Responsibilities: Military and DOD civilian personnel policies; end strengths for military personnel; military personnel compensation and benefits; military health care; and military nominations.

Special additional areas: Professional Military Education; DOD schools; DOD child care and family assistance; Civil-military programs; POW/MIA issues; Armed Forces Retirement Home; Morale, Welfare and Recreation; and military commissaries and exchanges.

Oversight of budget accounts: Military personnel; military retirement; Defense Health Program; DOD Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund; and operation and maintenance for certain education and civil-military programs.

Oversight of DOD offices: Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness); Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower & Reserve Affairs); Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs); Assistant Secretary of Defense (Readiness).

Oversight of DOD agencies: Defense Health Agency; Defense Commissary Agency; and Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency.