Misplaced Pages

Law Enforcement Support Office

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
#970029

90-632: The Law Enforcement Support Office ( LESO ) is a division under the United States Department of Defense (DoD) responsible for managing the " 1033 Program ", which transfers excess weapons , equipment , and vehicles from the United States Armed Forces to civilian law enforcement agencies . The program legally requires the DoD to make various items of equipment available to local law enforcement, ranging from supplies to materiel . LESO

180-657: A Department of Defense Office of Inspector General audit found incorrect or inadequate documentation in about three-quarters of the transactions analyzed, declaring LESO records unreliable. In 2005, the Government Accountability Office found that the DoD "does not have management controls in place" to avert waste, abuse, and fraud in the 1033 Program, and identified "hundreds of millions of dollars in reported lost, damaged, or stolen excess property ... which contributed to reutilization program waste and inefficiency." The DLA can suspend law enforcement agencies from

270-639: A Unified Command Plan —a frequently updated document (produced by the DoD), which lays out the Command's mission, geographical/functional responsibilities, and force structure. During military operations, the chain of command runs from the president to the secretary of defense to the combatant commanders of the Combatant Commands. As of 2019 , the United States has eleven Combatant Commands, organized either on

360-427: A $ 106 billion subtotal (the so-called "fourth estate" agencies such as missile defense, and defense intelligence, amounting to 16% of the defense budget), He will re-deploy to the modernization of hypersonics, artificial intelligence, and missile defense. Beyond 2021 the 27th secretary of defense is projecting the need for yearly budget increases of 3 to 5 percent to modernize. The Department of Defense accounts for

450-665: A centralized research authority, the Advanced Research Projects Agency , eventually known as DARPA . The act was written and promoted by the Eisenhower administration and was signed into law on August 6, 1958. The Secretary of Defense , appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate , is by federal law ( 10 U.S.C.   § 113 ) the head of the Department of Defense, "the principal assistant to

540-644: A commercial application, explosives, weaponized drones, and long-range acoustic devices. The order also increased application and certification requirements for law enforcement agencies seeking materiel. Section 12 applied to the 1033 Program and other federal equipment transfer programs. DLA Disposition Services helps the DoD dispose of its "excess property... from air conditioners to vehicles, clothing to computers" via "transfer to other federal agencies, or donation to state and local governments and other qualified organizations", as well as by "sale of surplus property". Availability of surplus equipment has been facilitated by

630-447: A geographical basis (known as " area of responsibility ", AOR) or on a global, functional basis: Department of Defense spending in 2017 was 3.15% of GDP and accounted for about 38% of the budgeted global military spending – more than the next 7 largest militaries combined. By 2019, the 27th secretary of defense had begun a line-by-line review of the defense budget; in 2020 the secretary identified items amounting to $ 5.7 billion, out of

720-455: A total of 184 state and local police departments had been suspended from the program for missing weapons and failure to comply with guidelines. Missing items included firearms and two Humvees . Investigative journalist Susan Katz Keating reported in October 2017 that certain elements of the program were restored despite the compliance issues. Public, scholarly, and political criticism of LESO and

810-496: Is a division of DLA Disposition Services , which is a subordinate command of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which is itself a division of the DoD. Precedent legislation of the 1033 Program's concept has existed since the end of World War II . The modern program arose in 1990, when the U.S. federal government permitted the transfer of DoD resources to law enforcement for drug enforcement purposes. In 1997, usage

900-513: Is a military command composed of personnel/equipment from at least two Military Departments, which has a broad/continuing mission. These military departments are responsible for equipping and training troops to fight, while the Unified Combatant Commands are responsible for military forces' actual operational command. Almost all operational U.S. forces are under the authority of a Unified Command. The Unified Commands are governed by

