The end of the Cold War has led to significant downsizing in the United States military establishment. The American people, through their elected representatives in the Congress, are seeking to realize a "Peace Dividend" as a result of the perceived lack of a threat in the world. Defense spending is lower than at any time since the latter years of the Carter Administration, and projected to decline further. But as Department of Defense appropriations decline, U.S. military forces have been used in combat, peacekeeping, humanitarian, and disaster relief operations at an increasing rate. The Marine Corps alone has been involved in thirteen separate major operations since the fall of the Berlin Wall. This study examines the Marine Corps' participation in three separate operations since 1989 and examines the manner in which those operations were funded. When such operations are funded below the level of their eventual cost, the Marine Corps must pay for them, at least initially, by withdrawing funding from other areas of its budget. This study examines the effects on the future combat readiness of the Marine Corps which have resulted from the inadequate funding of the missions assigned.

ADA 284466 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)