The Unified Command Plan and
Combatant Commands:
Background and Issues for Congress

Andrew Feickert
Specialist in Military Ground Forces
November 7, 2011
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R42077
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress

The Unified Command Plan and Combatant Commands

Summary
The Unified Command Plan (UCP) and associated Combatant Commands (COCOMs) provide
operational instructions and command and control to the Armed Forces and have a significant
impact on how they are organized, trained, and resourced—areas over which Congress has
constitutional authority. The UCP is a classified executive branch document prepared by the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) and reviewed and updated every two years that
assigns missions; planning, training, and operational responsibilities; and geographic areas of
responsibilities to COCOMs. Functional COCOMs operate world-wide across geographic
boundaries and provide unique capabilities to geographic combatant commands and the Services
while Geographic COCOMs operate in clearly delineated areas of operation and have a
distinctive regional military focus. There are currently nine COCOMs:
• USSOCOM: U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL.
• USSTRATCOM: U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, NE.
• USTRANSCOM: U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, IL.
• USAFRICOM: U.S. Africa Command, Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany.
• USCENTCOM: U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL.
• USEUCOM: U.S. European Command, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany.
• USNORTHCOM: U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, CO.
• USPACOM: U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, HI.
• USSOUTHCOM: U.S. Southern Command, Miami, FL.
This report provides information on the history, mission, and operational considerations for each
of these organizations as well as a brief discussion of current issues associated with the UCP and
these commands.
The origins of the UCP and COCOMs are rooted in World War II. After the war, U.S. leaders,
taking advantage of the lessons learned in both theaters, initiated a series of legislative changes
that resulted in the current UCP process and COCOM construct.
The UCP and COCOMs are covered under Title 10 - Armed Forces; Subtitle A - General Military
Law; Part I–Organization and General Military Powers; Chapter 6–Combatant Commands. These
provisions detail the responsibilities and authorities of COCOMs as well as legal requirements
related to the UCP.
A potential issue for Congress is whether there is a need for greater interagency involvement in
the UCP development process. Another possible area for congressional concern is if Geographical
COCOMs have made U.S. foreign policy “too militarized.” Some have also suggested there
might be a need for separate COCOMs apart from the current nine to better address emerging
regional and ethnic alignments as well as emerging threats such as cyber warfare. Finally, if
Congress believes the current COCOM construct does not meet contemporary or future security
requirements, there are proposals for alternative organizational structures that might prove more
effective.

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Contents
What Are the Unified Command Plan (UCP) and Combatant Commands (COCOMs)?................ 1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1
Unified Command Plan (UCP).................................................................................................. 1
Combatant Command (COCOM).............................................................................................. 2
Functional Combatant Commands ...................................................................................... 2
Geographic Combatant Commands .................................................................................... 3
Origins of the UCP .................................................................................................................... 3
Outline Command Plan 1946—The First UCP................................................................... 4
National Security Act of 1947 (P.L. 80-253)....................................................................... 4
DOD Reorganization Act of 1958 (P.L. 85-599)................................................................. 5
Goldwater-Nichols DOD Reorganization Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-433) ................................. 5
What Laws Govern the UCP?.......................................................................................................... 5
UCP Update Cycle........................................................................................................................... 6
Other Agency Involvement.............................................................................................................. 7
Congressional Involvement ............................................................................................................. 8
The Current UCP ............................................................................................................................. 8
Change One to the 2011 UCP.................................................................................................... 9
Origins of the COCOMs.................................................................................................................. 9
What Laws Govern COCOMs? ..................................................................................................... 10
General Discussion of Provisions............................................................................................ 11
Command Authority.......................................................................................................... 11
COCOM Commander’s Responsibilities .......................................................................... 12
COCOM Funding .......................................................................................................................... 12
COCOM Budgetary Provisions............................................................................................... 13
Functional and Geographic Combatant Commands ...................................................................... 14
Basic Organizational Principles............................................................................................... 14
Interagency Representation in COCOMs ................................................................................ 15
Functional Combatant Commands................................................................................................. 16
U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) .............................................................................. 16
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 16
History ..................................................................................................................................... 16
USJFCOM Disestablished................................................................................................. 17
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 17
Realignment of JFCOM Functions ................................................................................... 17
Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 18
U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) .................................................................. 18
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 18
History ..................................................................................................................................... 19
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 20
U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) ..................................................... 20
Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) ...................................................................... 20
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) .......................................................... 20
Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC).......................................................... 20
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Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) ..................................................................... 20
Other Components................................................................................................................... 21
Joint Special Operations University (JSOU)..................................................................... 21
Special Operations Command–Joint Capabilities (SOC-JC) ............................................ 21
Ongoing Operations................................................................................................................. 21
Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 21
Enablers............................................................................................................................. 21
“Fraying” of the Forces ..................................................................................................... 22
Access to Local Training Areas......................................................................................... 22
U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) ........................................................................... 22
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 22
History ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 24
Service Subcomponents .................................................................................................... 24
Functional Components..................................................................................................... 25
Ongoing Operations................................................................................................................. 26
Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 26
Funding the Nuclear Enterprise......................................................................................... 26
Support for a Fledgling USCYBERCOM ......................................................................... 27
New Strategic Command and Control Complex and Nuclear Command, Control,
and Communication Node at Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska ...................................... 27
U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) ................................................................. 27
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 27
History ..................................................................................................................................... 27
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 29
Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) ............................................... 29
Military Sealift Command (MSC)..................................................................................... 29
Air Mobility Command (AMC) ........................................................................................ 29
Ongoing Operations................................................................................................................. 30
Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 30
Ground Supply in Afghanistan.......................................................................................... 30
New UCP Mission: “Global Distribution Synchronizer”.................................................. 30
Maintaining Air Mobility Readiness ................................................................................. 30
Geographic Combatant Commands ............................................................................................... 31
U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) .................................................................................. 31
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 31
A Different Kind of Combatant Command ....................................................................... 31
History ..................................................................................................................................... 32
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 33
U.S. Army Africa (USARAF) ........................................................................................... 33
U.S. Naval Forces, Africa (NAVAF) ................................................................................. 33
U.S. Air Forces, Africa (AFAFRICA) ............................................................................... 33
U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Africa (MARFORAF) ........................................................... 34
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA)................................................ 34
Special Operations Command-Africa (SOCAFRICA) ..................................................... 34
Ongoing Operations................................................................................................................. 34
NATO Operations Against Libya ...................................................................................... 34
U.S. Deployment to Central Africa ................................................................................... 35
Operation Enduring Freedom-Trans Sahara (OEF-TS)..................................................... 35
Exercises ........................................................................................................................... 35
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Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 36
Libyan Endstate................................................................................................................. 36
Transnational Threats ........................................................................................................ 36
Exercise Funding............................................................................................................... 36
U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) ............................................................................... 37
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 37
History ..................................................................................................................................... 37
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 38
U.S. Army Central (ARCENT) ......................................................................................... 38
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) ......................................................... 38
U.S. Air Forces Central (AFCENT) .................................................................................. 39
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command (MARCENT)............................................ 39
Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) ........................................................ 39
Ongoing Operations................................................................................................................. 39
Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 40
Middle East Unrest............................................................................................................ 40
Iranian Interference ........................................................................................................... 40
Iraqi Security Force Needs After U.S. Departure.............................................................. 40
U.S. European Command (USEUCOM)................................................................................. 41
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 41
USEUCOM Commander and NATO ................................................................................ 41
History ..................................................................................................................................... 41
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 43
U.S. Army Europe (USAEUR) ......................................................................................... 43
U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR) ............................................................................. 43
U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) ................................................................................. 43
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe (MARFOREUR) ........................................................ 43
Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) ........................................................... 43
Ongoing Operations................................................................................................................. 44
Support to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
in Afghanistan ................................................................................................................ 44
Multi-National Joint and Interagency Exercises ............................................................... 44
Exercises in the Baltics, Balkans, and Caucasus............................................................... 44
Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 44
Afghanistan ....................................................................................................................... 44
The Balkans....................................................................................................................... 45
Missile Defense................................................................................................................. 45
U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).......................................................................... 45
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 45
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).............................................. 46
Missile Defense................................................................................................................. 46
Unique Civil Support Mission........................................................................................... 46
History ..................................................................................................................................... 47
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 48
Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region (JFHQ-NCR) .................................... 48
Joint Task Force Alaska (JTF-AK).................................................................................... 48
Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS).......................................................................... 48
Joint Task Force North (JTF North) .................................................................................. 48
Army North (ARNORTH) ................................................................................................ 49
Air Force North (AFNORTH)........................................................................................... 49
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U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF) ................................................................................ 49
Ongoing Operations................................................................................................................. 49
Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 50
Countering Transnational Criminal Organizations............................................................ 50
The Arctic.......................................................................................................................... 50
U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM)...................................................................................... 50
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 50
History ..................................................................................................................................... 51
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 52
U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC)........................................................................................ 52
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) ............................................................................................... 52
U.S. Eighth Army.............................................................................................................. 52
U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT)............................................................................................. 52
U.S. Pacific Air Force (PACAF) ....................................................................................... 53
U.S. Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC).................................................................... 53
Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC) ............................................................ 53
Other Major USPACOM Organizations .................................................................................. 53
Joint Intelligence Operations Center (JIOC) ..................................................................... 53
Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) ........................................................... 53
Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC)............................................................... 53
Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF-West) ............................................................. 54
Ongoing Operations................................................................................................................. 54
Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 54
U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).......................................................................... 55
Mission .................................................................................................................................... 55
History ..................................................................................................................................... 55
Subcomponents........................................................................................................................ 56
U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH)......................................................................................... 56
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet
(COMUSNAVSO/COMFOURTHFLT)......................................................................... 56
Air Forces Southern/ Twelfth Air Force (AFSOUTH)...................................................... 56
U.S. Marine Forces South (USMARFORSOUTH) .......................................................... 56
Special Operations Command South (USSOCSOUTH)................................................... 56
USSOUTHCOM Task Forces and Direct Reporting Units ..................................................... 57
Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo)................................................................................. 57
Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF–Guantanamo) ........................................................... 57
Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF South) .......................................................... 57
Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (CHDS) ............................................................ 57
Ongoing Operations................................................................................................................. 57
Exercises and Military-to-Military Activities.................................................................... 57
Task Force-Oriented Activities.......................................................................................... 58
Selected Current Issues............................................................................................................ 58
Counter-Trafficking........................................................................................................... 58
Natural Disasters, Poverty, and Violence .......................................................................... 58
Extra-Regional Actors ....................................................................................................... 58
Potential Issues for Congress......................................................................................................... 59
Is Greater Interagency Involvement in the UCP Process Needed?.......................................... 59
Has U.S. Foreign Policy Become “Too Militarized” as a Result of the Geographic
COCOMs?............................................................................................................................ 60
Are There Other Regions or Functions That Merit a Separate COCOM?............................... 62
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Is There an Alternative to COCOMs? ..................................................................................... 63
Replacing Subcomponent Commands with Joint Task Forces (JTFs) .............................. 64
Replacing COCOMs with a Joint Interagency Organization ............................................ 64

Figures
Figure 1. Combatant Command Chain of Command .................................................................... 12

Tables
Table 1. FY2009-FY2011 O&M Budget ....................................................................................... 13

Appendixes
Appendix. 2011 UCP COCOM Areas of Responsibility ............................................................... 65

Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 65

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What Are the Unified Command Plan (UCP) and
Combatant Commands (COCOMs)?

Introduction
The Unified Command Plan (UCP) and associated Combatant Commands (COCOMs) provide
operational instructions and command and control to the Armed Forces and have a significant
impact on how they are organized, trained, and resourced—areas over which Congress has
constitutional authority. In a grand strategic sense, the UCP and the COCOMs are the
embodiment of U.S. military policy both at home and abroad. The COCOMs not only execute
military policy but also play an important role in foreign policy, and Congress, in both oversight
and budgetary roles, has shown great concern in this regard. All Combatant Commanders testify
to the Armed Services Committees on an annual basis about their posture and budgetary
requirements and frequently host Members and staff during a variety of congressional delegation
visits.
Unified Command Plan (UCP)
The Department of Defense (DOD) defines the Unified Command Plan (UCP) as
The document, approved by the President, that sets forth basic guidance to all unified
combatant commanders; establishes their missions, responsibilities, and force structure;
delineates the general geographical area of responsibility (AOR) for geographic combatant
commanders; and specifies functional responsibilities for functional combatant
commanders.1
The UCP is a classified executive branch document prepared by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff (CJCS) and reviewed and updated at a minimum every two years. While the UCP is
normally on a two-year cycle, it can be updated anytime based on changing strategic, political,
and budgetary requirements. As noted, the UCP assigns missions; planning, training, and
operational responsibilities; and geographic areas of responsibilities to COCOMs. The UCP is
assessed and modified, taking into consideration the following strategic documents:2
• The National Security Strategy of the United States of America;
• The National Defense Strategy of the United States of America;
• The National Military Strategy of the United States of America; and
• The current UCP.
The UCP process also takes into consideration the strategic context (such as the war in
Afghanistan, the global economic situation, relationships with allies, etc.) and command guidance
from the President and senior DOD civilian and military leadership. As part of the final review

