The Department of Defense (DOD) is the nation’s largest military agency. It is responsible for military missions overseas and homeland defense and nonmilitary responsibilities like flood control, oil management, oceanographic resources, and disaster relief. The DoD employs 1.3 million active duty service members and 750,000 civilian personnel, plus more than 811,000 National Guard and Reserve members. It also provides benefits to more than two million military retirees.
A major focus for the Department is reducing energy consumption. As the nation’s single largest consumer of energy, DoD spends about one percent of its total demand on powering its fixed installations and non-tactical vehicle fleet (installation energy). To improve decision-making related to operational energy, DoD needs reliable and detailed data on its energy consumption. However, current methods of measuring energy consumption typically do not include information on end use, limiting DoD’s ability to inform planning, programming, and operations.
Sexual assault is a major problem in the DoD and a violation of core military values such as trust, dignity, and respect. While the Department has made great strides in preventing and responding to sexual assault, it still faces challenges that can harm Service members and their families.
Department of Defense Responsibilities
The Department of Defense (DoD) is the executive division of the federal government responsible for ensuring national security and supervising U.S.U.S. military forces. The Department is based in the Pentagon and includes the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Army, Navy, and Air Force departments, and many other defense agencies and allied services. The Secretary of Defense, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the head of the Department and has authority, direction, and control over DoD. The Secretary is the principal defense policy advisor to the President.
In addition to providing the military forces needed for deterring war and protecting the nation’s security, DoD also conducts peacekeeping missions and contributes to homeland security, including disaster relief. The Department maintains troops overseas to meet treaty commitments, protect outlying territories and the nation’s commerce, and provide air combat and support forces.
The Department’s principal SC responsible agencies include the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Combatant Commands (CCMD), the Joint Staff, and Security Cooperation Organizations. They conduct military education and training and transfer defense articles and defense services to eligible foreign countries and international organizations per DoD policies and criteria established by the USD(P) and Director, DSCA. While conducting S.C.S.C. activities, they ensure compliance with laws, this Manual, and additional DoD policy guidance.
Is the DOD part of the military?
The United States Department of Defense (DOD) provides the military forces required to deter war and protect the security of the country. It is made up of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, as well as non-combat agencies such as the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense is a cabinet-level position that reports to the President and the National Security Council. The Secretary of Defense is responsible for providing the leadership and direction for the entire DoD. It is composed of the Secretary, unified and specified combatant commanders, and the military departments and services. They are organized and operated under the authority and direction of the Secretary and function in full coordination with one another.
There are 20 Defense agencies within DoD that provide integrated support to the various military services. These agencies consolidate functions that have traditionally been fractionalized among the different military services. DoD also owns or manages a global portfolio of real estate consisting of more than 568,000 facilities (buildings and structures) located at nearly 4,800 sites worldwide, covering 27.2 million acres of land. This includes Active, Reserve, and Air National Guard sites.
Is the DOD in the Pentagon?
The United States Department of Defense often referred to as the Pentagon, is an executive branch department of the federal government. It coordinates and supervises all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national security and the military. The organization and functions of the Department are set forth in Title 10 of the United States Code.
The Secretary of Defense directs and manages the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Military Departments (Army, Navy, Air Force & Department of the Interior), Combatant Commands, Defense Agencies, Department of Defense Field Activities, and specialized Cross-Functional Teams. OSD also performs oversight and management of the United States Intelligence Community.
A DoD Directive is a DoD issuance that implements or supplements a policy or prescribes the manner or specific plan for carrying out the policy and operating a program or activity. It may be in the form of a letter, circular, document, memorandum, order, or instruction.
A DoD Publication is a DoD issuance that implements a DoD Directive or a DoD Instruction by providing uniform procedures for management or operational systems and disseminating administrative information. It may be in the form of compiled listings, catalogs, directories, guides, handbooks, manuals, modules, pamphlets, plans, regulations, and standards.
Are the Marines part of the DoD?
The Department of Defense (DoD) provides the military forces needed to deter war and protect the security of the United States. These include the Army, Navy, and Air Force and their associated Reserve and National Guard components. The Marine Corps is a separate entity that exists within the Department of the Navy. However, the Marines often work with and support the Navy to achieve their missions.
In addition to assisting with naval combat, the Marines are considered part of the quick reaction force because they can mobilize quickly and deploy in small units. They may also participate in humanitarian assistance efforts. Throughout history, the Marines have demonstrated their ability to respond to a range of emergencies and armed conflicts around the world. For example, during the 1990s, Marine aircraft supported Operation Deny Flight in a no-fly zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Marines are a small, quick-reaction force that uses a combination of air, land, and naval methods to solve unexpected conflicts. They are a vital part of the DoD, and their contributions have been invaluable to the United States over the centuries.
Are the police part of the DoD?
To free up military personnel to be deployed if needed, the DoD employs civilian police officers on bases throughout the United States. DoD police are uniformed officers who provide law enforcement functions similar to patrol officers within civilian communities.
As members of the DoD, police also have a duty to protect service members, their families, and civilians on installations worldwide. To achieve this goal, DoD’s civilian workforce of police officers, criminal investigators, security specialists, etc., are highly trained and dedicated to their work. They are armed with the M-9 pistol, an M-11 pistol, and other firearms authorized by their particular branch of the DoD police force. They also carry pepper spray, a taser, handcuffs, radio, latex gloves, and other equipment.
DoD police are required to undergo rigorous training at academies that are endorsed by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and the DoD Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission (POST). They receive an associate’s degree in criminal justice or a bachelor’s degree in public administration and must pass a law enforcement examination.
DoD police are primarily responsible for responding to calls for help on base or to other incidents in the surrounding area of the installation. They may also be authorized to conduct traffic stops on base if necessary. If a crime is committed, they may issue an Armed Forces Traffic Ticket or CVN, formally known as a U.S.U.S. District Court Violation Notice, which can carry a monetary fine or require a court appearance.
Is Air Force part of the DoD?
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is a civilian agency that operates and oversees the nation’s armed forces. DoD is headed by the Secretary of Defense, a Cabinet-level officer who reports directly to the President of the United States. The DoD includes the separately organized military departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Joint Chiefs of Staff providing military advice; the unified and specified combatant commands; and various defense agencies established for specific purposes.
In 1945, the Army Air Corps was established as a subset of the army that would train and prepare aircraft for air warfare. This was a critical step toward establishing an air force as a distinct branch of the armed services. Today, the Air Force is a powerful organization with 16 air forces (12 of them overseas), 243 combat groups, 2,400,000 officers and men, and nearly 80,000 aircraft. It primarily employs air campaigns to defeat terrorism, support ground operations, and secure strategic airspace, with a global air fleet ready to operate worldwide.
The Air Force is led by the Air Force Chief of Staff, a four-star general. He or she is a Joint Chiefs of Staff member and one of the nation’s top military advisers to the President, National Security Council, and Secretary of Defense.