Marine Corps budgetary reprogramming effectiveness

Abstract

Within the Department of Defense, funds are appropriated and budget authority is issued; resources are then executed accordingly. However, higher priority adjustments occur due to unintended and looming threats and needs. The abilities granted through the use of reprogramming allow for the shifting of funds within and among programs. Thus, service effectiveness in the execution of funding can be enhanced or reduced by the latitude granted to the defense department in its ability to reprogram funds. Several methods of analysis, such as the measures of central tendency and the measures of dispersion, are applied supportive of reprogramming effectiveness. Through these methods this thesis tests the Marine Corps’ effectiveness in its role of budgetary execution through the use of reprogramming activities for a 10-year period from 2005 to 2014. In order to properly compare and contrast reprogramming actions, data encompassing the entire DOD was gathered. Results show that Marine Corpsreprogramming, much like the DOD, is on a downward trend although displaying varying results across major defense appropriations and between the services. Effectiveness traces the same line and remains relative to the overall decline of the budget authority.