Updated January 30, 2024
Defense Primer: Department of the Navy
One Military Department with Two
maintenance funding primarily for the Navy, while the
Military Services
Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps (OMMC),
The Department of the Navy (DON) is a single military
appropriation account contains operation and maintenance
department that includes two military services—the Navy
funding for the Marine Corps.
and the Marine Corps. As such, DON has a single civilian
leader, the Secretary of the Navy, and two four-star military
A few DON appropriation accounts include funding for
service chiefs—an admiral whose title is the Chief of Naval
both the Navy and Marine Corps, even though their titles
Operations (CNO), and a general whose title is the
refer only to the Navy. For example, the Aircraft
Commandant of the Marine Corps. Although the title
Procurement, Navy (APN) appropriation account funds the
“Secretary of the Navy” includes only the term “Navy,” the
procurement of both Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, and
secretary serves as the civilian leader for both the Navy and
the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Navy
Marine Corps. The CNO and the Commandant of the
(RDTEN) account includes research and development
Marine Corps are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
funding for both the Navy and Marine Corps. The
(JCS). As of January 30, 2024, the Secretary of the Navy is
Procurement of Ammunition, Navy/Marine Corps
Carlos Del Toro, the CNO is Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and
(PANMC) account includes funding for procuring both
the Commandant of the Marine Corps is General Eric
Navy and Marine Corps ammunition.
Smith.
The Navy’s shipbuilding account, known formally as the
“Naval” Refers to Both the Navy and
Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy (SCN) appropriation
Marine Corps
account, funds the procurement of various types of ships,
Although the term “naval” is often used to ref
including amphibious ships. Although amphibious ships are
er specifically
Navy ships operated by Navy crews, the primary function
to the Navy, it more properly refers to both the Navy and
of amphibious ships is to transport Marine Corps personnel
Marine Corps, because both the Navy and Marine Corps are
and equipment and support Marine Corps ship-to-shore
naval services. Even though the Marine Corps sometimes
movements and Marine Corps operations ashore. The
operates for extended periods as a land fighting force (as it
Navy’s amphibious ships are sometimes referred to
did, for example, in Afghanistan and Iraq), and is often
informally as the “
thought of as the country’s second land army, it
Gator Navy,” a shortening of the term
alligator, an animal that, like the Marine Corps, can move
nevertheless is, by law, a naval service. 10 U.S.C.
from the water to land, and then back into the water.
8001(a)(3) states that “The term ‘member of the naval
service’ means a person appointed or enlisted in, or
DON Budget
inducted or conscripted into, the Navy or the Marine
DON’s proposed FY2024 budget requests $255.8 billion, of
Corps.” DON officials sometimes refer to the two services
which, DON states, $202.5 billion (79.2%) is for the Navy
as the Navy-Marine Corps team. See also the section below
entitled “The Naval Service.”
and $53.2 billion (20.2%) is for the Marine Corps. In terms

