Page 2
12-18) items 1.1 and 1.2
5
, which require that agencies manage all permanent electronic
records electronically by 2019, and manage all email records in an accessible electronic
format by 2016.
BRIEF AGENCY DESCRIPTION
The Department of the Navy is the naval warfare branch of the U.S. military. It is a vast
organization with installations all over the globe, employing about 900,000 military, government
civilian, and contractor personnel. It consists of five main entities: Office of the Secretary of the
Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Operating
Forces, and the Shore Establishment. The mission of the U.S. Navy is to “maintain, train and
equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining
freedom of the seas.”
6
The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) conducts all the affairs of the Department of the Navy,
including recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, and mobilizing. The Secretary
also oversees the construction, outfitting, and repair of naval ships as well as other equipment
and naval facilities. SECNAV is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies
and programs consistent with objectives established by the President and the Secretary of
Defense. Both the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and Commandant of the Marine Corps
(CMC) report directly to the Secretary of the Navy.
The CNO is the senior military officer of the U.S. Navy. The CNO is responsible to the Secretary
of the Navy for the command, utilization of resources, and efficiency of Operating Forces and
the Shore Establishment. The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) includes the
Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Legislative Affairs, the Director of Naval Nuclear
Propulsion, the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, and other functional staff offices.
The Operating Forces (also known as “the Fleet”) take on the role of force provider. They do not
carry out military operations independently but train and maintain naval units that are provided
to each of the Unified Combatant Commands. Operating Forces consist of eight components:
Fleet Forces Command, Pacific Fleet, Naval Forces Central Command, Naval Forces Southern
Command, Naval Forces Europe, Fleet Cyber Command, Navy Reserve, Naval Special Warfare
Command, and Operational Test and Evaluation Force.
The mission of the Shore Establishment is to deliver material, services, and personnel to the
Operating Forces. The Shore Establishment maintains facilities for the repair of machinery and
electronics; communications centers; training areas and simulators; storage areas for repair parts,
fuel, and munitions; medical and dental facilities; and air bases. Shore Establishment commands
report to an Echelon II command. Commanders of U.S. Navy Echelon II commands report
directly to the CNO. Some of Navy’s Echelon II commands include Naval Education and
Training, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography, Space and Naval Warfare Systems, Naval
5
OMB/NARA Managing Government Records Directive (M-12-18),
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2012/m-12-18.pdf.
6
https://www.navy.com/about/mission.html.