990-746: Is a parent agency of the following defense agencies: Several defense agencies are members of the United States Intelligence Community . These are national-level intelligence services that operate under the Department of Defense jurisdiction but simultaneously fall under the authorities of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence . They fulfill the requirements of national policymakers and war planners, serve as Combat Support Agencies , and also assist and deploy alongside non-Department of Defense intelligence or law enforcement services such as

SECTION 10

#1732852714971

1080-607: Is alleged to be due to the Establishment's abbreviation, NME, being pronounced "enemy". Under the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958 ( Pub. L.   85–599 ), channels of authority within the department were streamlined while still maintaining the ordinary jurisdiction of the Military Departments to organize, train, and equip their associated forces. The Act clarified the overall decision-making authority of

1170-399: Is an executive branch department of the federal government of the United States charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the U.S. government directly related to national security and the United States Armed Forces . As of November 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense is the second largest employer in the world after India (and potentially China, if including

1260-613: Is given to counter-drug and counter-terrorism requests". It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on 23 September 1996. In October 2014, the DLA Disposition Services first released information about the equipment distribution by county, in the wake of public scrutiny following reports that the Ferguson Police Department used materiel acquired from the 1033 Program during the Ferguson unrest . Federal records on

1350-494: Is in the Department of Energy budget, Veterans Affairs, the Treasury Department's payments in pensions to military retirees and widows and their families, interest on debt incurred in past wars, or State Department financing of foreign arms sales and militarily-related development assistance. Neither does it include defense spending that is not military, such as the Department of Homeland Security, counter-terrorism spending by

1440-432: Is supplied on a conditional basis; ownership remains with the DoD, and property must be returned when no longer in use. Non-controlled property, also known as general property, includes items like office equipment, first aid kits, and sleeping bags, and becomes the public property of the receiving agency. In 2019, non-controlled property accounted for 92% of transfers. As of 2014, 8,000 law enforcement agencies participate in

1530-420: Is used to protect civilians, not against them. Referring to the then-ongoing Ferguson unrest, Kirby suggested that police would be criticized regardless for not responding effectively if they did not have equipment from the 1033 Program, and claimed police were only using their equipment against "mass gang[s] of criminals", not peaceful protestors. Police officer Steve Rabinovich, writing for PoliceOne , defended

1620-613: The Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation . The military services each have their intelligence elements that are distinct from but subject to coordination by national intelligence agencies under the Department of Defense. Department of Defense manages the nation's coordinating authorities and assets in disciplines of signals intelligence , geospatial intelligence , and measurement and signature intelligence , and also builds, launches, and operates

1710-846: The Department of the Army , the Department of the Navy , and the Department of the Air Force . In addition, four national intelligence services are subordinate to the Department of Defense: the Defense Intelligence Agency ( DIA ), the National Security Agency ( NSA ), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ( NGA ), and the National Reconnaissance Office ( NRO ). Other Defense agencies include

1800-759: The Thirteen Colonies and the British government , one of the first actions taken by the First Continental Congress in September 1774 was to recommend that the colonies begin defensive military preparations. In mid-June 1775, after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War , the Second Continental Congress , recognizing the necessity of having a national army that could move about and fight beyond

1890-487: The University of Central Florida , the University of California , Florida State University , Florida International University , Arizona State University , the University of Maryland , Ohio State University , Central Washington University , the University of Texas System , and the University of Louisiana at Monroe . In instances where school police departments fail to or do not directly attempt to acquire equipment from

SECTION 20

#1732852714971

1980-595: The commanders of the Combatant Commands . Goldwater–Nichols also created the office of vice-chairman, and the chairman is now designated as the principal military adviser to the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and to the president. The Joint Staff (JS) is a headquarters staff at the Pentagon made up of personnel from all five services that assist

2070-511: The fiscal year 2024 (FY2024) presidential budget request was $ 842   billion. In January 2023 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced the US government would hit its $ 31.4   trillion debt ceiling on 19 January 2023; the date on which the US government would no longer be able to use extraordinary measures such as issuance of Treasury securities is estimated to be in June 2023. On 3 June 2023,

