DOD codified its DOD Executive Agent program in 2002 and issued a directive, DOD Directive 5101.1, that defines a DOD Executive Agent and establishes the roles and responsibilities governing the DOD Executive Agent assignments and arrangements. DOD officials told us that the department issued a directive for its DOD Executive Agent program in part because the term DOD Executive Agent had been used to describe a variety of management arrangements, and DOD Directive 5101.1 was intended to clarify the term. For example, in 1998, DOD identified approximately 401 Executive Agents within the military departments. However, after the directive was issued in 2002, ODCMO officials stated they worked with identified Executive Agents to determine which were to remain DOD Executive Agents under the directive. As a result, the number of activities and programs with the title of DOD Executive Agent was significantly reduced. For example, the Joint Interagency Task Force West was referred to as U.S. Pacific Command’s Executive Agent to support law enforcement for counterdrug efforts in the Asia-Pacific region. However, according to ODCMO officials, this task force was not considered to be an official DOD Executive Agent per DOD Directive 5101.1, and ODCMO officials removed its DOD Executive Agent designation. For issuances published before March 25, 2012, DOD policy is that directives are to be updated or cancelled after 10 years. ODCMO officials told us that they are in the process of updating DOD Directive 5101.1, certified current in 2003, but did not have a firm deadline for when the directive will be updated. DOD Executive Agent designations are conferred when 1) the efforts of more than one DOD component needs to be coordinated and no existing means to accomplish DOD objectives exists, 2) DOD resources need to be focused on a specific area or areas of responsibility in order to minimize duplication or redundancy, or 3) such designation is required by law, executive order, or government-wide regulation. Further, within the scope of its assigned responsibilities and functions, the authority of the DOD Executive Agent takes precedence over the authority of other DOD component officials performing related or collateral joint or multicomponent support responsibilities and functions. A DOD Executive Agent is the head of a DOD component. The DOD Executive Agent may delegate the authority to act to a subordinate designee within that official’s component. For example, the Secretary of the Army is the designated DOD Executive Agent for DOD Biometrics, and has delegated that responsibility to the Army’s Provost Marshall. DOD Directive 5101.1 assigns ODCMO the overall program management of the DOD Executive Agent program. Specifically, ODCMO oversees the implementation of the DOD Executive Agent directive, develops policy on DOD Executive Agent designations, and issues guidelines as appropriate to further define responsibilities contained in DOD Directive 5101.1. An OSD Principal Staff Assistant oversees the activities of DOD Executive Agents in their functional areas of responsibility. In addition, DOD Directive 5101.1 states that the OSD Principal Staff Assistant should assess the DOD Executive Agents in their functional areas periodically, but not less than once every 3 years, to determine the DOD Executive Agent’s continued need, currency, and effectiveness and efficiency in satisfying end-user requirements. According to ODCMO officials, these OSD Principal Staff Assistants are the Under Secretaries of Defense, the Deputy Chief Management Officer, the General Counsel of DOD, the Inspector General of DOD, and those Assistant Secretaries of Defense, Assistants to the Secretary of Defense, and OSD Directors, and equivalents, who report directly to the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense. Typically, the OSD Principal Staff Assistants assess DOD Executive Agents within their functional areas. For example, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics would assess DOD Executive Agents involved in acquisition and logistics related areas, such as the DOD Executive Agents for Medical Material, Subsistence, Construction and Barrier Material, and Bulk Petroleum that are tasked with managing the logistics of supplying these products across the department. Only the Secretary of Defense or the Deputy Secretary of Defense may designate a DOD Executive Agent, and the designation remains in effect until the Secretary of Defense or the Deputy Secretary of Defense revokes or supersedes it. According to ODCMO officials, the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense designates a DOD Executive Agent after an evaluation of existing organizational and management arrangements and a determination that a DOD Executive Agent would most effectively, economically, or efficiently carry out a function or task. However, according to ODCMO officials, the head of a DOD component may volunteer as a DOD Executive Agent and may formally request the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense make the assignment, or an OSD Principal Staff