1 Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, November 8, 2010 (as
amended through May 15, 2011), p. 385.
2 Information in this section is from a briefing provided to CRS by the Joint Staff Plans Division on October 7, 2010.
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process before the UCP is submitted to the President, the proposed UCP is reviewed by senior
service leaders, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council (NSC). Congress is
not included in this review process but does have visibility into issues affecting UCP
development.
Combatant Command (COCOM)
DOD defines Combatant Command (COCOM) as:
A unified3 or specified4 command with a broad continuing mission under a single
commander established and so designated by the President, through the Secretary of Defense
and with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Combatant
commands typically have geographic or functional responsibilities.5
Dr. Cynthia Watson, a professor at the National War College and author of “Combatant
Commands: Origins, Structure, and Engagements” describes combatant commands as being:
Commands in charge of utilizing and integrating air, land, sea, and amphibious forces under
their commands to achieve U.S. national security objectives while protecting national
interests. Four of the unified commands handle functional concerns while there are six with
geographic mandates. The specific configurations have shifted over the decades, but the idea
that geography provides an organizing principle remains the same, allowing each combatant
command to have its specific threats and opportunities. The combatant commanders work
with the military forces in their theaters, and report to the commander in chief and secretary
of defense. The combatant commanders do not serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff nor are they
the senior U.S. representatives in the theater.6
The number of combatant commands is not regulated by law or policy and their numbers and
responsibilities have varied over the years. Today, there are nine active COCOMs and one
COCOM–U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM)—is currently in the process of being
disestablished. JFCOM is included in this report because there has been congressional concern
about how its functions are being re-distributed throughout DOD.
Functional Combatant Commands
Functional combatant commands operate world-wide across geographic boundaries and provide
unique capabilities to geographic combatant commands and the Services:

3 Joint Publication 1-02 defines a unified command as a “command with a broad continuing mission under a single
commander and composed of significant assigned components of two or more Military Departments that is established
and so designated by the President, through the Secretary of Defense with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
4 Joint Publication 1-02 defines a specified command as “a command that has a broad, continuing mission, normally
functional, and is established and so designated by the President through the Secretary of Defense with the advice and
assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It normally is composed of forces from a single Military
Department.”
5 Ibid., p. 60.
6 Cynthia A. Watson, “Combatant Commands: Origins, Structure, and Engagement,” Praeger Security International,
2011, p. 15 (hereinafter, Cynthia A. Watson).
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• USJFCOM: U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk Naval Base, VA.
(disestablished August 2011) ;
• USSOCOM: U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL;
• USSTRATCOM: U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, NE; and
• USTRANSCOM: U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, IL.
Geographic Combatant Commands
Geographic combatant commands operate in clearly delineated areas of operation and have a
distinctive regional military focus.
• USAFRICOM: U.S. Africa Command, Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany;
• USCENTCOM: U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL;
• USEUCOM: U.S. European Command, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany;
• USNORTHCOM: U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, CO;
• USPACOM: U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, HI; and
• USSOUTHCOM: U.S. Southern Command, Miami, FL.
Origins of the UCP
The United States’ experience with global warfare in World War II provided countless lessons
attesting to the importance of unity of military effort achieved through the unified command of
U.S. forces.7 While the United States was able to achieve a degree of unified command in the
European theater under General Dwight Eisenhower—Supreme Commander, Allied
Expeditionary Force—attempts to establish unified command in the Pacific “proved impossible.”8
Differences between the Army and Navy precluded any sort of unified command arrangement and
General Douglas MacArthur commanded U.S. Army Forces, Pacific while Admiral Chester
Nimitz commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Although both commanders were able to work together
to defeat Japan, there was a considerable amount of friction between these two powerful,
independent commands. After the war, President Truman noted:
We must never fight another war the way that we fought the last two. I have the feeling that
if the Army and Navy had fought our enemies as hard as they fought each other, the war
would have ended much earlier.9

7 Unless otherwise noted, information in this section is taken from the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff Joint History Office, “The History of the Unified Command Plan 1946-1999,” Washington, DC, 2003.
8 Ibid., p. 11.
9 Charles A. Stevenson, “Underlying Assumptions of the National Security Act of 1947,” Joint Forces Quarterly, 1st
Quarter 2008.
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Outline Command Plan 1946—The First UCP10
In 1946, the Chief of Naval Operations characterized the Pacific command arrangement as
“ambiguous and unsatisfactory” and proposed a single command over the Pacific (not including
Japan, Korea, and China) to provide unity of command over all U.S. forces in the region. The
Army and the Army Air Forces rejected this proposal, favoring instead unified command based
on assignment of mission and forces as opposed to geographic areas. After a great deal of
discussion and compromise, a worldwide system of unified command was established. President
Truman approved the “Outline Command Plan” in December 1946 which established seven
commands as an “interim measure for the immediate post war period.” The seven commands
were:
• Far East Command;
• Pacific Command;
• Alaskan Command;
• Northeast Command;
• Atlantic Fleet;
• Caribbean Command; and
• European Command.
Some of these seven commands contained more than one service and were, in a sense, unified,
while others, such as the Atlantic Fleet, were service-specific. Even though these commands were
established to achieve a degree of unity, the Services continued in many instances to plan and act
independently. Since 1946, the UCP has continued to evolve—sometimes in a dramatic manner—
to reflect ever changing strategic, organizational, and political requirements. While Congress has
influenced the UCP over the years, three major legislative initiatives have had a lasting impact on
the UCP.
National Security Act of 1947 (P.L. 80-253)
While the National Security Act of 1947 is best known for the creation of the U.S. Air Force, the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and establishing the office of the Secretary of Defense, it also
created the Unified Combatant Command (UCC) system.11 The UCC system signified the
recognition by the United States that it would continue to have a world-wide, continuous global
military presence. The National Security Act of 1947 also gave the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) the
responsibility to establish unified commands in “strategic areas” subject to the approval of the
President and Secretary of Defense.12

10Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint History Office, “The History of the Unified Command Plan
1946-1999,” Washington, DC, 2003, p 11.
11 Cynthia A. Watson, p. 13.
12 “The History of the Unified Command Plan 1946-1999,” p. 15.
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DOD Reorganization Act of 1958 (P.L. 85-599)13
In 1958, President Eisenhower—the former Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force—
decided a more unified and streamlined chain of command to employ combat forces was needed,
essentially putting an end to separate land, sea, and air combat. President Eisenhower sought “a
complete unification of all military planning and combat forces and commands” and proposed the
DOD Reorganization Act of 1958 to Congress to amend the National Security Act of 1947.
The DOD Reorganization Act of 1958 authorized the President, acting through the Secretary of
Defense with the advice of the JCS, to establish unified or specified commands, assign missions,
and determine their force structure. This act did not alter any of the authorities established by the
National Security Act of 1947 but instead established a clear line of command from the President,
through the Secretary of Defense, to the combatant commanders. Combatant commanders were
delegated full operational control over forces assigned to them but once these forces were
assigned, they could only be transferred with presidential approval. Responsibility for the
administration of these assigned forces was to remain with their respective Services.
Goldwater-Nichols DOD Reorganization Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-433)14
In the aftermath of the failed 1980 multi-service mission to rescue U.S. hostages in Iran and the
1983 invasion of Grenada which featured numerous instances of poor inter-service planning and
cooperation, there was renewed emphasis on “jointness” both in Congress and at the Pentagon.
Goldwater-Nichols sought to “rebalance the relative power of the geographic commands versus
the services.”15 Goldwater-Nichols called for the Chairman of the JCS (CJCS) to review the
missions, responsibilities, and force structure and geographic boundaries for each COCOM not
less than every two years and recommend changes to the Secretary of Defense and the President.
In addition, the act expanded the CJCS’s and combatant commander’s powers and gave
combatant commanders greater interaction with Congress and greater participation in the DOD
budget process.
What Laws Govern the UCP?
The UCP and COCOMs are covered under Title 10 - Armed Forces; Subtitle A - General Military
Law; Part I–Organization and General Military Powers; Chapter 6–Combatant Commands. As it
relates to the UCP, Section 161, inter alia stipulates:
• Unified COCOMs are established by the President, through the Secretary of
Defense (SECDEF), with the advice and assistance of the CJCS.
• The CJCS shall periodically review (at least every two years) missions,
responsibilities (including geographic boundaries), and force structure of each
combatant command.

13 Ibid., p. 26.
14 Cynthia A. Watson, pp. 14-15.
15 Ibid.
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• Based on this review, the CJCS will recommend to the President, through the
SECDEF, changes to missions, responsibilities, and force structure deemed
necessary.
• The President, except in times of hostilities or imminent danger, will notify
Congress not less than 60 days after establishing a new combatant command or
significantly revising the missions, responsibilities, or force structure of an
existing combatant command.
Also under Section 161, the CJCS is required to consider during each periodic UCP review:
• Whether there was an adequate distribution of responsibilities among the regional
unified combatant commands;
• Whether fewer or differently configured commands would permit the United
States to better execute war fighting plans;
• Whether any assets or activities were redundant;
• Whether war fighting requirements were adequate to justify current commands;
• Whether exclusion of certain nations from the Areas of Responsibility presented
difficulties with respect to national security objectives in those areas; and
• Whether the boundary between the U.S. Central and European Commands could
create command conflicts in the context of a major regional conflict in the
Middle East.
UCP Update Cycle16
Generally, the UCP update cycle runs from 12 to 18 months. The current UCP process consists of
five iterative phases described below:
1. Guidance: DOD UCP planners review four central documents: The National
Security Strategy of the United States of America; The National Defense Strategy
of the United States of America; The National Military Strategy of the United
States of America; and the current UCP. UCP participants also receive command
guidance in various forms and in various degrees, and are apprised of the
strategic context under which the UCP will be evaluated. During the final part of
this phase, stakeholders (Combatant Commanders, Service Chiefs, and the Joint
Staff) identify issues that they believe need to be addressed during the UCP
update cycle.
2. Slate: During this phase, issues are slated for discussion. At the beginning of the
phase an action officer planning conference is held to discuss UCP issues. After
the conference, stakeholders submit Issue Development Papers (IDPs) to the
Joint Staff where they are posted online on a secure operating system
(SIPRNET)17 where stakeholders can view and comment on them. After a period
of time, these IDPs and associated comments are sent to the Deputy Director for

16 Information in this section is from a briefing provided to CRS by the Joint Staff Plans Division on October 7, 2010.
17 SIPRNET stands for Secret Internet Protocol Router Network DOD’s classified computer network.
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Strategy and Policy and the Director J-5 for validation. Those IDPs that make it
through the validation process are then “slated” and placed online so that
stakeholders can develop positions for the next phase of the UCP process.
3. Assessment: This phase begins with a Planner’s Assessment Conference where
courses of action (COA) are developed for each validated IDP. These COA
provide decision makers with a range of choices to address the IDPs. Once the
COA are agreed at the conference, they are again posted online for review and
comment. After a period of time, the COA are finalized and “closed out.”
4. Adjudication: The adjudication phase is a four part process whereby the issues
and COA are sent to various levels of the Joint Staff for approval. The first level
is the Deputy Director for Strategy and Policy and after review and approval, a
draft UCP is published. Next comes the Director J-5 and another revised draft
UCP is published. This draft UCP is then taken to a Service Chiefs’ “Tank”18
meeting and after that meeting, another UCP draft is prepared. Finally a Joint
Chiefs of Staff Tank meeting is held and a final draft UCP is prepared, posted on
the SIPRNET, and is then ready for final review.
5. Review: During this phase the UCP is reviewed and revised for the final time.
The first review is held at the “four-star level” including Service Chiefs,
Combatant Commanders, and other 4-star level general officers and DOD
civilians. Next, the SECDEF reviews the draft UCP and suggests changes. The
next step is the National Security Council (NSC) review where the UCP is
commented on by other U.S. government agencies. Finally, after incorporating
the views of the NSC principals, the UCP is taken to the President for approval
and final publication.
Other Agency Involvement19
There are other executive branch agencies (State Department, Department of Justice, Department
of Homeland Security, and the Central Intelligence Agency, to name a few) that are collectively
referred to as the Interagency and have a vested interest in the UCP because some of its
associated military tasks intersect with the responsibilities of these agencies. While none of these
agencies are formally part of the UCP development process, they do have access to it by means of
agency liaison officers stationed at the COCOMs and on the Joint Staff. These liaison officers
have visibility of the IDP and COA process as well as access to draft UCPs and are able to report
their observations and concerns to their principals (i.e. Secretary of State, Attorney General, etc.).
The NSC also receives periodic updates on UCP development or revisions during the UCP cycle.
The principals may then choose to address their UCP concerns with senior DOD leadership.
During the NSC UCP Review, other agencies can publicly voice concerns with the UCP but,
unless an agency has not been actively following the UCP development, there should be no
“surprises” when the UCP is reviewed by the NSC.

18 Tank is the euphemism for the Joint Chiefs of Staff Conference Room in the Pentagon where sensitive important
senior-level meetings are held.
19 Information in this section is from a briefing provided to CRS by the Joint Staff Plans Division on October 7, 2010.
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Congressional Involvement20
Congress currently has no statutory role in the UCP development, revision, or review process
other than those stipulated in Title 10, Chapter 6, Sections 161 and 166. Congress does, however,
make its concerns known during hearings, private conversations between Members and staff and
DOD leadership, and through lending support to UCP-related issues through legislation or by
resolution. As a relatively recent example, prior to the 2007 decision to stand up AFRICOM, a
number of Members called for the creation of a separate geographic combatant command for
Africa. Congress also periodically includes provisions in annual National Defense Authorization
Acts calling for DOD studies and reports on certain aspects of COCOM structure and operations.
These requirements, in addition to providing information to Congress, also serve the purpose of
identifying areas of congressional concern which can influence DOD COCOM-related resourcing
and policy decisions.
The Current UCP
The 2011 UCP is a classified document. On April 8, 2011, DOD released the 2011 UCP and the
unclassified highlights were included in the following news release:
DOD Releases Unified Command Plan 201121
The Department of Defense released today the updated Unified Command Plan (UCP), a key
strategic document that establishes the missions, responsibilities, and geographic areas of
responsibility for commanders of combatant commands. Unified Command Plan 2011,
signed by the President on April 6, assigns several new missions to the combatant
commanders.
Every two years, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is required to review the missions,
responsibilities, and geographical boundaries of each combatant command and recommend
to the President, through the Secretary of Defense, any changes that may be necessary. As in
past years, the 2011 review process included the combatant commanders, service chiefs and
DOD leadership. Significant changes made by UCP 2011 include
- Shifting areas of responsibilities boundaries in the Arctic region to leverage long-
standing relationships and improve unity of effort. As a result of this realignment,
responsibility for the Arctic region is now shared between USEUCOM and
USNORTHCOM rather than USEUCOM, USNORTHCOM and USPACOM as
directed in previous UCPs.
- Giving USNORTHCOM responsibility to advocate for Arctic capabilities.
- Codifying the President’s approval to disestablish U.S. Joint Forces Command.
- Expanding U.S. Strategic Command’s responsibility for combating weapons of
mass destruction and developing Global Missile Defense Concept of Operations.