2160-567: The reduced American presence in Iraq and Afghanistan . According to LESO, from 1997 until 2014, $ 5.1 billion in military hardware was transferred from the DoD to local American law enforcement agencies, with materiel worth $ 449 million transferred in 2013 alone. About a third of the offered equipment was new. As of 2022, the total value of transfers since 1990 was $ 7.1 billion, based on original acquisition value, not accounting for depreciation of used items. The most commonly obtained item from

2250-418: The 1033 Program as necessary for protecting police officers from violent or deadly assaults by individuals or anti-government groups viewing police as scapegoats. Rabinovich also stated that the transfer of retired MRAPs to police was a better use of the vehicles than selling them to foreign militaries or leaving them for scrap or disuse. In 2017, while announcing Trump's roll-back of 1033 Program limitations to

2340-422: The 1033 Program dwindled. Numerous defenses of LESO and the 1033 Program have been made, primarily by DoD officials, law enforcement officials, and supporters. DoD press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby stated that the 1033 Program ultimately protects civilians and aids law enforcement across the U.S. in counterterrorism and anti-narcotic operations. He added that the DoD was diligent in deciding what equipment

2430-463: The 1033 Program for failing to account for some equipment transferred to them from the program. North Carolina officials stated that 3,303 out of the 4,227 pieces of equipment obtained through the program are tactical items including automatic weapons and military vehicles, and that the remainder is not used in combat and includes sleeping bags, containers, and generators. Fusion reported in August 2014 that

2520-464: The 1033 Program for failing to meet the program's standards and guidelines, including misuse or misplacement of transferred equipment. DLA public affairs chief Kenneth MacNevin stated in 2012 that "more than 30 Arizona police agencies have been suspended or terminated for failing to meet program standards and nine remain under suspension". One of them, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office ,

2610-450: The 1033 Program for militarizing police and negatively affecting Black communities, and condemned the 2017 lifting of restrictions on the program as "exceptionally dangerous and irresponsible". According to a 2017 study by social scientist Casey Delehanty and colleagues, larger 1033 Program transfers are associated with increased killings by police. Bipartisan criticisms of the 1033 Program were made by numerous American politicians over

2700-564: The 1033 Program increased following the Ferguson unrest in 2014, the Baltimore protests in 2015, and the George Floyd protests in 2020, when police used vehicles and equipment acquired from the program for riot control , which is prohibited, as opposed to their intended use in tactical operations , drug enforcement , and counterterrorism . Kara Dansky , senior counsel for the ACLU , alleged that

2790-501: The 1033 Program is ammunition. Also commonly requested are supplies and non-combat equipment, including clothing, sandbags, medical supplies, sleeping bags, flashlights, containers, generators, and electrical wiring. The program offers a variety of military weapons and equipment to police, ranging from handguns and bulletproof vests to assault rifles and high-caliber firearms. Among the military weapons (as highlighted by media) are bayonets and grenade launchers ; however, according to

Law Enforcement Support Office - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-486: The 1033 Program, they often borrow such equipment from local and regional law enforcement through mutual aid , such as the shared use of an MRAP between the Davis, California police and the University of California, Davis Police Department . Law enforcement agencies receiving items from the 1033 Program must declare the intended use for each item received, maintain an audit trail for each item, and conduct inventory checks for

2970-472: The 1033 Program. Police departments are responsible for paying for shipment and storage of material acquired, but do not pay for the donation. The largest number of requests come from small to mid-sized police departments who are unable to afford extra clothing, vehicles, and weapons. The program gives smaller police departments access to material that larger police departments are usually able to afford without federal assistance. A memorandum of agreement between

3060-486: The 1033 Program—such as service weapons , ammunition , body armor , and armored vehicles —the items most commonly requested by law enforcement through the program include clothing , flashlights , medical supplies , sandbags , sleeping bags , and electrical wiring . LESO and the 1033 Program have been criticized by the media, the ACLU , and the NAACP out of police militarization concerns; by American citizens following

