Abstract:
In 1991 the Department of Defense (DoD) implemented the most profound reforms to defense resource management since the introduction of the Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System in the early 1960's. These changes fundamentally altered the way the Department of Defense managed its resources by introducing a business culture into defense operations.One of the more significant changes was the establishment of the Defense Business Operations Fund (DBOF), a revolving fund financial structure. DBOF was established in October 1991 by merging into a single fund the former stock and industrial funds and several activities previously funded with direct appropriations. The DBOF financial structure has multiple divisions identified by Component and by business area (e.g., Army Supply Management, Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Navy Depot Maintenance). Its purpose is to improve the delivery of support services to the Department's operating forces while reducing the cost of operations.This research paper describes, in detail, the Defense Business Operations Fund's organization, structure, purpose and performance to date. It examines the key concepts of unit costs/transfer pricing and break-even point operations, and discusses major problems such as poor cost and management accounting systems.In fiscal year (FY) 1995, support services financed through the DBOF financial structure involved approximately 316,000 civilian and military personnel providing some $78.9 billion in goods and services essential for military operations. In an effort to determine the success of this extremely important business practice, military regulations were researched, government audit reports were analyzed, and Department of Defense and commercial periodicals were reviewed.