20 Ibid.
21 U.S. Department of Defense News Release, DOD Releases Unified Command Plan 2011, N. 288-11, April 8, 2011.
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- Giving U.S. Transportation Command responsibility for synchronizing planning of
global distribution operations.
UCP 2011 continues to support U.S. defense security commitments around the world while
improving military responsiveness to emerging crises.
A map with the UCP COCOM Areas of Responsibility is included in the Appendix.
Change One to the 2011 UCP22
On September 12, 2011, President Obama signed Change One to the 2011 UCP which primarily
captured the administrative changes reflecting the disestablishment of USJFCOM and a number
of SECDEF-directed Efficiency Initiatives. These changes include
• Removing any language referring to USJFCOM which was disestablished on
August 31, 2011;
• Removing language for geographic combatant command standing joint force
headquarters,23 which are approved for disestablishment by the end of FY2012;
• Adding the responsibility of global standing joint headquarters to
USTRANSCOM;
• Transferring the Joint Warfare Analysis Center missions from USJFCOM to
USSTRATCOM; and
• Removing language and responsibilities for Information Operations, Military
Deception, and Operations Security from USSTRATCOM as these mission areas
are to be transferred to the Joint Staff.
Origins of the COCOMs
The nonstatutory origins of COCOMs are rooted in the U.S. experience in World War II. Prior to
World War II, the Services operated independently and, despite lessons learned from World War I
suggesting the Army and Navy needed to better communicate and plan, no real concerted effort
was made to coordinate the armed forces, largely attributed to “bureaucratic distrust and service
rivalry.”24 During this period, Marine Corps fears that the Army would lobby to eliminate the
Marines on the grounds they were a “redundant service” as well as Army efforts to maintain
control over the country’s air arm typified the climate among the Services that made any
meaningful reform virtually impossible.25

22 Taken from information provided to CRS by the Senate Armed Services Committee on September 13, 2011.
23 From Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, as amended
through September 15, 2011, a Standing Joint Force Headquarters or SJFHQ is a staff organization operating under a
flag or general officer providing a combatant commander with a full-time, trained joint command and control element
integrated into the combatant commander’s staff whose focus is on contingency and crisis action planning.
24 Cynthia A. Watson, p. 11.
25 Ibid.
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World War II presented unique challenges not faced during the eighteen month U.S. involvement
in the First World War. While World War I was fought in a variety of theaters, such as Europe,
Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East, U.S. involvement was primarily limited to
Europe and was predominately land-centric. In terms of strategic planning and command
relationships, the United States played a supporting role.
The United States’ experience in World War II bore little resemblance to that of the Great War.
The European and Pacific theaters of the Second World War varied significantly, with the
European Theater being a land-centric conflict supported by naval operations whereas the Pacific
Theater was naval-centric and supported by Marine and Army ground forces. Both theaters also
featured extensive supporting air force operations, including long-range strategic bombing
campaigns unprecedented in both size and scope. In terms of relationships with allies, the United
States assumed the leadership role in both the Pacific and European theaters - largely due to its
unmatched military and industrial resources—despite insistence that the U.S. was “co-equal
partners” with Great Britain, France, and Russia. Unlike 1918, after the Japanese surrender in
1945, U.S. political and military leaders did not advocate a post war policy of isolationism,
because of fears of a communist Russia and, to a lesser extent, China. U.S. global military
presence was viewed as a guarantee against unfettered communist expansion, and this presence
necessitated an effective, geographically-focused, long term, joint command arrangement.
What Laws Govern COCOMs?
As previously noted, COCOMs are governed by the provisions contained in Sections 161 through
168 of Title X, Armed Forces, U.S. Code.26 These sections address the following provisions;
• Section 161: The establishment of COCOMs;
• Section 162: Chain of command and assignment of forces for COCOMs;
• Section 163: Role of the CJCS;
• Section 164: Assignment and powers and duties of commanders of COCOMs;
• Section 165: Administration and support of COCOMs;
• Section 166: COCOM budget proposals ;
• Section 166a : Funding COCOMs through the CJCS ;
• Section 166b: Funding for combating terrorism readiness initiatives;
• Section 167: Unified COCOMs for special operations forces;
• Section 167a: Unified COCOMs for joint warfighting experimentation:
acquisition authority; and
• Section 168: Military-to-military and comparable activities.

26 Unless otherwise noted, information in this section is taken from Sections 161-168, Title 10–Armed Forces, pp. 144-
154, and Cynthia A. Watson, pp. 2-6.
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General Discussion of Provisions27
These provisions assign a number of responsibilities to the CJCS including a regular (at least
every two years) review of the missions, responsibilities, areas of operation, and force structure of
each combatant command. Upon completion of this review, the Chairman provides suggestions to
the President—through the SECDEF—for changes in missions, force structure, and
responsibilities for the COCOMs. These provisions also tie the Services to the COCOMs as the
Secretaries of the military departments are directed to assign their forces (unless assigned
elsewhere such as a multi-national peacekeeping operation) to COCOMs. These forces can only
be transferred from the commands by the SECDEF.
Command Authority
Forces assigned to COCOMs are under the command of that COCOM commander, with the chain
of command starting with the President and running through the SECDEF as indicated in Figure
1
. The CJCS serves as a link between the President and the SECDEF and the COCOM
commanders. The President can send guidance to COCOM commanders through the CJCS, and
the chairman can relay combatant commander’s needs and concerns to the SECDEF and the
President. The CJCS may exercise oversight of the COCOMs, if desired by the SECDEF, but has
no command authority over the COCOMs. In this regard, the CJCS is described as taking part in
national security discussions but not in the formal decision-making process as it relates to
COCOMs.

27 Information in this section is taken from Cynthia A. Watson, pp. 2-6.
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Figure 1. Combatant Command Chain of Command


Source: This figure is taken from the author’s National Defense University academic notes, 2010.
Note: USJFCOM was disestablished in August 2011 and no longer functions as a COCOM.
COCOM Commander’s Responsibilities
COCOM commanders are responsible for the accomplishment of missions assigned to them as
well as all aspects of joint training, logistics, and military operations. COCOM commanders are
also responsible for establishing command relationships with subordinate commands as well as
organizing subordinate units as deemed necessary. While Combatant Commanders exercise
control over subordinate units from different services, the services retain administrative control of
their personnel to include assignment, promotion, schooling, and retirement. To facilitate
administrative control, geographic combatant commands have service subcomponents for each
service.
COCOM Funding
On an annual basis, COCOMs request Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding. Funding for
forces assigned to COCOMs are funded by the respective Services and funding for operations are
funded separately, such as operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and counterterror operations which
have primarily been funded through the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account. Table
1
provides O&M funding for the COCOMs from FY2009-FY2011. It should be noted that some
amounts include operational and OCO costs (see corresponding notes).
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Table 1. FY2009-FY2011 O&M Budget
(millions of dollars)
Program
FY2009a Actual
FY2010a Actual
FY2011b Estimate
U.S. Africa Command
213
306
296
U.S. Central Command
277
406
170
U.S. European Command
95
143
136
U.S. Joint Force
195 — —
Command
U.S. Northern Command
213
24
229
U.S. Pacific Command
266
278
290
U.S. Southern Command
163
188
87
U.S. Strategic Command
471
525
652
TOTAL
1,893 2,070 1,960
(funded by the Services)
U.S. Special Operations
6,240 6,712 3,944
Commandc
U.S. Transportation
12,083 14,231 13,493
Commandd
Source: This information was provided to CRS by the Office of the Secretary of Defense in August 2011.
Notes: COCOM amounts reflect HQ and Mission Support O&M Funding. USJFCOM was disestablished in
August 2011 and no longer functions as a COCOM.
a. FY2009 and FY2010 includes OCO funding.
b. FY2011 does not include OCO funding.
c. SOCOM includes HQ and operational funds.
d. TRANSCOM is funded predominately with customer orders.
COCOM Budgetary Provisions
The SECDEF is required to submit an annual budget proposal for the COCOMs and funding may
be requested for joint exercises, force training, contingencies, and selected operations. Proposed
funding for special operations forces (SOF) training with foreign forces may also be requested.
COCOMs can also receive funds through the CJCS as part of the “Combatant Commander
Initiative Fund.” Although not a COCOM, the U.S. element of the North American Aerospace
Defense Command (NORAD) is also eligible for this fund. Authorized activities include
• Force training;
• Contingencies;
• Selected operations;
• Command and control;
• Joint exercises to include activities of participating foreign nations;
• Humanitarian and civic assistance;
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• Military education and training to military and related civilian personnel of
foreign countries;
• Personnel expenses of defense personnel for bilateral or regional cooperation
programs;
• Force protection; and
• Joint warfighting capabilities.
COCOMs also have access to a DOD budget account known as the “Combating Terrorism
Readiness Initiatives Fund.” Authorized activities under this fund include
• Procurement and maintenance of physical security equipment;
• Improvement of physical security sites;
• Under extraordinary circumstances:
• Physical security management planning;
• Procurement and support of security forces and security technicians;
• Security reviews, investigations, and vulnerability assessments; and
• Any other activity relating to physical security.
Functional and Geographic Combatant Commands
Basic Organizational Principles28
COCOM commanders hold four-star flag rank and have risen through the ranks of their
respective services, commanding at the highest levels. COCOM commanders have also met Joint
Military Education Requirements as set forth in the Goldwater-Nichols Act. The President
nominates combatant commanders based on the recommendations of the SECDEF. The Senate
Armed Services Committee holds confirmation hearings for the nominees and the Senate then
votes to confirm the candidates. While four-star officers from any service may serve as combatant
commander for any given COCOM, some appointments (e.g., U.S. Pacific Command being
commanded by a Navy admiral) traditionally have gone to specific services.
The basic configurations of COCOM staffs are generally the same and mirrors the Joint Staff at
the Pentagon. COCOM staffs are organized as follows, although there are variations based on
unique COCOM mission areas:
• J-1 Directorate of Manpower and Personnel;
• J-2 Directorate of Intelligence;
• J-3 Directorate of Operations;
• J-4 Directorate of Logistics;

28 Ibid., pp 19-21.
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• J-5 Directorate of Strategic Plans and Policy;
• J-6 Directorate of Command, Control, Communication, and Computer;
• J-7 Directorate of Operational Planning and Joint Force Development;
• J-8 Directorate of Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment; and
• J-9 Directorate of Interagency Partnering.
Within the COCOM command and staff construct, Joint Task Forces (JTFs) are often created to
address a single policy concern and allocate resources, such as anti-drug efforts or humanitarian
assistance, on a short to mid-term basis. JTFs can also be established in response to a crisis or for
a long-term commitment.
Some COCOMs also have a political advisor (POLAD) assigned to the commander to serve as an
interface with the civilian portion of the national security establishment as well as the
ambassadors and embassy staffs of countries that fall under the COCOM commander’s UCP
mandate.
Interagency Representation in COCOMs29
Both Functional and Geographic COCOMs have integrated assets and representatives of other
agencies and departments of the U.S. government into the COCOM’s structure to enhance
operations. Examples of this representation include
• USAFRICOM: A State Department Deputy Commander for Civil-Military
Activities, a senior U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) advisor,
and two other senior U.S. diplomats who serve as a Foreign Policy Advisor and
as the J-9, Director of Outreach;
• USCENTCOM: An Interagency Action Group (IAG) established in the J-3
Directorate of Operations to integrate USCENTCOM and Interagency activities;
• USEUCOM: Established a J-9 Directorate for Interagency Partnering; and
• USNORTHCOM: A Joint Interagency Coordinating Group (JIACG) that
integrates and synchronizes the activities of numerous civilian, State, Federal,
and private sector organizations.