3150-676: The Army , Commandant of the Marine Corps , Chief of Naval Operations , Chief of Staff of the Air Force , and Chief of Space Operations ) over forces not assigned to a Combatant Command . Secretaries of Military Departments and service chiefs do not possess operational command authority over U.S. troops (this power was stripped from them in the Defense Reorganization Act of 1958 ), and instead, Military Departments are tasked solely with "the training, provision of equipment, and administration of troops." A unified combatant command

3240-693: The Army , Secretary of the Navy , and Secretary of the Air Force . Following the Goldwater–Nichols Act in 1986, the Joint Chiefs of Staff no longer maintained operational command authority individually or collectively. The act designated the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) as the "principal military adviser to the President, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and

3330-604: The Central Military Commission), with over 1.4  million active-duty service personnel, including soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, and guardians. The Department of Defense also maintains over 778,000 National Guard and reservists, and over 747,000 civilians, bringing the total to over 2.91  million employees. Headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia , just outside Washington, D.C. ,

3420-652: The DLA and the states participating in the program requires that police either use their received equipment within one year or return it. The rules allow police to dispose of or sell some goods after at least one year of use. As of 2014, more than 20 school police departments and 117 campus police departments have received equipment through the 1033 Program. The most oft-cited reasons for the acquisition of military equipment by school and campus police are school shooting responses and cost savings. School police departments reported to have received weapons, equipment, and vehicles from

3510-470: The DLA. Firearms, certain vehicles and other equipment must be returned to the Defense Department after use. Per the DLA, "For security reasons [1033 Program record] information is not subject to public review". A state coordinating agency in each U.S. state except Hawaii is supposed to function as oversight after dispersion of equipment, headed and overseen by a state coordinator that is appointed by

3600-921: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA ), the Defense Logistics Agency ( DLA ), the Missile Defense Agency ( MDA ), the Defense Health Agency ( DHA ), Defense Threat Reduction Agency ( DTRA ), the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency ( DCSA ), the Space Development Agency ( SDA ) and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency ( PFPA ), all of which are subordinate to the secretary of defense. Additionally,

3690-600: The Defense Contract Management Agency ( DCMA ) is responsible for administering contracts for the Department of Defense. Military operations are managed by eleven regional or functional unified combatant commands . The Department of Defense also operates several joint services schools, including the Eisenhower School (ES) and the National War College (NWC). Faced with rising tensions between

Law Enforcement Support Office - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-676: The Department of Defense are in Title 10 of the United States Code . Other significant legislation related to the Department of Defense includes: Title 10 of the United States Code Title 10 of the United States Code outlines the role of United States Armed Forces . It provides the legal basis for the roles, missions and organization of each of the services as well as the United States Department of Defense . Each of

3870-483: The Department of Defense is approximately $ 686,074,048,000 (Including Base + Overseas Contingency Operations + Emergency Funds) in discretionary spending and $ 8,992,000,000 in mandatory spending totaling $ 695,066,000,000 Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) David L. Norquist said in a hearing regarding the FY 2019 budget: "The overall number you often hear is $ 716 billion. That is the amount of funding for national defense,

3960-537: The Department of Defense who advise the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council , the National Security Council and the president on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), senior enlisted advisor to the chairman (SEAC),

4050-521: The Department of Defense's stated mission is "to provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security". The Department of Defense is headed by the secretary of defense , a cabinet-level head who reports directly to the president of the United States , the latter of which is also the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces . Beneath the Department of Defense are three subordinate military departments:

4140-512: The DoD, the bayonets are repurposed as utility knives , while the grenade launchers use tear gas and smoke grenades instead of explosive rounds, and were no longer made available as of 1999. Vehicle offerings include light utility vehicles , MRAPs , armored personnel carriers , trucks , and various types of aircraft and watercraft . Under the program, equipment is designated as either controlled or non-controlled property. Controlled property comprises military items, including weapons, and

