As a result of general downsizing in the Department of Commerce, the Corps was reduced to 332 officers as of July 1, 1996. According to a Corps official, the ultimate downsizing goal was to reduce the number of officers to 285 by the year 2000. NOAA Corps’ Similarity to and Differences From the Military

Corps members’ entitlement to military ranks and military-like compensation, including eligibility for retirement at any age after 20 years of service, was an outgrowth of their temporary service with the armed forces during World Wars I and II. The NOAA Corps has not been incorporated into the armed forces since World War II, and DOD’s war mobilization plans envision no role for the Corps in the future. The NOAA Corps is not considered an armed service, and Corps officers are not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which underlies how military personnel are managed. (2) What resources would be required to recruit, train, and retain civilian employees that might be needed to replace Corps officers who opt to leave federal service. Objective, Scope, and Methodology

The objective of this report is to provide information on the operations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Corps. To gather the information on the continuing need for the Corps, we reviewed NOAA Corps historical material and interviewed and obtained documentation from officials of NOAA, including the Office of NOAA Corps Operations; the Department of Defense (DOD), including the Department of the Army and the Navy; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute; the National Science Foundation; the National Transportation Safety Board; the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and the Environmental Protection Agency. Neither did we examine the possibility of contracting with private companies, rather than using civilian employees, to carry out the Corps’ current functions.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the operations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Commissioned Corps, focusing on: (1) whether there continues to be a need for a commissioned corps with military-like pay, allowances, and benefits; and (2) what the costs would be if federal civilian employees performed the Corps' functions.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) the NOAA Corps carries out civilian, rather than military, functions; (2) Corps officers operate and manage NOAA research and survey ships that collect the data needed to support fishery management plans, oceanographic and climate research, and hydrographic surveys; (3) Corps officers' entitlement to military ranks and military-like compensation was an outgrowth of their temporary assignments to the armed forces during World Wars I and II; (4) the Department of Defense's war mobilization plans envision no role for the Corps in the future; (5) Corps officers are not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice; (6) the government would realize estimated net savings of $661,000 by converting the Corps to civilian status; and (7) a general downsizing in the Department of Commerce reduced the number of Corps officers to 332 as of July 1996, with a goal of 285 officers by 2000.