29 Information in this section is taken from Department of Defense Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 944 of the
Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 P.L. 111-383, Department of Defense Report on
Organizational Structures of the Headquarters of the Geographic combatant Commands, June 2011, p. 3.
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Functional Combatant Commands
U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM)
Website: http://www.jfcom.mil/
Mission30
USJFCOM provided mission-ready joint-capable forces and supported the development and
integration of joint, interagency, and multinational capabilities to meet the present and future
operational needs of the joint force.
USJFCOM with its component commands responded to combatant commanders’ operational
requirements by providing timely and mission-ready joint capabilities. To accomplish this
USJFCOM became a harmonized force made up of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and
civilians who excelled at joint warfighting. Together with the service headquarters and
interagency and multi-national partners, USJFCOM achieved unity of effort to maximize joint
strengths.
History31
From USJFCOM’s Facebook page:
USJFCOM was formed in 1999 when the old United States Atlantic Command
(USLANTCOM) was renamed and given a new mission: leading the transformation of the
U.S. military through experimentation and education. USLANTCOM had been active from
1947 to 1993 as a primarily U.S. Navy command, focused upon the wartime defense of the
Atlantic sea lanes against Soviet attack. After the end of the Cold War, a 1993 reorganization
gave the Command a new acronym, USACOM, and brought United States Army Forces
Command and Air Combat Command under its authority.
In late 2004, U.S. Joint Forces Command assumed the role of primary conventional force
provider. This landmark change assigned nearly all U.S. conventional forces to Joint Forces
Command. Requirements, for example, for U.S. service personnel to support the
transformation of the Armed Forces of Liberia, were fed to JFCOM, in this case via Africa
Command, and JFCOM liaised with the service staffs to obtain available forces. Along with
this responsibility came the task to develop a new ‘risk-assessment’ process that provided
national leaders a world-wide perspective on force-sourcing solutions.

30 From USJFCOM website, http://www.jfcom.mil/about/priorities.htm.
31 USJFCOM Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/JFCOM/111646735521012.
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USJFCOM Disestablished
On August 9, 2010, Secretary Of Defense Robert Gates announced a series of efficiency
initiatives intend to reduce overhead, duplication, and excess within DOD.32 One of Secretary of
Defense Gates’ recommendations was to disestablish USJFCOM, noting
Over time, it has created an unneeded extra layer and step in the force management process.
JFCOM’s force management and sourcing functions will be assigned to the Joint Staff while
the remaining responsibilities will be evaluated and those determined to be essential will be
re-assigned to other entities.33
The President approved Secretary Gates’ recommendation to close USJFCOM despite some
Congressional opposition as well as from state and local officials concerned about lost jobs and
the impact on the local economy. According the JFCOM commander, the closure was forecasted
to save $400 million per year and result in the loss of about 1,900 local jobs.34 On August 4, 2011,
JFCOM was formally disestablished and a number of its functions transferred to the Joint Staff
and other commands.
Subcomponents
The Service components of JFCOM—Fleet Forces Command, Air Combat Command, Marine
Forces Command, and Army Forces Command—reverted to service control on August 1, 2011.35
In addition, Special Operations Command, JFCOM was transferred to USSOCOM. JFCOM
functions are planned to be realigned as follows:
Realignment of JFCOM Functions36
At the time of its disestablishment, JFCOM had 27 functional missions. Some of these mission
areas were eliminated due to redundancy but others were deemed essential and aligned as
described below.
• JFCOM’s role as joint force provider will now be the responsibility of the
Director, Joint Staff for Operations (J-3);
• JFCOM’s Joint Capability Development and Integration (J-8) Directorate will
merge with the Joint Systems Integration Center and Joint Fires Integration and
Interoperability Team and these JFCOM organizations will be reassigned to the
Director, Joint Staff Force Structure, Resources, and Assessments (J-8);

32 DOD News Release, “Secretary Gates Announces Efficiencies Initiatives,” No. 706-10, August 9, 2010.
33 Ibid.
34 Bill Bartel, “Jobs to be Lost in the Region: 1,900; Annual Savings for the Military: $400M; Date of JFCOM Demise:
By Nov.,” Norfolk-Virginian Pilot, January 11, 2011.
35 Ann Roosevelt, “JFCOM Functions to Gather Under Joint Staff,” Defense Daily, February 11, 2011.
36 Information in this section is taken from Statement of General Raymond T. Odierno, U.S. Army, Commander,
United States Joint Forces Command, Improving the Readiness of U.S. Forces Through Military Jointness, HASC
Readiness Subcommittee, March 31, 2011 and “DOD Approves Reassignment of Certain JFCOM Activities, Defense
Daily,
May 3, 2011.
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• JFCOM J-9 Joint Concept Development and Experimentation Directorate will be
reassigned to the Director, Joint Staff Joint Coalition Warfare (J-9);
• The Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) is reassigned to
USTRANSCOM;
• The Joint Warfare Analysis Center is reassigned to USSTRATCOM;
• The Joint Personnel Recovery Agency is reassigned to the Air Force; and
• The NATO School is reassigned to USEUCOM.
The physical move of all realigned JFCOM activities is expected to be completed by March 2012.
Selected Current Issues
With the disestablishment of USJFCOM and the reassignment of selected missions and functions,
it remains to be seen if these changes will be effective and, in DOD terms, “seamless” in their
application. While these changes were advertised by DOD as cost-effective, a retrospective
analysis might be warranted to determine if these changes actually resulted in an overall cost
savings or if these costs were simply transferred to the new owning agencies or COCOMs. The
disestablishment and realignment of USJFCOM might also serve as both a model and precedent
for future COCOM realignments or closures.
U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)37
Website: www.socom.mil
Mission38
USSOCOM’s primary mission is to organize, train, and equip special operations forces (SOF) and
provides those forces to the Geographic Combatant Commanders under whose operational
control they serve. USSOCOM also develops special operations strategy, doctrine, and
procedures for the use of SOF and also develops and procures specialized, SOF-unique
equipment for its assigned forces. USSOCOM is also responsible for synchronizing DOD
planning against terrorists and their networks on a global basis. This particular aspect of
USSOCOM’s mission requires working extensively with other non-DOD U.S. Government
Agencies, sometimes referred to as the Interagency.

37For detailed information on USSOCOM, subcomponents, and assigned forces see CRS Report RS21048, U.S. Special
Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress
, by Andrew Feickert.
38 Posture Statement of Admiral Eric T. Olson, USN, Commander United States Special Operations Command before
the 112th Congress Senate Armed Services Committee, March 1, 2011.
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History39
The 1980 Desert One tragedy and the 1983 loss of 237 Marines in Beirut, combined with the
command and control problems experienced during Grenada in 1983 heightened apprehensions
about DOD’s ability to manage the Services, including special operations forces who were
“owned” by their respective service.
By 1983, there was a small but growing sense in Congress of the need for military reforms. In
June, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), under the chairmanship of Senator Barry
Goldwater (R-AZ), began a two-year-long study of DOD which included an examination of SOF.
With concern mounting on Capitol Hill, DOD created the Joint Special Operations Agency on
January 1, 1984. This agency had neither operational nor command authority over any SOF units
and did little to address SOF issues.
Within Congress, there was a growing sense that a radical restructuring of SOF was needed.
Proponents included Senators Sam Nunn (D-GA) and William Cohen (R-ME), both members of
the SASC, and Representative Dan Daniel (D-VA), the chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee
of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). Congressman Daniel believed the U.S.
military establishment had little interest in special operations and that U.S. SOF was second-rate
when compared to countries such as Great Britain and Israel. Senators Nunn and Cohen also
believed that DOD was not preparing adequately for future threats. Senator Nunn expressed a
growing frustration with the Service’s practice of reallocating monies appropriated for SOF
modernization to non-SOF programs and suggested the U.S. needed a more efficient organization
and a more direct chain of command for special operations.
In early 1986, SOF advocates introduced reform bills in the House and Senate. The Senate bill,
co-sponsored by Senator Nunn and others called for a joint military organization for SOF and the
establishment of an office in DOD to ensure adequate funding and policy emphasis for low-
intensity conflict and special operations. Representative Daniel’s proposal went even further - he
wanted a national special operations agency headed by a civilian who would bypass the Joint
Chiefs and report directly to the SECDEF , thereby keeping Joint Chiefs and Services out of the
SOF budget process.
Congress held hearings on the two bills in the summer of 1986. CJCS Admiral William J. Crowe,
led the Pentagon’s opposition to the bills and proposed instead a new special operations forces
command led by a three-star general. This proposal was not well received by Congress who
wanted a four-star officer in charge so that he could deal on an equal footing with the four-star
Service Chiefs.
President Reagan approved the establishment of USSOCOM on April 13, 1987. DOD activated
USSOCOM on April 16, 1987 and nominated Army General Lindsay to be USSOCOM’s first
commander.

39 Information in this section is taken from author’s National War College course materials, USSOCOM History Book,
“Founding and Evolution of USSOCOM,” pp. 5-11.
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Subcomponents40
U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)
USASOC includes Army Special Forces, also known as Green Berets; Rangers; Civil Affairs, and
Military Information Support Operations (MISO)—formerly known as psychological operations
(PSYOPS)—units. In addition, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) provides
rotary wing support to all SOF units.
Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC)
NSWC consists of Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) teams that conduct operations in both maritime and
ground environments. NSWC also has SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) teams—specialized SEALs
that pilot small submersible vehicles that can deliver SEALs to their area of operations. NSWC
includes Special Boat Teams that can deliver SEALs from ship to shore as well as operate in the
littorals and rivers.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)
AFSOC provides specialized fixed and rotary wing support to USSOCOM units. In addition to
aircraft support, AFSOC also provides Combat Controllers, Pararescue Jumpers, Special
Operations Weather Teams, and Tactical Air Control Parties (TACPs) to support special
operations. AFSOC is currently establishing a capacity to train and advise partner nation aviation
units as part of foreign internal defense initiatives.
Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC)
Established in 2005, MARSOC is the newest USSOCOM subcomponent. It consists of three
Marine Special Operations Battalions, a Marine Special Operations Support Group, a Marine
Special Operations Intelligence Battalion, and the Marine Special Operations School.
Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)41
According to USSOCOM, JSOC is a sub unified command charged with studying special
operations requirements and techniques to ensure interoperability and equipment standardization.
JSOC also plans and conducts special operations exercises and training and develops joint special
operations tactics.
USOCOM also notes JSOC “is comprised of an impressive amalgamation of rigorously screened
and accessed, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Civilians,” and “past and present members
of JSOC have participated in all of our Nation’s wars and contingency operations since it was
activated in 1980.” Press reports suggest JSOC is home to USSOCOM’s national mission forces

40 Information from this section is taken from CRS Report RS21048, U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF):
Background and Issues for Congress
, by Andrew Feickert and USSOCOM website, http://www.socom.mil.
41 Information in this section is taken from the JSOC web page, http://www.socom.mil/Pages/
JointSpecialOperationsCommand.aspx.
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which reportedly conduct highly sensitive combat and supporting operations against terrorists on
a world-wide basis.42
Other Components
Joint Special Operations University (JSOU)43
JSOU’s stated mission is to
Educate Special Operations Forces executive, senior, and intermediate leaders and selected
other national and international security decision-makers, both military and civilian, through
teaching, research, and outreach in the science and art of Joint Special Operations.
Special Operations Command–Joint Capabilities (SOC-JC)44
With the August 2010 disestablishment of JFCOM, SOCJFCOM was transferred to USSOCOM
where it was renamed SOC-JC. SOC-JC’s mission is to train conventional and special operations
force commanders and their staffs in the employment of Special Operations Forces focusing on
the full integration of SOF and the conventional forces in both planning and execution to enhance
warfighting readiness.
Ongoing Operations
USSOCOM operates on a global basis in both overt and classified modes. Missions range from
foreign internal defense to counterterrorism, but the primary emphasis for US SOF is attacking
terrorists and terror cells world wide. The primary focus of these activities is the USCENTCOM
region, where the USSOCOM commander testified in March 2011 that 85% of USSOCOM’s
deployed forces are operating.45
Selected Current Issues
Enablers
USSOCOM is seeking an increase in “enabling forces” units such as engineers, military police,
medical, and maintenance that are provided by the Services but are not part of USSOCOM’s
organic force structure. These and other enabling forces provide support for forward-deployed

42 Jennifer D. Kibbe, “The Rise of the Shadow Warriors,” Foreign Affairs, Volume 83, Number 2, March/April 2004
and Sean D. Naylor, “JSOC to Become Three-Star Command,” Army Times, February 13, 2006; and U.S. Army
Special Operations Command News Service, “Gates Nominates McRaven, Thurman for Senior Posts,” Release
Number: 110303-02, March 3, 2011, http://www.soc.mil/UNS/Releases/2011/March/110303-02.html.
43 Information in this section is taken from the JSOU web page, https://jsou.socom.mil.
44 Information in this section is taken from Special Operations Command–Joint Capabilities website,
http://www.sojc.socom.mil.
45 CQ Congressional Transcripts, “”House Armed Services Committee Holds Hearing on the Proposed Fiscal Year
2012 Budget for the Defense Department’s U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command,” March 3,
2011, p. 4.
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SOF units in theaters such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The availability of and access to these
enabling units will likely become increasingly important as conventional U.S. forces near
completion of their withdrawal in Iraq and begin drawing down forces in Afghanistan in late
2011. US SOF forces are expected to keep high levels of forces in the USCENTCOM AOR for
the foreseeable future and many observers believe they will need enabling forces to support their
operations.
“Fraying” of the Forces
The USSOCOM Commander testified in March 2011 that the decade-long wars had resulted in
some “fraying around the edges” for US SOF.46 This almost constant state of deployment has
resulted in significant time away from families and limited time for needed professional training
and education. Because USSOCOM’s self-imposed annual growth rate of 4%—USSOCOM
leaders argue growth in excess of 4% will dilute the quality of the force—adding SOF to alleviate
these concerns is not possible. USSOCOM is exploring a variety of initiatives to address stress on
the force.
Access to Local Training Areas
While USSOCOM has built a number of training ranges, they must also use pre-existing Service
ranges and SOF does not always have priority for use and sometimes must travel great distances
to use these facilities—contributing to “days away from home,” a force stressor. USSOCOM is in
the process of building new ranges and coordinating access to existing service ranges, particularly
those ranges that cannot be replicated due to environmental or land use restrictions.
U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM)
Website: http://www.stratcom.mil
Mission47
USSTRATCOM’s primary responsibility is the stewardship and employment of U.S. nuclear
weapons and to detect, deter, and prevent attacks against the United States and our allies and to
join with the other combatant commands to defend the nation should deterrence fail. Specific
responsibilities include planning, synchronizing, advocating, and employing capabilities to meet
the United States’ strategic deterrence; space operations; cyberspace operations; global strike;
missile defense; intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR); and combating weapons of mass
destruction (WMD).