4230-629: The FBI, and intelligence-gathering spending by the NSA. In the 2010 United States federal budget , the Department of Defense was allocated a base budget of $ 533.7 billion, with a further $ 75.5 billion adjustment in respect of 2009, and $ 130 billion for overseas contingencies. The subsequent 2010 Department of Defense Financial Report shows the total budgetary resources for fiscal year 2010 were $ 1.2 trillion. Of these resources, $ 1.1 trillion were obligated and $ 994 billion were disbursed, with

4320-520: The FOP, Attorney General Jeff Sessions dismissed criticisms of the 1033 Program as "superficial concerns" and suggested that Obama's limitations were only a concession to protestors. Similarly, FOP president James Pasco defended the 1033 Program as necessary for smaller police departments and noted the vehicles offered by the program were not armed. United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense ( DoD , USDOD , or DOD )

4410-587: The Intelligence Community's satellite assets. Department of Defense also has its own human intelligence service , which contributes to the CIA's human intelligence efforts while also focusing on military human intelligence priorities. These agencies are directly overseen by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security . The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a body of senior uniformed leaders in

4500-565: The Military Service chiefs from the Army , Marine Corps , Navy , Air Force , and Space Force , in addition to the chief of National Guard Bureau , all appointed by the president following U.S. Senate confirmation. Each of the individual Military Service Chiefs, outside their Joint Chiefs of Staff obligations, works directly for the secretary of the military department concerned: the Secretary of

4590-584: The NDAA on 14 December 2023. The Senate will next undertake negotiations on supplemental spending for 2024. A government shutdown was averted on 23 March 2024 with the signing of a $ 1.2 trillion bill to cover FY2024. A 2013 Reuters investigation concluded that Defense Finance & Accounting Service , the Department of Defense's primary financial management arm, implements monthly "unsubstantiated change actions"—illegal, inaccurate "plugs"—that forcibly make DoD's books match Treasury's books. Reuters reported that

SECTION 50

#1732852714971

4680-483: The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997, the 1208 Program was expanded to the 1033 Program. Section 1033 of the act amended 10 U.S.C.   § 2576(a) to allow the DoD to transfer "property... including small arms and ammunition... suitable for use by the agencies in law enforcement activities, including counter-drug and counter-terrorism activities", noting that "preference

4770-532: The Navy (DON) & Department of the Air Force (DAF)), the Defense Agencies and Department of Defense Field Activities , the National Guard Bureau (NGB), and such other offices, agencies, activities, organizations, and commands established or designated by law, or by the president or by the secretary of defense. Department of Defense Directive 5100.01 describes the organizational relationships within

4860-622: The PCSO's budget. The state coordinator had appointed an office grants administrator in the PCSO to help Babeu "oversee and authorize military-surplus requisitions"; however, this also allowed the PCSO to approve their own requests with little oversight. After The Arizona Republic newspaper reported the misconduct, the DLA "announced agency-wide reforms", Babeu was ordered to "retrieve vehicles and other equipment his office distributed to non-police organizations", and 1033 Program weapons requisitions were temporarily suspended and audited nationwide. In 2003,

4950-416: The Pentagon was the only federal agency that had not released annual audits as required by a 1992 law. According to Reuters, the Pentagon "annually reports to Congress that its books are in such disarray that an audit is impossible". In 2015, a Pentagon consulting firm performed an audit on the Department of Defense's budget. It found that there was $ 125 billion in wasteful spending that could be saved over

5040-663: The Petroleum Reserves Corporation and the War Assets Corporation. The War Assets Administration was the latest to operate and was abolished in 1949, when the Surplus Property Act was repealed. The predecessor of the 1033 Program was created in 1990 under the administration of President George H. W. Bush . The program was named the "1208 Program", after section 1208 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991, which outlined

