FISCAL YEAR 2020 (FY20) CONTINUING RESOLUTION (CR) GUIDANCE
Date Signed: 12/6/2019 | MARADMINS Number: 675/19
MARADMINS : 675/19

R 061950Z DEC 19
MARADMIN 675/19
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC P&R//
SUBJ/FISCAL YEAR 2020 (FY20) CONTINUING RESOLUTION (CR) GUIDANCE//
REF/A/FISCAL YEAR 2020 FISCAL GUIDANCE//
NARR/REF A IS THE DC P&R FISCAL GUIDANCE//
POC1/G.D. ROTSCH/COL/HQMC R/LOC: WASHINGTON DC/TEL: 703-614-3413/EMAIL: GARY.D.ROTSCH@USMC.MIL//
POC2/T.F. OSTERHOUDT/CIV/HQMC R/LOC: WASHINGTON DC/TEL: 703-614-9552/EMAIL: THOMAS.OSTERHOUDT@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Purpose:  This message communicates the risks of operating under CRs and solicits impact statements and mitigation strategies for potential 6 and 12 month CRs.
2.  FY20 represents a return to the budget uncertainty that has plagued the Department of Defense (DoD) over the past decade.  The second CR of FY20 runs until 20 December 2019.
2.a.  The continual succession of CRs, along with the possibility of government shutdowns, severely hamper our ability to manage our budget.  CRs lock the Marine Corps into last year’s budget with last year’s priorities.  The inability to reprogram funds under CRs reduces the ability of the Marine Corps to respond to unplanned urgent requirements or to address funding gaps that potentially impact our forces in high threat areas.
2.b.  The FY20 budget request reflects significant changes in priorities of Marine Corps investments toward future capabilities and increased readiness.  If CRs persist through the fiscal year, they will constrain our ability to balance operational readiness with building a more ready, lethal force to compete with pacing threats.
2.c.  The topline in the Marine Corps’ FY20 budget request increases by $2.7 billion over what was enacted in FY19.  However, when accounting for the overall increase requested in Marine Corps budget authority from FY19 to FY20, specific authority restrictions for each appropriation, including restrictions on new starts and production increases, as well as restrictions to appropriation rates of operation increases under a full year CR, the total effective Marine Corps shortfall if forced to operate under a year-long CR at FY19 levels with no anomalies is estimated to be over $4.6 billion in lost buying power.
2.d.  As the Marine Corps invests in new warfighting capabilities to implement the National Defense Strategy (NDS), Defense Planning Guidance (DPG), and the Commandant’s Planning Guidance (CPG), continued budget uncertainty limits our ability to modernize and build a force that is manned, trained, and equipped for the future operating environment.
2.e.  Future budget certainty – adequate, stable, and predictable funding – is the single most effective way to maintain critical strategic momentum as we compete with a peer threat and enables investment in the force design and capabilities required to win on future battlefields.
3.  In order to mitigate these shortfalls, commanders must be prepared to operate under short and long term CRs.  A six (6) month CR would compress the availability of appropriations, resulting in lost opportunities and pushing new starts to the second half of the FY.  Commands must be prepared to cope with the late influx of funding.  A 12 month CR will severely limit training, readiness, investment, and procurement.  The Marine Corps may need to reprioritize requirements significantly.  In both cases, it is incumbent on the Marine Corps to understand and assess risks and impacts across the enterprise.
4.  Commands are encouraged to develop mitigation plans and implement strategies that will best meet FY20 Marine Corps priorities across modernization, readiness, and manpower accounts.
5.  A DON TRACKER Task, sent separately, will provide commands and staff sections with 6 and 12 month CR fiscal controls and guidance on submitting impact statements for each scenario.
6.  Release authorized by Lieutenant General John M. Jansen, Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources.//