46 Ibid., p. 5.
47 Information in this section is taken from USSTRATCOM’s web page, http://www.stratcom.mil, and Statement of
General C. Robert Kehler, Commander, United States Strategic Command before the Senate Committee on Armed
Services, March 29, 2011.
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History48
USSTRATCOM was established October 1, 2002. USSTRATCOM has provided intelligence,
planning and cyber support to coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. It monitors orbiting
satellites and space debris, allowing spacecraft to avoid collision. USTRATCOM has also
deployed systems to provide limited protection against ballistic missile attack.
The missions most directly associated with USSTRATCOM and its predecessors are deterrence
and global strike. These were the missions of Strategic Air Command (SAC) from 1946 to 1992
and of the first USSTRATCOM from 1992 to 2002. Though best known for its connection with
the nuclear deterrent, SAC conducted conventional bombing operations during the Korean War
and Vietnam War and the first Persian Gulf War, 1991.
On June 1, 1992, SAC was replaced by a new unified command, USSTRATCOM. The new
command’s primary mission was to deter attack, especially nuclear attack, on the United States
and its allies and, if deterrence failed, employ nuclear forces in response.
The U.S. military began operating in space in the late 1950s, with many of the early systems
developed to meet SAC’s needs for surveillance, warning, meteorology, and communications. By
1985, space activities had grown to such a scale that DOD created a new unified command,
USSPACECOM, to manage military space operations. Secretary Rumsfeld’s initiative to merge
USSTRATCOM and USSPACECOM led to the creation of the current USSTRATCOM in 2002.
Two other areas took on increasing importance beginning around 2000: missile defense and
cyberspace operations. By September 2004, the U.S. had deployed a limited system that offered
some protection to North America and had opened discussions about extending the system to
cover allies.
The U.S. military’s reliance on computer networks grew exponentially in the 1980s and 1990s.
National leaders took steps to protect defense networks in 1998, creating a Joint Task Force for
Computer Network Defense and assigning it to USSPACECOM. As computer attacks against
DOD become more sophisticated and frequent there were calls to place greater emphasis and
visibility on cyber operations. Defense Secretary Robert Gates favored a new sub-unified
command under USSTRATCOM that would recombine offensive and defensive computer
network operations. Established 21 May 2010, U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) was
fully operational on Oct. 31, 2010.

48 http://www.stratcom.mil/history/.
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Subcomponents
Service Subcomponents49
Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC)
AFGSC is responsible for the Air Force’s three intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) wings,
two B-52 Stratofortress wings and the sole B-2 Spirit wing. AFGSC has two numbered air forces
that are tasked with providing capabilities to combatant commands. The Eighth Air Force controls
the long-range nuclear bomber assets (B-52s and B-2s) and the Twentieth Air Force controls the
ICBM wings.
Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)
AFSPC provides space and cybersecurity forces for USSTRATCOM. It has two numbered air
forces providing these capabilities. The Fourteenth Air Force controls and supports several
satellite systems including the Global Positioning System (GPS); Defense Satellite
Communications Systems Phase II and III; and the Defense Meteorological Support Program. In
addition, the Fourteenth Air Force has Atlas, Delta, and Titan launch vehicles at its disposal to put
payloads into orbit. The Twenty-Fourth Air Force plans and conducts cyberspace operations in
support of combatant commands.
U.S. Army Forces Strategic Command (ARSTRAT)
ARSTRAT conducts space and missile defense operations and provides planning, integration,
control, and coordination of Army forces and capabilities in support of USSTRATCOM missions.
Fleet Forces Command
Fleet Forces Command is responsible for the entire Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the
waters around Central and South America extending into the Pacific to the Galapagos Island.
Marine Corps Forces U.S. Strategic Command (MARFORSTRAT)
MARFORSTRAT serves as the Marine Corps service component to USSTRATCOM.

49 http://www.stratcom.mil/service_components/.
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Functional Components50
U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM)
USCYBERCOM is a sub unified command that is subordinate to USSTRATCOM.
USCYBERCOM plans, coordinates, integrates, synchronizes, and conducts activities to defend
DOD information networks and also conducts cyber space activities to enable U.S. military
activities.
Joint Functional Component Command-Global Strike (JFCC-GS)
JFCC-GS optimizes planning, integration, execution and force management of assigned missions
to deter attacks against the United States, its territories, possessions, and bases.
Joint Functional Component Command– Integrated Missile Defense (JFCC-IMD)
JFCC-IMD synchronizes operational-level global missile defense planning, operations support,
and the development of missile defense effects for DOD.
Joint Functional Component Command-Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance (JFCC-ISR)

JFCC-ISR plans, integrates, and coordinates intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in
support of strategic and global operations and strategic deterrence.
Joint Functional Component Command- Space (JFCC-Space)
JFCC-Space is responsible for executing continuous, integrated space operations to deliver
theater and global effects in support of national and combatant commander objectives.
Joint Information Operations Warfare Center (JIOWC)
JIOWC provides joint information operations planning, execution, and operational-level
integration of Electronic Warfare, Operations Security, and Military Deception across DOD to
support USSTRATCOM, joint force commanders, and U.S. national objectives. On September
12, 2011, President Obama signed Change One to the 2011 UCP which transfers the Information
Operations, Military Deception, and Operations Security missions from USSTRATCOM to the
Joint Staff so it is possible the structure and missions of JIOWC may change significantly in the
near future.

50 http://www.stratcom.mil/functional_components/, and U.S. Strategic Command “Snap Shot,”–A Summary of
USSTRATCOM Facts and Information, March 2011.
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USSTRATCOM Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction
(SCC-WMD)

SCC-WMD plans, advocates, and advises the USSTRATCOM commander on WMD-related
matters.
Ongoing Operations51
According to USSTRATCOM’s commander, USSTRATCOM’s major ongoing operation is to
detect, deter and prevent attacks against the United States and to join with the other combatant
commands to defend the nation should deterrence fail. One aspect of this operation is the “around
the clock” command and control of U.S. nuclear forces. USSTRATCOM is also involved in
implementing the new START treaty and efforts to sustain and modernize the nuclear triad and
the nuclear weapons complex.
USSTRATCOM provides support to other combatant commanders in the areas of integrated
missile defense and ISR operations. Not unlike its nuclear deterrence activities, USSTRATCOM
and USCYBERCOM operate on a daily basis to improve their ability to operate and defend the
DOD information network and make sure critical activities can continue, even in the face of
adversary attempts to deny or disrupt them. USSTRATCOM is also responsible for U.S. military
space operations on a day-to-day basis such as launching satellites and monitoring activities in
space.
Selected Current Issues52
Funding the Nuclear Enterprise53
In March 2011, the USSTRATCOM commander noted during a Senate Armed Services
Committee (SASC) that the FY2011 budget and FY2012 budget request represented a reversal of
several years of a downward trend in nuclear enterprise funding. These funds are used for
facilities, equipment, and personnel for sustaining and managing the nation’s nuclear weapons
and to dismantle weapons no longer needed. This sustained level of funding is viewed as essential
to maintain adequate stockpile surveillance and assessment programs and synchronize weapons
sustainment programs by introducing cost effective safety and security features for legacy nuclear
weapons.

51 Congressional Transcripts, “Senate Armed Services Committee Holds Hearing on the Defense Authorization Request
for Fiscal Year 2012 and Future Years for the U.S. European Command and U.S. Strategic Command,” March 29,
2011.
52 Statement of General C. Robert Kehler, Commander, United States Strategic Command before the Senate Committee
on Armed Services, March 29, 2011.
53 For additional information on U.S. nuclear weapons see CRS Report RL30345, U.S. Nuclear Weapons: Policy,
Force Structure, and Arms Control Issues
, by Amy F. Woolf.
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Support for a Fledgling USCYBERCOM54
The USSTRATCOM commander has expressed a requirement to accelerate the acquisition of
“comprehensive, shared cyber awareness tools to expand opportunities to secure critical
information, reduce points of vulnerability, and develop responses to ensure warfighter access to
essential information systems.”55 The urgency of this requirement is likely underscored by the
increasing tempo and effectiveness of cyber attacks against DOD information systems. While
access to cyber tools was cited as a command priority, recruiting adequately trained cyber
professionals is proving to be a challenge, and USCYBERCOM is developing career paths to
develop and retain cyber professionals. One means to develop and sustain CYBERCOM’s
workforce is to partner with educational and commercial informational technology entities.
New Strategic Command and Control Complex and Nuclear Command,
Control, and Communication Node at Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska

The FY2012 budget request seeks a first increment of $150 million to begin replacing the current
facilities housing these functions. The current complex was developed before the information
technology revolution and, in addition to aging and eroding infrastructure, it no longer has the
capacity to support current mission demands. The new facility is viewed as essential to meet
current and future operational demands, and both continuity in funding as well a required level of
funding will likely continue to be command concerns until the project is completed.
U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)
Website: http//:www.transcom.mil
Mission56
Develop and direct the Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise to globally project strategic
national security capabilities; accurately sense the operating environment; provide end-to-end
distribution process visibility; and supportive of joint, U.S. government and Secretary of Defense-
approved multinational and nongovernmental logistical requirements.
History57
World War II, the Berlin blockade, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War demonstrated the need
for the United States to maintain a capable and ready transportation system for national security.
A 1978 exercise exposed significant gaps in understanding between military and civilian
participants: mobilization and deployment plans fell apart, and as a result, the United States and

54 For additional information on USCYBERCOM see CRS Report R40836, Cybersecurity: Current Legislation,
Executive Branch Initiatives, and Options for Congress
, by Catherine A. Theohary and John Rollins
55 Statement of General C. Robert Kehler, Commander, United States Strategic Command before the Senate Committee
on Armed Services, March 29, 2011, pp. 15-16.
56 Information in this section is taken from http://www.transcom.mil/about/whatIs.cfm.
57 Taken directly from http://www.transcom.mil/about/briefHistory.cfm.
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its NATO allies “lost the war.” Two major recommendations came out of the exercise. First, the
Transportation Operating Agencies (later called the Transportation Component Commands)
should have a direct reporting chain to the JCS. Second, the JCS should establish a single
manager for deployment and execution. As a result, the JCS formed the Joint Deployment Agency
(JDA) in 1979 at MacDill Air Force Base, FL.
Although the JDA had responsibility for integrating deployment procedures, it did not have
authority to direct the Transportation Operating Agencies or Unified and Specified Commanders
to take corrective actions, keep data bases current, or adhere to milestones. In April 1987
President Reagan ordered the SECDEF to establish a Unified Transportation Command (UTC), a
directive made possible in part by the Goldwater-Nichols DOD Reorganization Act of 1986,
which revoked the law prohibiting consolidation of military transportation functions.
Designated the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), its mission was to
provide global air, sea, and land transportation to meet national security needs. It had three
transportation component commands—the Air Force’s Military Airlift Command (replaced by Air
Mobility Command in 1992), the Navy’s Military Sealift Command, and the Army’s Military
Traffic Management Command, (renamed Military Surface Deployment and Distribution
Command in 2004). On June 22 1987, the President nominated Air Force General Duane H.
Cassidy as the first USTRANSCOM commander. The commander of USTRANSCOM received
operational direction from the National Command Authority (NCA) through the CJCS. There
were, however, some deficiencies in this new command arrangement. The Services retained their
single-manager charters for their respective transportation modes. Even more restrictive,
USTRANSCOM’s authorities were limited primarily to wartime.
As a result, during peacetime, USTRANSCOM’s component commands continued to operate
day-to-day much as they had in the past. They controlled their industrial funds and maintained
responsibility for Service-unique missions, Service-oriented procurement and maintenance
scheduling, and DOD charters during peacetime single-manager transportation operations. They
also continued to have operational control of forces.
DOD learned much from the strategic deployment for Desert Shield/Desert Storm and foremost
among those lessons was USTRANSCOM and its component commands needed to operate in
peacetime as they would in wartime. Consequently, on February 14, 1992, the SECDEF gave
USTRANSCOM a new charter. Stating the command’s mission to be “to provide air, land, and
sea transportation for DOD, both in time of peace and time of war,” the charter greatly expanded
the authorities of the USTRANSCOM commander. Under the new charter, the Service Secretaries
assigned the components to the USTRANSCOM commander in peace and war. In addition, the
military departments assigned to him, under his combatant command, all transportation assets
except those that were Service-unique or theater-assigned. The charter also made the
USTRANSCOM commander DOD’s single-manager for transportation, other than Service-
unique and theater-assigned assets.
On September 16, 2003, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld designated the USTRANSCOM
commander as the Distribution Process Owner (DPO) to serve “as the single entity to direct and
supervise execution of the Strategic Distribution system” in order to “improve the overall
efficiency and interoperability of distribution related activities - deployment, sustainment and
redeployment support during peace and war.” As the DPO, USTRANSCOM partnered with other
COCOMs, the Services, defense agencies, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff and
industry to improve the Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise
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Since 2003, USTRANSCOM has gained additional responsibilities related to its role as the
Distribution Process Owner. In 2004, USTRANSCOM became the portfolio manager for DOD
logistics information technology systems, and received acquisition authority for procuring
information technology systems, carrying out research projects and obtaining services needed to
transform the DOD supply chain.
Subcomponents58
Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC)
“SDDC provides ocean terminal, commercial ocean liner service and traffic management services
to deploy, sustain and redeploy U.S. forces on a global basis. The command is responsible for
surface transportation and is the interface between DOD shippers and the commercial
transportation carrier industry. This includes movement of servicemembers household goods and
privately owned vehicles. SDDC is the nation’s largest customer to the moving industry with
more than 500,000 household goods moves a year. The command also provides transportation for
troops and materiel to ports of departure in the U.S. and overseas and manages 24 ports
worldwide, including military terminals at Sunny Point, N.C., and Concord, Calif.”
Military Sealift Command (MSC)
“MSC provides sealift transportation services to deploy, sustain and redeploy U.S. forces around
the globe. MSC provides sealift with a fleet of government-owned and chartered U.S.-flagged
ships. MSC executes Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) contracts for chartered
vessels. Sealift ships principally move unit equipment from the U.S. to theaters of operation all
over the world. In addition to sealift ships, MSC operates a fleet of prepositioned ships
strategically placed around the world and loaded with equipment and supplies to sustain Army,
Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Defense Logistics Agency operations. These ships remain at
sea, ready to deploy on short notice, which significantly reduces the response time for the
delivery of urgently needed equipment and supplies to a theater of operation.”
Air Mobility Command (AMC)
“AMC provides strategic and tactical airlift, air refueling, and aeromedical evacuation services
for deploying, sustaining and redeploying U.S. forces wherever they are needed. Many special
duty and operational support aircraft are also assigned to AMC (including Air Force One). In
addition, AMC contracts with commercial air carriers through Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF)
and other programs for movement of DOD passengers and cargo. AMC’s air fleet provides swift
response as an element of America’s global reach.”

