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DISCUSSION

The Marine Corps has historically been

committed to the principle of small staffs.

During the past decade, the service has 

completed several studies that resulted 

in management headquarters reductions. 

These military reductions were re-applied 

to other requirements, and often distributed

to the operating forces.

Currently, the Marine Corps is budgeted

to comply with the FY 2000 congre s s i o n a l l ydirected cap on management headquarters

authorizations, limiting these activities to 85%

of an FY 1999 baseline. The limit has been

applied against those activities identified in

the Department of Defense directive 5100.73

of 13 May 1999, which defines major headquarters activities within the Marine Corps as:

>> Headquarters, Marine Corps

>> Marine Corps Combat 

Development Command

>> Materials Command

>> Headquarters, Marine Forces, Atlantic

>> Headquarters, Marine Forces, Pacific

>> Headquarters, Marine Forces, Reserve

>> Direct Reporting Program Manager –

Advanced Assault Amphibious Vehicle.

The baseline study identified roughly

2,700 management headquarters authorizations at these commands, of which about

1,400 were at HQMC. These authorizations

should be reduced to around 2,300 by the

end of FY 2004, of which approximately

1,200 will be at HQMC. Roughly 60% of

the HQMC authorizations were, and will

remain, military.

The Marine Corps believes this goal is

attainable without compromising its Title X

responsibilities. The Marine Corps assessed

its progress during FY 2002 and instituted 

a year-long freeze on hiring of civilians to

Headquarters, Marine Corps management

headquarters areas. Additional reductions

will be accomplished through such means 

as taking credit for 51 officers assigned as

overstaffs to OSD and the Joint Staff, transitioning to the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet,

and consolidating Marine Corps National

Capital Region administrative functions.

During FY 2003, the Marine Corps 

will leverage improved communications

technologies to consolidate many administrative support functions for all Marines

within the National Capital Region (NCR) –

which includes Marine Corps Base

Quantico, Henderson Hall, the Navy Annex

and the Pentagon. By the end of FY 2006,

the Marine Corps expects to have returned

71 military billets for redistribution and

replaced them with civilians, and to have

t ra n s f e r red 366 military and civilian personnel

out of management headquarters authori z ations within its major headquarters activities.

MARINE CORPS POSITION

The Marine Corps takes pride in maintaining its low ratio of management headquarters personnel to operating forces. The

service has a long history of seeking new means

to reduce the size of its management headquarters by using new technologies, organizations or processes. During FY 2003, the

Marine Corps will closely monitor its NCR

consolidation while it complies with additional directives to identify functions that 

are not inherently governmental. While the

Marine Corps is on track to comply with the

FY 2000 congressionally-mandated management headquarters limit, it strives to ke e p

its headquarters optimally staffed to meet its

Title X and operational commitments.

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Management Headquarters Workforce Reduction 

and Redistribution Initiatives

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