5130-454: The President in all matters relating to Department of Defense", and has "authority, direction, and control over the Department of Defense". Because the Constitution vests all military authority in Congress and the president, the statutory authority of the secretary of defense is derived from their constitutional authority. Since it is impractical for either Congress or the president to participate in every piece of Department of Defense affairs,

5220-478: The Secretary of Defense in the exercise of policy development, planning, resource management, fiscal and program evaluation and oversight, and interface and exchange with other U.S. federal government departments and agencies, foreign governments, and international organizations, through formal and informal processes. OSD also performs oversight and management of the Defense Agencies, Department of Defense Field Activities, and specialized Cross Functional Teams . OSD

5310-403: The Secretary of Defense". The remaining Joint Chiefs of Staff may only have their advice relayed to the President, National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council , or the Secretary of Defense after submitting it to the CJCS. By law, the chairman has to present that advice whenever he is presenting his own. The chain of command goes from the president to the secretary of defense to

5400-448: The Secretary of Defense. After the end of World War II , President Harry Truman proposed the creation of a unified department of national defense. In a special message to the Congress on December 19, 1945, the president cited wasteful military spending and interdepartmental conflicts. Deliberations in Congress went on for months focusing heavily on the role of the military in society and the threat of granting too much military power to

5490-428: The accounting code is 050 and includes more than simply the Department of Defense. It includes, for example, the Department of Energy and others. That large a number, if you back out the $ 30 billion for non-defense agencies, you get to $ 686 billion. That is the funding for the Department of Defense, split between $ 617 billion in base and $ 69 billion in overseas contingency ". The Department of Defense budget encompasses

SECTION 60

#1732852714971

5580-428: The annual federal expenditures in the United States federal budget discretionary budget . On September 28, 2018, President Donald Trump signed the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R.6157) into law. On September 30, 2018, the FY2018 Budget expired and the FY2019 budget came into effect. The FY2019 Budget for

5670-469: The boundaries of any particular colony, organized the Continental Army on June 14, 1775. This momentous event is commemorated in the U.S. annually as Flag Day . Later that year, Congress would charter the Continental Navy on October 13, and the Continental Marines on November 10. Upon the seating of the 1st U.S. Congress on March 4, 1789, legislation to create a military defense force stagnated as they focused on other concerns relevant to setting up

5760-406: The chairman and vice chairman in discharging their duties. It is managed by the Director of the Joint Staff (DJS) who is a lieutenant general or vice admiral . There are three military departments within the Department of Defense: The Military Departments are each headed by their secretary (i.e., Secretary of the Army , Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of the Air Force ), appointed by

5850-434: The control of a single secretary of defense . The National Military Establishment formally began operations on September 18, the day after the Senate confirmed James V. Forrestal as the first secretary of defense. The National Military Establishment was renamed the "Department of Defense" on August 10, 1949, and absorbed the three cabinet-level military departments, in an amendment to the original 1947 law. The renaming

5940-489: The course of 2014, during the Ferguson unrest. In September 2014, Senator Claire McCaskill organized the Senate's first hearing on the program, and federal officials faced bipartisan criticism. However, the House Judiciary Committee declined to review the program, stating that any review would follow an investigation by the Obama administration, while police lobbying efforts and the 2014 United States elections rendered Congress lame duck , and support for changing or ending

6030-440: The debt ceiling was suspended until 2025. The $ 886   billion National Defense Authorization Act is facing reconciliation of the House and Senate bills after passing both houses 27 July 2023; the conferees have to be chosen, next. As of September 2023, a Continuing resolution is needed to prevent a Government shutdown . A shutdown was avoided on 30 September for 45 days (until 17 November 2023), with passage of

6120-401: The department and is the foundational issuance for delineating the major functions of the department. The latest version, signed by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in December 2010, is the first major re-write since 1987. The Office of the Secretary of Defense ( OSD ) is the secretary and their deputies, including predominantly civilian staff. OSD is the principal staff element of