58 http://www.transcom.mil/about/cocom.cfm.
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Ongoing Operations59
USTRANSCOM conducts military and commercial transportation, distribution process
integration, terminal management, aerial refueling, and global patient movement on a daily basis.
While USTRANSCOM supports all combatant commands, its largest customer is CENTCOM
due to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2010, USTRANSCOM deployed and redeployed
48 Brigade Combat Teams, 75,000 Aerial Expeditionary Forces, 12 Security Force Packages, and
also moved Marine Expeditionary, Stryker, and Combat Aviation Brigades in the USCENTCOM
region. The centerpiece of these efforts was the on-time deployment of 30,000 surge troops to
Afghanistan and the drawdown from 130,000 to 50,000 service members in Iraq by the end of
August 2011.
Selected Current Issues60
Ground Supply in Afghanistan
USTRANSCOM continues efforts to expand surface networks which supply Afghanistan. Called
the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), USTRANSCOM’s stated priority is to enhance and
improve this network. In 2010, two additional routes through the Baltics and Central Asia were
added which has facilitated faster and less costly cargo flow. The improvement of the NDN will
take on added importance as the United States and NATO allies begin to withdraw significant
numbers of troops and quantities of equipment over the next few years. Even after the
withdrawal, maintaining the NDN to supply the Afghan military will also likely remain a priority.
New UCP Mission: “Global Distribution Synchronizer”
USTRANSCOM is slated to assume the responsibility as “global distributions synchronizer” as
stipulated in the 2011 UCP. This new mission will require USTRANSCOM to “assess the global
distribution environment, identify potential distribution gaps, threats, seams, and vulnerabilities
and develop distribution strategies that will ensure continued warfighter success.”61 This
significant undertaking will likely involve extensive coordination and planning with all COCOMs
and will eventually make USTRANSCOM responsible for the global movement of everything
from “beans to bullets.” 62
Maintaining Air Mobility Readiness
In testimony to the SASC in April 2011, the USTRANSCOM commander testified that the
recapitalization of the aerial tanker refueling fleet is his top acquisition priority. The new aerial
refueling tanker presently under development, the KC-46A, is viewed as essential to support
USTRANSCOM’s aerial mobility missions. He further noted that schedule delays or funding cuts

59Statement of General Duncan J. McNabb, USAF, Commander, United States Transportation Command Before the
Senate Armed Services Committee on the State of the Command, April 7, 2011.
60 Ibid.
61 Jason Sherman, “TRANSCOM Awaits Nod from White House on Expanded Portfolio (Update),”
InsideDefense.com, April 6, 2011.
62 Ibid.
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to this program could have an adverse impact on aerial mobility as many of the aircraft they are
intended to replace are near obsolescence.
Geographic Combatant Commands
U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM)63
Website: http://www.africom.mil
Mission
“Africa Command protects and defends the national security interests of the United States by
strengthening the defense capabilities of African states and regional organizations and, when
directed, conducts military operations, in order to deter and defeat transnational threats and to
provide a security environment conducive to good governance and development.”64
“USAFRICOM is responsible for U.S. military relations with 54 African countries including the
islands of Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome and Principe, along with the Indian
Ocean islands of Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles. U.S. Central Command
maintains its traditional relationship with Egypt, though USAFRICOM coordinates with Egypt on
issues relating to Africa security.”65
A Different Kind of Combatant Command66
Dr. Cynthia Watson, a professor at the National War College and author of “Combatant
Commands: Origins, Structure, and Engagements,” observes USAFRICOM has a different type
of mission, noting
USAFRICOM allows the U.S. government, particularly DOD, to work toward a more stable
environment in which political and economic growth can take place with three former U.S.
commands consolidated into a single new one to best work out the U.S. government efforts.
Africa Command hopes to avoid that traditional combatant command goals of warfighting in
favor of war prevention, making its orientation quite different from other parallel
organizations.

63 For additional information on USAFRICOM see CRS Report RL34003, Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests
and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa
, by Lauren Ploch.
64 Fact Sheet: United States Africa Command, http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=1644.
65 AFRICOM FAQs, http://www.africom.mil/AfricomFAQ.asp.
66 Cynthia A. Watson, p. 174.
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History67
Africa’s previous command arrangements [USEUCOM has had responsibility for most of Africa
since the end of World War II]68 reflect the relatively low level of importance assigned to the
African continent within the U.S. military structure. Before the creation of USAFRICOM, Africa
generally received less attention than other regions under the three aforementioned military
commands. USCENTCOM was focused on U.S. security priorities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
USEUCOM was preoccupied with NATO, relations with European allies and Russia. USPACOM
was primarily focused on regional powers such as China, India and North Korea. There was a
consensus that the previous command arrangements for Africa represented a “suboptimal
organizational structure.” Secretary of Defense Robert Gates observed that previous command
arrangements for the African continent were “an outdated arrangement left over from the Cold
War.” U.S. foreign policy in the region, like its military involvement, was primarily concerned
with Cold War geopolitics rather than African policy and development. Scholars have referred to
this policy attitude as “benign neglect,” designating Africa as the “stepchild” of U.S. foreign
policy. This attitude continued after the end of the Cold War, when the opportunity to articulate
coherent policy was overlooked. While the transformation of the geopolitical landscape was
significantly altered by the fall of the Soviet Union, America’s attention was focused on the newly
freed Eurasian states. In 1995, in its U.S. Security Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa, DOD noted
that “ultimately we see very little traditional strategic interest in Africa.”
Events in the late 1990s began to change U.S. perception of security interests in Africa. In 1998,
two U.S. embassies in Africa were bombed. While many scholars believe these twin bombings
marked a turning point in U.S. strategic policy toward the region, the domestic terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, forced a reassessment of U.S. policy vis-à-vis Africa and its role in the
global war on terrorism. The growing strategic importance of Africa for the United States was
subsequently articulated in government documents. In the 2002 National Security Strategy, the
concept of weak states and their role in global instability was an important theme. The 2006
National Security Strategy solidified the newly important role of Africa, observing, “Africa holds
growing geo-strategic importance and is a high priority of this administration.” The National
Security Presidential Directive (NSPD 50) signed by President Bush in September 2006 provided
the first update to overall U.S. strategy toward Africa since 1992.
Africa’s abundance of natural energy resources has made it an attractive region for countries the
United States, China, and India seeking additional resources. U.S. officials note three areas are of
particular concern: (1) the number of soft targets (e.g., embassies and consulates); (2) the
recruiting potential for young, angry, marginalized youth from Somalia to Morocco; and (3) the
potential of sanctuary for international terrorists (particularly in large ungoverned spaces). Africa
has also been a target terrorist activity: there were attacks on the U.S. embassies in Tanzania, and
Kenya, in 1998; on targets in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2002; and in Algiers in 2007. In particular, the
Horn of Africa is of concern to terrorism experts and military personnel.69 In addition to terrorism

67 Information in this section is taken from Milady Ortiz, “U.S. Africa Command: A New Way of Thinking,” National
Security Watch, Association of the U.S. Army Institute of Land Warfare,” March 13, 2008.
68 Cynthia A. Watson, p. 174.
69 For additional information on regional terrorism see CRS Report R41473, Countering Terrorism in East Africa: The
U.S. Response
, by Lauren Ploch.
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concern, the growth of international piracy in the region has become a serious problem for the
international community.70
On February 6, 2007, the White House announced a presidential directive to create a new unified
combatant command in Africa. U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) commenced official
operations on October 1, 2007, and remained a sub-unified command under U.S. European
Command (USEUCOM) until October 2008. On October 1, 2008, USAFRICOM was declared
fully mission capable and took over the role of geographic combatant command for Africa. While
the USAFRICOM headquarters remains in Germany, there are aspirations to possibly move it to
Africa sometime in the future but regional sensitivities and security concerns have made this a
challenging proposition.
Subcomponents
U.S. Army Africa (USARAF)71
Headquartered in Vicenza, Italy, USARAF is the Army component to USAFRICOM. In concert
with national and international partners, it conducts sustained security engagement with African
land forces to promote peace, stability, and security in Africa. If required, USAFRICOM can
deploy as a contingency headquarters in support of crisis response. USAFRICOM is staffed by
the Southern European Task Force (SETAF), which prior to August 2008 was an airborne task
force that supported NATO in both combat and humanitarian operations.
U.S. Naval Forces, Africa (NAVAF)72
“NAVAF is part of a combined U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR)/NAVAF headquarters and
is tasked with the conduct of the full range of maritime operations and theater security
cooperation in concert with coalition joint interagency and other partners in order to advance
security and stability in Europe and Africa. Their combined areas of responsibility cover
approximately half of the Atlantic Ocean, from the North Pole to Antarctica; as well as the
Adriatic, Baltic, Barents, Black, Caspian, Mediterranean and North Seas. NAVEUR-NAVAF
[headquartered in Naples, Italy] covers all of Russia, Europe and nearly the entire continent of
Africa. It encompasses 105 countries with a combined population of more than one billion people
and includes a landmass extending more than 14 million square miles.” The U.S. Sixth Fleet
supports NAVAF operations in the AFRICOM AOR and is headquartered in Naples, Italy.
U.S. Air Forces, Africa (AFAFRICA)73
“AFAFRICA, or 17th Air Forces, conducts sustained security engagement and operations to
promote air safety, security, and development in Africa. AFAFRICA is located at Ramstein Air
Base in Germany.”

70 For additional information on piracy around the Horn of Africa see CRS Report R40528, Piracy off the Horn of
Africa
, by Lauren Ploch et al.
71 http://www.usaraf.army.mil/.
72 http://www.naveur-navaf.navy.mil/.
73 http://www.africom.mil/pdfFiles/AFRICOMfactsheet05AUG2011.pdf.
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U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Africa (MARFORAF)
MARFORAF, located Stuttgart, Germany, is the Marine’s service component headquarters for
USAFRICOM. “MARFORAF conducts operations, exercises, training, and security cooperation
activities throughout the African Continent.”74
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA)
“CJTF-HOA is USAFRICOM’s forward operating task force located at Camp Lemonnier in
Djibouti. It is one of more than 23 tenant organizations. CJTF-HOA has approximately 2,000
people assigned on rotating tours. While the core staff works at Camp Lemonnier, most of the
service members assigned to CJTF-HOA are “embedded” in partner nations performing a range
of activities—building partner security capability, capacity, and infrastructure through regional
cooperation; military-to-military programs; civil-military affairs projects; and professional
military education programs. Through an indirect approach, the task force, along with coalition
and other U.S. defense components, provides support to regional organizations to help foster
cooperation, enhance collective peace-keeping, improve humanitarian assistance, and support
civil-military operations.”75
Special Operations Command-Africa (SOCAFRICA)
“On October 1, 2008, SOCAFRICA was established as USAFRICOM’s Theater Special
Operations Command—a functional, sub-unified special operations command for Africa.
SOCAFRICA contributes to USAFRICOM’s mission through the application of the full spectrum
of special operations forces capabilities including civil affairs, information operations, theater
security cooperation, crisis response, and campaign planning.”76 SOCAFRICA is headquartered
in Stuttgart, Germany.
Ongoing Operations
NATO Operations Against Libya77
On March 19, 2011, U.S. and coalition aircraft began air strikes in support of United Nations
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973 to protect the Libyan people against Libyan armed
forces loyal to the Qadhafi regime.78 USAFRICOM was placed in command of this operation
(Operation Odyssey Dawn). On March 31st, NATO assumed command of this operation (renamed
Operation Unified Protector) from USAFRICOM. The NATO mission ended on October 31,
2011, seven months after it began. NATO’s current plan is to function in an “oversight role to
make sure that the situation remains moving forward in a positive direction, with no threats or