of appropriation groups, about 23.7% of DON’s proposed
“Navy” in DOD Budget Documents Can
FY2024 budget is for military personnel, about 33.1% is for
Mean DON
operations and maintenance, about 30.0% is for
procurement, about 10.5% is for research and development,
DOD budget documents that divide the DOD budget into
and about 2.7% is for military construction and family
four military departments often label those departments as
housing.
Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense-Wide. In using data
from such documents, it is important to remember that the
DON Personnel
category called “Navy” in these cases refers to the
DON’s proposed budget for FY2024 requests a total of
Department of the Navy, and thus includes funding for both
837,055 personnel, including 519,300 active-duty
the Navy and Marine Corps.
uniformed personnel (62.0%), 90,800 reserve personnel
“Blue Dollars” and “Green Dollars” in
(10.8%), and 226,955 civilian personnel (27.1%). The
DON Budget
budget requested a total of 608,950 Navy personnel
(347,000 active-duty, 57,200 reserve, and 204,750 civilian),
People who work with the DON budget sometimes refer to
“blue dollars,” meaning funding
or about 72.7% of the total requested for DON, and a total
in the DON budget for the
Navy, and “green dollars,”
of 228,105 Marine Corps personnel (172,300 active-duty,
meaning funding in the DON
33,600 reserve, and 22,205 civilian), or about 27.3% of the
budget for the Marine Corps. Of the more than two dozen
total requested for DON.
appropriation accounts that form DON’s budget, many
contain funding specifically for either the Navy or Marine
Coast Guard in Relation to DON
Corps. For example, the Operation and Maintenance, Navy
Unlike DON, which is part of DOD and is covered (along
(OMN), appropriation account contains operation and
with the Departments of the Army and Air Force) in the
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Defense Primer: Department of the Navy
U.S. Code primarily in Title 10, the Coast Guard is part of
National Fleet policy statements on the coordination of their
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is
procurement and operational activities.
covered primarily in Title 14. Even though the Coast Guard
is not part of DOD, Title 14 states that the Coast Guard
The Sea Services
“shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces
The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are sometimes
of the United States at all times.” (14 U.S.C. 101) Title 14
referred to collectively 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
Upon the declaration of war if Congress so directs
sometimes referred to collectively by officials of those
in the declaration or when the President directs, the
services and other observers as the naval service. For
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 Coast Guard, however, is not frequently
The last time the Coast Guard operated as a service in the
referred to as a naval service in annual Navy or Coast
Navy was during World War II. The possibility that the
Guard documents submitted to Congress, and the U.S. Code
Coast Guard might at some point operate as a service in the
does not specifically define the Coast Guard as a naval
Navy is why legislation concerning the Coast Guard
service (as opposed to a military service or a branch of the
sometimes uses phrases such as “the Secretary of the
Armed Forces) in 10 U.S.C. 8001(a)(3), 14 U.S.C. 101, 14
Department in which the Coast Guard is operating.”
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 three services in recent years have from to time issued
the JCS. The Commandant of the Coast Guard is Admiral
joint maritime strategy documents, including, most
Linda L. Fagan.
recently, the previously mentioned document entitled
Advantage at Sea, Prevailing with Integrated All-Domain
Unlike the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, the
Naval Power, which was released in December 2020.
Coast Guard is not only a military service and a branch of
the Armed Forces, but also a law enforcement agency. For
Relevant Statutes
this reason, Navy ships whose operations create a distinct
Title 10, U.S. Code, Subtitle C – Navy and Marine Corps
possibility of encountering potential law enforcement
situations (such as those relating to drug interdiction,
Title 14, U.S. Code, Chapter 1 – Establishment and Duties of the
migrant interdiction, and enforcement of fisheries laws)
Coast Guard
sometimes embark detachments of Coast Guard personnel.

The Coast Guard’s budget is funded primarily through th
Other Resources
e
annual DHS appropriations act. DON’s budget sometimes
Department of the Navy, Highlights of the Department of the Navy
includes small amounts of funding to support the Coast
FY 2024 Budget, undated, 155 pp., accessed March 23, 2023, at
Guard’s national defense mission. In addition, the
https://www.secnav.navy.mil/fmc/fmb/Documents/24pres/SCN_B
procurement of one of the Coast Guard’s polar icebreakers
ook.pdf.
(Healy) was funded primarily with FY1990 SCN funding,
Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Budget
33 of the Coast Guard’s 49 Island-class 110-foot patrol
Overview, Fiscal Year 2024, Congressional Justification, undated, 317
boats (which are now being retired) were procured under a
pp., accessed March 23, 2023, at
Navy contract that included FY1990 SCN funding, and
https://www.uscg.mil/Portals/0/documents/budget/2024/Coast_G
$300 million of the funding that has been appropriated for
uard_FY2024_Congressional_Justification.pdf.
the Coast Guard’s new Polar Security Cutter (aka polar
U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Advantage at
icebreaker) program was appropriated through the SCN
Sea, Prevailing with Integrated All-Domain Naval Power, December
account ($150 million each in FY2017 and FY2018). The
Coast Guard’s reserve end strength (but not its active end
2020, 29 pp., accessed March 23, 2023, at
https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/17/2002553489/-1/-1/0/
strength) is authorized in the annual National Defense
201217-N-NO101-176.JPG.
Authorization Act (NDAA).

The Navy and Coast Guard have mechanisms, including a
Navy and Coast Guard (NAVGARD) Board, to coordinate
Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs
matters of joint interest. The Navy and Coast Guard on at
least three occasions (2002, 2006, and 2013) have issued
IF10484
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Defense Primer: Department of the Navy


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