions (2002, 2006, and 2013) have issued
National Fleet policy statements on the coordination of their
IF10484
procurement and operational activities.


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Defense Primer: Department of the Navy


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