74 Ibid.
75 AFRICOM FAQs, http://www.africom.mil/AfricomFAQ.asp.
76 USSOCOM 2011 Fact Book, http://www.socom.mil/News/Documents/USSOCOMFactBook2011.pdf.
77 Statement: AFRICOM Commander on Commencement of Military Strikes in Libya, March 19, 2011, and Jim
Garamone, “NATO Assumes Command of Libya Operations,” American Forces Press Service, March 31, 2011.
78 For additional information on military operations against Libya see CRS Report R41725, Operation Odyssey Dawn
(Libya): Background and Issues for Congress
, coordinated by Jeremiah Gertler.
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attacks on civilians.”79 With the death of Qadhafi and the transition to a new regime, it is unclear
what role USAFRICOM will play.
U.S. Deployment to Central Africa80
On October 14, 2011, President Obama informed Congress that on October 12, 2011,a small team
of U.S. military personnel began deploying to Uganda and that by November about 100 U.S.
military personnel—primarily U.S. Special Forces—would be deployed to Central Africa to act as
advisors to partner forces who are attempting to kill or capture the leadership of the Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA is a nonreligious terror group that routinely kidnaps children
and forces them to serve as soldiers which has committed multiple acts of terror in the region
over the past two decades. U.S. forces will operate in Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African
republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the mission has been characterized as a
mission of “months as opposed to years.”
In the past, USAFRICOM has provided training and equipment to a variety of central African
militaries. USAFRICOM’s involvement has been credited with helping central African forces
attrite the LRA to about 200 core fighters and about 600 supporters. It is not known what
USAFRICOM’s direct role in the current operation will be but it is possible that SOCAFRICA
will exercise a degree of control and oversight of this mission.
Operation Enduring Freedom-Trans Sahara (OEF-TS)
“OEF-TS is the US Military regional plan against terrorist and violent extremists. OEF-TS is the
military component to Trans Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP), together with other
USG organizations, OEF-TS will help enhance stability and deter terrorist activity on the African
continent, with an emphasis on greater security in North Africa. USAFRICOM is working with
international partners in a regional approach to common areas of concern such as commerce,
education and economic development. OEF-TS works with the partner nations to expand military
-to-military cooperation, ensure adequate resources are available to train, advise, assist regional
units, and establish mechanisms to promote better regional cooperation, communications, and
intelligence-sharing.”81
Exercises82
USAFRICOM planned 13 major joint exercises in Africa for 2011. USAFRICOM uses these
exercises to encourage the development of partner nation’s security capabilities and instilling
professionalism in Africa’s various military and security forces. These exercises range from
traditional land combat operations, to logistics and medical operations, humanitarian aid and
disaster response, to counterterrorism training.

79 U.S. Department of States, “Transcript: NATO Representative Announces End of Operation in Libya,” October 24,
2011.
80 Information in this section is taken from The White House Office of the Press Secretary to the speaker of the House
of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, October 14, 2011; and Lisa Daniels, “Official: Troops
in Central Africa for Months, Not Years,” American Forces Press Service, October 26, 2011.
81 USAFRICOM, OEF Trans-Sahara, http://www.africom.mil/fetchBinary.asp?pdfID=20100526130828.
82 Fact Sheet: USAFRICOM 2011 Exercises, April 25, 2011.
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Selected Current Issues
Libyan Endstate
With the end of the Qadhafi regime, it is possible that USAFRICOM could take on a greater role
in Libya. Potential operations include stability operations and security force assistance as any
successor to the Qadhafi regime will likely require assistance in both areas. On a different level,
USAFRICOM and partner nations might also assist Libya in re-establishing national-level
military command and control such as a Ministry of Defense as well as service-centric command
and control for Libyan land, air, and naval forces. As such, USAFRICOM could play an
important long-term regional role in these and other related endeavors.
Transnational Threats83
The USAFRICOM commander has testified that violent extremism, piracy, and narcotics
trafficking constitute three of the most dangerous threats in Africa. Somalia has been termed a
failed state and linked to this instability, Al Qaeda has gained significant influence in east Africa
over the past year. Piracy, once concentrated off the coast of Somalia, has spread as far south as
the Mozambique Channel and east into the Indian Ocean despite increased international naval
presence. Illicit trafficking of narcotics also poses a significant threat to regional stability in both
West and East Africa. In and of themselves, each of these threats require complex, multi-national,
political-military solutions and appropriate levels of resources. In addition to financial resources,
USAFRICOM notes “maintaining a predictable pattern of available operational forces for
sustained engagement activity is critical to the success of our efforts on the continent and an
ongoing challenge.”84
Exercise Funding85
As previously noted, due to Africa’s colonial history and reluctance to align themselves with
outside nations, military exercises play a central role in USAFRICOM’s ability to function
effectively in the region—perhaps more so than any other combatant command. A critical concern
for many is in an era of budgetary uncertainty, USAFRICOM’s various exercise funding sources
will be subject to significant reductions, thereby adversely impacting AFRICOM’s sustained
engagement on the continent.

83 Statement of General Carter F. Ham, USA, Commander United States Africa Command Before the House Armed
Services Committee, April 5, 2011.
84 Ibid., p. 26.
85 Ibid., p 27.
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U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM)
Website: http://www.centcom.mil
Mission
“With national and international partners, U.S. Central Command promotes cooperation among
nations, responds to crises, and deters or defeats state and nonstate aggression, and supports
development and, when necessary, reconstruction in order to establish the conditions for regional
security, stability, and prosperity.”86
History
The Iranian hostage crisis that played out from 1979 to 1981 and the 1979 Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan served to underscore the need to strengthen U.S. presence in the region, President
Carter established the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) in March 1980 and President
Reagan took steps to transform the RDJTF into a permanent unified command over a two-year
period. USCENTCOM was formally established on January 1, 1983.
By late 1988, the regional strategy largely focused on the potential threat of a Soviet invasion of
Iran. The new USCENTCOM commander, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, believed that an
invasion of Iran was unlikely and began to focus on the possible emergence of a new regional
threat—Iraq. On August 2, 1990, these beliefs became a reality when Iraq invaded Kuwait. The
U.S. and other nations responded quickly by forming a coalition and deploying forces to Saudi
Arabia to deter further Iraqi aggression. On January 17, 1991, U.S. and coalition forces launched
Operation Desert Storm with an air interdiction campaign, which prepared the theater for a
coalition ground assault. The primary coalition objective, the liberation of Kuwait, was achieved
on February 27, and the next morning a cease-fire was declared, just one hundred hours after the
commencement of the ground campaign.
Even though formal hostilities ended after the hundred hour war, there were other security
concerns. Operation Provide Comfort was implemented in April 1991 to provide humanitarian
assistance to the Kurds and enforce a “no-fly” zone in Iraq. In August 1992, Operation Southern
Watch began in response to Saddam’s noncompliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 688
condemning his brutal repression of Iraqi civilians in southeastern Iraq. In January 1997,
Operation Northern Watch replaced Provide Comfort and focused on enforcing the northern no-
fly zone. Throughout the decade, USCENTCOM operations such as Vigilant Warrior, Vigilant
Sentinel, Desert Strike, Desert Thunder (I and II), and Desert Fox responded to Iraqi threats to its
neighbors or to enforce U.N. Security Council resolutions.
To prevent widespread starvation attributed to clan warfare, USCENTCOM undertook Operation
Provide Relief in 1992 to supply humanitarian assistance to Somalia and northeastern Kenya as
sanctioned by the U.N. In 1993, despite of some U.N. success in the countryside, the situation in
Mogadishu worsened, and a series of violent confrontations compelled President Clinton to order
the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Somalia. Throughout the decade following the Gulf War,

86 http://www.centcom.mil.
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terrorist attacks had a major impact on USCENTCOM forces in the region. In 1996, the Khobar
Towers in Saudi Arabia were bombed, killing 19 U.S. airmen. In 1998 terrorists attacked the U.S.
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 250 persons, including 12 Americans. The October
2000 attack on the USS Cole, resulting in the deaths of 17 U.S. sailors, was linked to Osama bin
Laden’s al Qaida organization.
The September 11, 2001, attacks compelled the U.S. to initiate a war against international
terrorism. USCENTCOM launched Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001 to expel the
Taliban government in Afghanistan, which was harboring al Qaida terrorists, hosting terrorist
training camps, and repressing the Afghan population. In the wake of 9/11, some members of
international community found Iraq’s lack of cooperation with United Nation Security Council
(UNSC) Resolutions regarding weapons of mass destruction unacceptable. Continued Iraqi
resistance led the UNSC to authorize the use of force by a U.S.-led coalition. Operation Iraqi
Freedom began March 19, 2003.
Following the defeat of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan (November 9, 2001) and Saddam
Hussein’s government in Iraq (April 8, 2003), USCENTCOM continued to provide security to the
new governments in those countries, conducting counterinsurgency operations and assisting host
nation security forces to provide for their own defense.
Beginning in October 2002, USCENTCOM conducted operations in the Horn of Africa to assist
host nations there to combat terrorism, establish a secure environment, and foster regional
stability. USCENTCOM also provided disaster relief such as the October 2005 earthquake in
Pakistan and the large-scale evacuation of American citizens from Lebanon in 2006.
On October 1, 2008, DOD transferred responsibility for Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti,
Kenya, and Somalia to the newly established USAFRICOM while Egypt remained in the
USCENTCOM AOR.87
Subcomponents
U.S. Army Central (ARCENT)88
ARCENT, in addition to being the Army component, has the mission to serve as an expeditionary
headquarters to handle operations across the full spectrum for limited duration operations. The
U.S. Third Army forms the basis of this subcomponent command and also serves as the Coalition
Forces Land Component Command. ARCENT has a forward headquarters in Doha, Qatar.
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT)89
NAVCENT has its headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, the homeport of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.
NAVCENT forces in the region normally include either a Carrier Strike Group, Expeditionary
Strike Group, or an Amphibious Strike Group. NAVCENT also serves as the command element

87 http://www.centcom.mil/en/about-centcom/our-history/.
88 Cynthia A. Watson, p. 142.
89 Ibid., pp. 141-142.
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for the Combined Maritime Forces, which is comprised of naval forces from about two dozen
nations that are responsible for combating terrorism, piracy, and illegal drug trafficking in the
region.
U.S. Air Forces Central (AFCENT)90
“Located at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, the 9th Air Force is the headquarters for
AFCENT and serves as the air component for a 27-nation area within the USCENTCOM AOR.
The 9th Air Force is also an intermediate headquarters under Air Combat Command and is
responsible for five active-duty flying wings, as well as overseeing the operational readiness of
18 designated units of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.”
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command (MARCENT)91
“MARCENT is designated as the Marine Corps service component for USCENTCOM.
MARCENT is responsible for all Marine Corps forces in the CENTCOM AOR. MARCENT
provides Marine Expeditionary Forces capable of conducting a wide range of operations, offering
the command a responsive and unique set of capabilities.” MARCENT has a forward
headquarters in Bahrain.
Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT)92
“SOCCENT is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, FL and is a subordinate unified
command of U.S. Central Command. It is responsible for planning Special Operations throughout
the USCENTCOM AOR, planning and conducting peacetime joint/combined Special Operations
training exercises and orchestrating command and control of peacetime and wartime Special
Operations as directed. SOCCENT exercises operational control of assigned and attached SOF
that deploy for the execution of training and for operational missions in the USCENTCOM area
of operations as directed by the USCENTCOM commander. When directed by the
USCENTCOM commander, SOCCENT forms a Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF).”
Ongoing Operations93
USCENTCOM forces are conducting a theater-wide campaign in conjunction with other partner
nations against Al Qaeda and its extremist allies. USCENTCOM’s stated main effort is in
Afghanistan where U.S., NATO, and coalition allies are conducting a counterinsurgency
campaign as well as training, equipping and advising Afghan military and police forces so they
can eventually take over security responsibilities for their country. In Pakistan, USCENTCOM is
supporting Pakistan’s military efforts against extremists operating from Pakistan that threaten
both Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as supporting the U.S. government’s overall strategic
partnership with Pakistan. In Iraq, as U.S. forces are drawing down and security responsibilities

90 http://www.afcent.af.mil/main/welcome.asp.
91 http://www.marines.mil/unit/marforcent/Pages/MARCENT_Main.aspx.
92 http://www.socom.mil/News/Documents/USSOCOMFactBook2011.pdf.
93 Statement of U.S. Marine Corps General James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command Commander, before the Senate
Armed Services Committee on March 1, 2011, about the posture of U.S. Central Command.
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are being transitioned to Iraq, USCENTCOM is standing up the Office of Security Cooperation–
Iraq to conduct long-term security assistance and cooperation activities with Iraq.94
Selected Current Issues95
Middle East Unrest
Concern has been expressed over past and current unrest in Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, and
Yemen spurred by people’s demands for democratic rights in those countries. In the case of
Egypt, a long standing regime was deposed and according to some analysts the country is now
moving to a more democratic form of government. Of critical concern to many is, despite
overtures towards democracy, widespread demonstrations have resulted in varying degrees of
instability in these countries. In the case of Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, and Bahrain, they are
considered crucial counterterrorism partners and long term unrest and possible political changes
could have a detrimental impact on U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the region. Furthermore, civil
unrest or possibly civil war in any of these countries could place further demands on
USCENTCOM if the U.S. government determines post-conflict security assistance is required.
Iranian Interference
U.S. intelligence agencies and USCENTCOM have long noted that Iran has provided arms,
ammunition, money, and improvised explosive device (IED) components to insurgents opposing
U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The continuation of this support undermines USCENTCOM
efforts in the region, and concerns exist that after U.S. forces depart Iraq and eventually
Afghanistan, Iran might step up its support, thereby furthering the security challenges faced by
Iraqi and Afghan security forces.
Iraqi Security Force Needs After U.S. Departure
The USCENTCOM commander expressed concern after U.S. forces depart Iraq, logistics,
maintenance, intelligence fusion, and the building of an Iraqi air force would continue to be
challenges over the long term. In his opinion, if left to their own, Iraqis would have a difficult
time achieving these crucial requirements for an effective military. Given this state of affairs, it is
possible some type of USCENTCOM or U.S. government program might be required to complete
these important security tasks.