Assistant may propose that the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense assign a DOD component as a DOD Executive Agent. ODCMO officials stated this typically happens when a military department, defense agency, or a combatant command has substantial responsibility or expertise to execute a task on behalf of DOD, or the function is particularly sensitive or complex as differentiated from its overall organic mission. ODCMO officials also stated that DOD Executive Agent designations are typically formalized in a Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense memorandum, with direction to establish a DOD issuance to codify the specifics of the DOD Executive Agent arrangement at a later date. ODCMO officials stated that the issuance is important, as the designation of the title of DOD Executive Agent by itself confers no specific responsibilities. The nature and scope of the authority delegated must be stated in the memorandum or DOD issuance designating the DOD Executive Agent. According to ODCMO officials, funding of specific DOD Executive Agent activities is not determined at the time of assignment. Rather, the designated DOD Executive Agent seeks resources through DOD’s planning and budgeting process. Further, according to ODCMO officials, the DOD Executive Agent often bears the major share of the cost to execute the assigned responsibilities. However, ODCMO officials explained that, as necessary, funding determinations between the DOD Executive Agent and other DOD stakeholders are negotiated through memorandums of agreement or understanding and DOD’s annual program and budget review process. We determined that DOD had 81 DOD Executive Agents focused on a variety of topics and designated to 12 different DOD components, as of May 2017. Almost half (38 of 81) or 47 percent of the DOD Executive Agents are designated to the Secretary of the Army and 68 of 81, or 84 percent, were designated to the Secretaries of the Army, Air Force, or Navy or the Commandant of the Marine Corps. In contrast, six DOD components had one DOD Executive Agent designation each. Additionally, 11 different OSD Principal Staff Assistants oversee 81 DOD Executive Agents. This information is based on our analysis of ODCMO’s list of DOD Executive Agents. Figure 1 shows the DOD Executive Agent designations by DOD component and by OSD Principal Staff Assistant. According to ODCMO officials, a DOD Executive Agent designation is typically assigned to the DOD component that is already involved in the work related to the DOD Executive Agent. Below are several types of activities DOD Executive Agents perform and an example of a DOD Executive Agent that performs the activity: Administrative Support—The Secretary of the Army, as the designated DOD Executive Agent for the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command, is responsible for programming, budgeting, and funding all Military Entrance Processing Command operations. Developing Standards—The Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, as the DOD Executive Agent for Information Technology Standards, is responsible for developing and maintaining information-technology standards. Developing Training Programs—The Secretary of the Air Force, as the DOD Executive Agent for Military Working Dogs, is responsible for developing required training programs and curricula for military working-dog instructors, kennel masters, and handlers. Technology Management—The Secretary of the Navy, as the DOD Executive Agent for Printed Circuit Board and Interconnect Technology, is responsible for developing and maintaining a technology roadmap to ensure that DOD has access to manufacturing capabilities and technical expertise necessary to meet future military requirements regarding this technology. Acquisition Support—The Commandant of the Marine Corps, as the DOD Executive Agent for Non-Lethal Weapons, is responsible for coordinating nonlethal weapon requirements across doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities. Department-wide Visibility—The Secretary of the Army, as the DOD Executive Agent for the Unexploded Ordnance Center of Excellence, chairs the center and executes management oversight and funding responsibilities for the center. As part of our questionnaire for DOD Executive Agents, we asked about the reasons why DOD conferred the designation. In response, 51 percent (36 of 70) of DOD Executive Agents responding to our questionnaire reported that their designation was conferred to minimize the duplication or redundancy of DOD resources. Thirty-six percent (25 of 70) of DOD Executive Agents responding to our questionnaire reported that their designation was conferred because no other means existed for the department to accomplish its objective. Finally, 26 percent (18 of 70) of DOD Executive Agents responding to our questionnaire reported that their designation was conferred because it was required by law, executive order, or government-wide regulation. A majority of the DOD Executive Agents have OSD Principal Staff Assistants from one of three Under Secretaries of Defense.