Analysis of Selected Surface Ship OPTAR (Operating Target) Obligation Patterns and Their Dependency on Operating Schedules and Other Factors

摘要

U.S. Navy ships receive their annual operating funds from their type commander in the form of an OPTAR (Operating Target). The ship's OPTAR can be viewed as the funding necessary to execute its annual budget. At present the type commander's budget office essentially divides each ship's annual OPTAR authorization into fourths and allocates to the unit one-fourth of its total annual amount authorized for each quarter of the fiscal year. No attempt is made to allocate the OPTAR on the basis of when the funds are likely to be most needed. This thesis studies OPTAR spending patterns for two classes of Navy ships in the Pacific Fleet and attempts to draw conclusions as to the impact of operational scheduling and other factors on the OPTAR obligation rates for these ships. Parametric and non-parametric statistical methods were used to study potential relationships between OPTAR spending and operational employment. Based on the results of this analysis, it was found that there is no significant relationship between the operational employment of a ship and its OPTAR spending. Possible explanations for the lack of relationship between operational employment and OPTAR spending are offered and discussed. (Author)