6210-409: The disposal of surplus government property. To deal with these disposals, numerous short-lived agencies were formed, such as the Surplus War Property Administration in the Office of War Mobilization (February – October 1944); the Surplus Property Board in the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion (October 1944 – September 1945); and the Surplus Property Administration; as well as corporations like

6300-403: The executive. On July 26, 1947, Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 , which set up a unified military command known as the National Military Establishment and created the Central Intelligence Agency , the National Security Council , National Security Resources Board , United States Air Force , and the Joint Chiefs of Staff . The act placed the National Military Establishment under

6390-436: The federal government is deliberately militarizing police through the 1033 Program to use them against minority communities. Responding to reports of missing weapons, Alessandra Soler, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona, opined that it "wasn't surprising" due to the lack of oversight and public transparency in the 1033 Program. Janai Nelson , associate director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund , criticized

6480-404: The jurisdiction of other congressional committees. The Department of Defense is unique because it is one of the few federal entities where the majority of its funding falls into the discretionary category. The majority of the entire federal budget is mandatory, and much of the discretionary funding in the budget consists of DoD dollars. * Numbers may not add due to rounding As of 10 March 2023

6570-447: The latest Center for Effective Government analysis of 15 federal agencies which receive the most Freedom of Information Act requests, published in 2015 (using 2012 and 2013 data, the most recent years available), the DoD earned 61 out of a possible 100 points, a D− grade. While it had improved from a failing grade in 2013, it still had low scores in processing requests (55%) and disclosure rules (42%). The organization and functions of

6660-452: The majority of federal discretionary spending. In FY 2017, the Department of Defense budgeted spending accounted for 15% of the U.S. federal budget, and 49% of federal discretionary spending , which represents funds not accounted for by pre-existing obligations. However, this does not include many military-related items that are outside the Department of Defense budget, such as nuclear weapons research, maintenance, cleanup, and production, which

6750-561: The majority of the National Defense Budget of approximately $ 716.0 billion in discretionary spending and $ 10.8 billion in mandatory spending for a $ 726.8 billion total. Of the total, $ 708.1 billion falls under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Armed Services and Senate Armed Services Committee and is subject to authorization by the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The remaining $ 7.9 billion falls under

6840-524: The move at the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) convention in Nashville, Tennessee , and said the president would do so by executive order. On 25 May 2022, President Joe Biden issued Executive Order 14074, addressing police reform. Section 12 prohibited or limited to specific uses the transfer of a number of military items, including firearms of .50 caliber or greater, silencers, bayonets, vehicles without

6930-547: The movement of military equipment to police were released to the public on 21 November 2014. In May 2015, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13688, limiting and prohibiting the transfer of certain types of weapons and equipment to law enforcement agencies through the 1033 Program, including large-caliber weaponry, tracked armored vehicles, grenade launchers , and camouflage . On 28 August 2017, President Donald Trump rolled back Executive Order 13688, effective immediately. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced

7020-613: The new government. President George Washington went to Congress to remind them of their duty to establish a military twice during this time. Finally, on the last day of the session, September 29, 1789, Congress created the War Department . The War Department handled naval affairs until Congress created the Navy Department in 1798. The secretaries of each department reported directly to the president as cabinet-level advisors until 1949, when all military departments became subordinate to

7110-639: The next five years without layoffs or reduction in military personnel. In 2016, The Washington Post uncovered that rather than taking the advice of the auditing firm, senior defense officials suppressed and hid the report from the public to avoid political scrutiny. In June 2016, the Office of the Inspector General released a report stating that the Army made $ 6.5 trillion in wrongful adjustments to its accounting entries in 2015. The Department of Defense failed its fifth audit in 2022, and could not account for more than 60% of its $ 3.5 trillion in assets. In

7200-580: The president, with the advice and consent of the Senate . They have the legal authority under Title 10 of the United States Code to conduct all the affairs of their respective departments within which the military services are organized. The secretaries of the Military Departments are (by law) subordinate to the secretary of defense and (by SecDef delegation) to the deputy secretary of defense . Secretaries of military departments, in turn, normally exercise authority over their forces by delegation through their respective service chiefs (i.e., Chief of Staff of

7290-662: The program (or returned them due to public backlash) include the San Diego Unified School District Police Department, the Los Angeles School Police Department , and at least ten school police departments in Texas , among others. Colleges and universities whose campus police departments are reported to have received or returned equipment from the 1033 Program include Columbia University , Yale University , Hinds Community College ,

7380-530: The program's use and authorized the transfer of military hardware from the DoD broadly to "federal and state agencies", but specifically "for use in counter-drug activities", as the legislation was passed in the context of the War on Drugs . In 1995, the Law Enforcement Support Office was created within the DLA to work exclusively with law enforcement. Under President Bill Clinton , with the passage of

7470-463: The remaining resources relating to multi-year modernization projects requiring additional time to procure. After over a decade of non-compliance , Congress has established a deadline of Fiscal year 2017 for the Department of Defense to achieve audit readiness . In 2015 the allocation for the Department of Defense was $ 585  billion, the highest level of budgetary resources among all federal agencies, and this amounts to more than one-half of

7560-614: The secretary of defense and the secretary's subordinate officials generally exercise military authority. The Department of Defense is composed of the Office of the Secretary of Defense ( OSD ), the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS ) and the Joint Staff ( JS ), Office of the Inspector General ( DODIG ), the Combatant Commands , the Military Departments ( Department of the Army (DA), Department of

7650-473: The secretary of defense concerning these subordinate Military Departments. It more clearly defined the operational chain of command over U.S. military forces (created by the military departments) as running from the President to the Secretary of Defense, the service chief of the Unified Combatant Commander(s), and then to the unified combatant commander(s). Also provided in this legislation was

7740-731: The state governor who must approve applications. The state coordinating agency is housed within a state agency that varies from state to state, such as the Alaska Department of Public Safety or the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services . In 2010, a police detective was appointed as Arizona's state coordinator; this reportedly allowed the Pinal County Sheriff's Office to amass over $ 7 million worth of military equipment between 2010 and 2012, which Sheriff Paul Babeu told county supervisors he would auction off to balance

7830-613: The use of 1033 Program equipment during the Ferguson unrest ; by the DoD Office of Inspector General in 2003; and by the U.S. Government Accountability Office , which uncovered mismanagement within LESO. Proponents of the program argue the equipment acquired from LESO protect police officers and civilians, may be necessary at any time in the event of a terrorist attack or mass shooting , and are not heavy military weaponry such as armed combat vehicles . The 1944 Surplus Property Act provided for

7920-418: Was expanded into other areas, including counterterrorism . As of 2020, 8,200 local law enforcement agencies have participated in the 1033 Program, which has transferred $ 5.1 billion in military material from the DoD to law enforcement agencies since 1997. According to the DLA, material worth $ 449 million was transferred in 2013 alone. Though most media attention is placed on the materiel acquired from

8010-405: Was sent to specific police departments. Chuck Canterbury , president of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), defended the 1033 Program, stating that incidents requiring the use of 1033 Program equipment could occur anywhere in the U.S. (specifically highlighting mass shootings in the small towns of Columbine, Colorado and Killeen, Texas ) and that military equipment obtained from the program

8100-579: Was suspended after it failed to account for 20 of the 200 weapons it had received. The MCSO blamed the errors on outdated computers and tracking devices from when the weapons were transferred in the 1990s. According to Sheriff Joe Arpaio , the suspension did not affect the MCSO's acquisition of weaponry, as they could already afford them using anti-racketeering funding and confiscated narcotics proceeds. Law enforcement agencies in North Carolina were suspended from

#970029