94 For detailed information on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan see CRS Report RL34387, Operation Iraqi Freedom:
Strategies, Approaches, Results, and Issues for Congress
, by Catherine Dale and CRS Report R40156, War in
Afghanistan: Strategy, Operations, and Issues for Congress
, by Catherine Dale.
95 CQ Congressional Transcripts, “Senate Armed Services Committee Holds Hearing on the Proposed Fiscal Year 2012
Budget for the Defense Department’s U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command,” March 1, 2011.
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U.S. European Command (USEUCOM)
Website: http://www.eucom.mil
Mission96
The mission of USEUCOM is to conduct military operations, international military partnering,
and interagency partnering to enhance transatlantic security and defend the United States .
USEUCOM forces constitute the United States military contribution to NATO.
USEUCOM Commander and NATO
The USEUCOM Commander also traditionally serves as the Supreme Allied Commander of
NATO (SACEUR). SACEUR’s responsibilities are outlined as follows:97
SACEUR is responsible for the overall command of NATO military operations. He conducts
the necessary military planning for operations, including the identification of forces required
for the mission and requests these forces from NATO countries, as authorized by the North
Atlantic Council and as directed by NATO’s Military Committee. SACEUR analyzes these
operational needs in cooperation with the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.
SACEUR makes recommendations to NATO’s political and military authorities on any
military matter that may affect his ability to carry out his responsibilities. For day-to-day
business, he reports to the Military Committee, composed of Military Representatives for
Chiefs of Defense of NATO member countries. He also has direct access to the Chiefs of
Defense and may communicate with appropriate national authorities, as necessary, to
facilitate the accomplishment of his tasks.
In the case of an aggression against a NATO member state, SACEUR, as Supreme
Commander, is responsible for executing all military measures within his capability and
authority to preserve or restore the security of Alliance territory.
History98
USEUCOM was established August 1, 1952 to provide unified command and authority over all
U.S. forces in Europe. For several years after World War II the services had maintained separate
commands in Europe that reported directly to the JCS. After the end of the occupation of
Germany in 1949, some questioned the U.S. commitment to the defense of Western Europe
against the Soviet Union. The Berlin Crisis of 1948-49 exacerbated these concerns and in 1949
the allies established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but little else was done to
address the Soviet threat.
The June 1950 surprise attack on South Korea by Communist North Korea served as a catalyst
and in 1951 NATO established Allied Command Europe and the Supreme Headquarters Allied

96 http://www.eucom.mil/documents/fact-sheets/EUCOM-Factsheet-Command-2010.pdf.
97 http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_50110.htm.
98 http://www.eucom.mil/documents/fact-sheets/EUCOM-Factsheet-History-2010.pdf.
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Powers Europe (SHAPE). General Dwight D. Eisenhower was recalled from retirement to
become the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
Even as the war in Korea raged, the U.S. reinforcements to Europe to deter the Soviet Union from
similar aggression there and between 1950 and 1953, U.S. military personnel in Europe grew
from 120,000 to over 400,000. To provide for national command within NATO, and to help
control this build-up of forces, Eisenhower proposed a separate command for all U.S. forces in
Europe. Because the senior U.S. commander would continue as Supreme Allied Commander
Europe, Eisenhower recommended giving “a maximum of delegated authority” to a four-star
deputy.
The first U.S. Commander-in-Chief Europe (USCINCEUR) was General Matthew B. Ridgway,
former commander of Eighth Army and the Far East Command during the Korean War.
USEUCOM used the Military Assistance Program to help its NATO partners build their military
capabilities. USEUCOM also conducted out-of-sector operations such as a major contingency
operation to Lebanon in 1958. In 1961 Berlin once again became a flashpoint when the Soviets
erected a wall to stop people fleeing Communist rule.
In the early 1960s, policy disagreements emerged within NATO, and in 1966 France demanded
the removal of all U.S. and NATO headquarters and forces from France. The following year
SHAPE moved to Mons, Belgium, while Headquarters USEUCOM moved to Patch Barracks.
USEUCOM continued to prepare for the defense of Europe and began a series of annual
REFORGER (Return of Forces to Europe) exercises in 1967. Cold War crises continued,
including the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. But the readiness of U.S. forces in
Europe slowly declined due to the Vietnam War and balance of payment problems. Troop strength
in Europe fell to 265,000 by 1970.
During the 1970s, the Cold War transitioned to an era of détente and negotiations although
tensions remained high as both sides modernized their conventional and nuclear forces. In the late
1970s the Soviet Union deployed SS-20 intermediate-range ballistic missiles into Eastern Europe
and in 1979 invaded Afghanistan. NATO responded with a “two-track” decision to step up
negotiations while deploying U.S. intermediate-range Pershing II missiles and ground-launched
cruise missiles to counter the Soviet threat.
During the 1980s, the armed forces began to recover from the Vietnam War and U.S. forces in
Europe grew to over 350,000. The UCP was changed in 1983 to transfer responsibility for the
Middle East from USEUCOM to a new combatant command, USCENTCOM, but USEUCOM
retained responsibility for the “confrontation states” of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. At the same
time USEUCOM was formally assigned responsibility of Africa, south of the Sahara.
In 1989, the Soviet Union and its empire in Eastern Europe collapsed and the Cold War came to
an end. In 1991 USEUCOM and its components provided forces to USCENTCOM for another
out-of-sector operation, Desert Storm. USEUCOM reached out to the emerging democracies
through programs such as the Joint Contact Team Program, NATO Partnership for Peace and the
National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. It was also active in peace and stability
operations in the Balkans, including Bosnia, Macedonia and Kosovo. But it had to conduct these
new missions with fewer assigned forces as its strength fell below 120,000.
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, USEUCOM provided major forces for operations
in Afghanistan and Iraq and stepped up its efforts to protect U.S. interests in Europe and Africa.
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Subsequent terrorist attacks in the USEUCOM theater in Casablanca, Madrid, London and
Algiers made it clear that terrorism demanded a collective response. USEUCOM worked to build
partner capacity in Europe and Africa for peacekeeping operations and deployments to Iraq and
Afghanistan. USEUCOM launched Operation Enduring Freedom and Trans-Sahara in 2007 while
continuing to provide rotational forces to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Subcomponents99
U.S. Army Europe (USAEUR)
Located in Heidelberg, Germany, USAEUR trains, equips, deploys and provides command and
control of forward-deployed land forces, able to support and conduct the full spectrum of joint,
and combined multi-national operations, and engagement activities. The U.S. Seventh Army and
its subordinate U.S. Fifth Corps forms the basis of this subcomponent command.
U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR)
Located in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR, the U.S. Navy component command, conducts a full range of
maritime operations as well as theater security cooperation operations with NATO allies. The
U.S. Sixth Fleet, which is also a subcomponent of AFRICOM, forms the basis of this
subcomponent command.
U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE)
Located at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, USAFE, the Air Force component command,
operates from five main operating bases that supports nine air wings. These wings provide a full
spectrum of air support, including strategic airlift as well as air support to ground forces and
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support. The Third Air Force forms the basis of this
subcomponent command.
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe (MARFOREUR)
Located in Stuttgart, Germany, MARFOREUR employs pre-positioned assets to rapidly deploy
expeditionary forces and equipment and conduct a wide array of operations, including building
partner capacity.
Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR)
Located at Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany, SOCEUR provides flexibility throughout a full
range of military operations including combat, special operations, humanitarian assistance,
noncombatant evacuations and joint-combined military operations.

99 http://www.eucom.mil/documents/fact-sheets/EUCOM-Factsheet-Command-2010.pdf and House and Senate Armed
Services Committees Testimony of Admiral James G. Stavridis, United States Navy, Commander United States
European Command Before the 112th Congress, 2011, March 2011.
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Ongoing Operations100
Support to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
in Afghanistan101

USEUCOM’s support to ISAF is significant. About 80% of the non-U.S. countries deployed to
Afghanistan are from the European theater. USEUCOM’s support to ISAF is primarily focused on
preparing these nation’s forces for deployment to Afghanistan. These supporting activities include
sending mobile planning teams to assess partner nation equipment and training requirements and
working with these countries to develop a comprehensive pre-deployment plan.
Multi-National Joint and Interagency Exercises
Multi-national and joint interagency exercises constitute the most significant form of peacetime
interaction with NATO allies and other partners. In 2010, USEUCOM conducted 33 major
exercises involving almost 50,000 U.S., allied, and partner nation personnel from 40 nations.
These exercises focused on preparing partner nations for ongoing coalition operations including
ISAF, enhancing overall NATO interoperability, and improving NATO’s military interoperability
with Israel.
Exercises in the Baltics, Balkans, and Caucasus
In support of NATO initiatives, USEUCOM provides U.S. forces for nine NATO and Partnership
for Peace training events in the Baltics. In addition, USEUCOM provides forces for two major
exercises in the Balkans which not designed to help to improve these nation’s military capabilities
but also to ease regional tensions.
Selected Current Issues102
Afghanistan
USEUCOM currently has about 12,000 U.S. troops forward deployed to Afghanistan serving in a
variety of capacities. As previously noted, USEUCOM plays a central role in training and
deploying non-U.S. forces and the USEUCOM Commander, in his SACEUR role, is a central
figure in persuading NATO allies to provide troops and resources for ISAF. As overall U.S.
involvement in Afghanistan begins to wind down, NATO involvement will also likely follow suit
and, in some instances, some NATO nations might opt for an abrupt end to their support to ISAF.
USEUCOM’s and SACEUR’s primary challenge will likely be to develop plans for and manage a

100 House and Senate Armed Services Committees Testimony of Admiral James G. Stavridis, United States Navy,
Commander United States European Command Before the 112th Congress, 2011, March 2011.
101 For more information on NATO in Afghanistan see CRS Report RL33627, NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the
Transatlantic Alliance
, by Vincent Morelli and Paul Belkin.
102 House and Senate Armed Services Committees Testimony of Admiral James G. Stavridis, United States Navy,
Commander United States European Command Before the 112th Congress, 2011, March 2011; and CQ Congressional
Transcripts, “Senate Armed Services Committee Holdings Hearing on the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal
2012 and Future Years for the U.S. European Command and U.S. Strategic Command,” March 29, 2011.
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smooth transition as NATO forces draw down and transition security functions to the Afghan
National Army. It is possible USEUCOM and NATO might have some residual support
requirements in Afghanistan after the transition and these efforts will also require resources and
management.
The Balkans
USEUCOM has participated in NATO operations in the Balkans since the 1995 Dayton Peace
Accords. At the height of Operation Joint Endeavor in 1996, the United States had over 20,000
troops in the Balkans. While current USEUCOM troop commitments to the Balkans are
negligible, continued engagement in the region is viewed by most as essential in keeping the
region stable. As such, USEUCOM participation in NATO exercises and training teams in this
region is deemed essential not only to improve capabilities and diffuse tensions but also to signify
U.S. long-term interest and commitment to the Balkan region.
Missile Defense103
USEUCOM notes an increasing and expanding ballistic missile threat to USEUCOM’s area of
focus, citing missile-related activities in Iran and Syria, as well as those of nonstate actors such as
Hizbollah. In response to this threat, the U.S. and Poland have initiated a cooperative air and
missile defense partnership whereby the U.S. rotates Patriot anti-missile and anti-aircraft batteries
to Poland on a quarterly basis and conducts training with their Polish counterparts. In September
2011, Romania agreed to the stationing of 24 interceptor missiles on Romanian soil and Turkey
agreed to accept a sophisticated U.S. radar, possibly by the end of the year.104 These events as
well as plans to expand coverage to other countries, has elicited opposition from Russia and has
complicated NATO’s relationship with Moscow. USEUCOM’s challenge will likely be to
continue to play a role in developing European ground-based missile defense while at the same
time maintaining an effective military relationship with Russia under potentially trying
circumstances.
U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)
Website: http://www.northcom.mil
Mission105
“USNORTHCOM’s mission is to conduct homeland defense, civil support and security
cooperation to defend and secure the United States and its interests. USNORTHCOM was
established Oct. 1, 2002, to provide command and control of DOD homeland defense efforts and
to coordinate defense support of civil authorities.

103 For additional information see CRS Report RL34051, Long-Range Ballistic Missile Defense in Europe, by Steven
A. Hildreth and Carl Ek.
104 Tom Shanker, “U.S. Hails Deal with Turkey on Missile Defense,” New York Times, September 15, 2011.
105 http://www.northcom.mil/About/index.html.
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USNORTHCOM’s area of operation includes air, land and sea approaches and encompasses the
continental United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and the surrounding water out to
approximately 500 nautical miles. It also includes the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida,
portions of the Caribbean region to include The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. The commander of USNORTHCOM is responsible for theater security cooperation with
Canada, Mexico, and The Bahamas.”
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)106
“The commander of USNORTHCOM also commands NORAD, a joint U.S.-Canadian command
responsible for aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for Canada, Alaska
and the continental United States. For the aerospace warning mission, the commander of NORAD
provides an integrated tactical warning and attack assessment to the governments of Canada and
the United States. To accomplish the aerospace control mission, NORAD uses a network of
satellites, ground-based radar, airborne radar and fighters to detect, intercept and, if necessary,
engage any air-breathing threat to Canada and the United States. In conjunction with its aerospace
control mission, NORAD assists in the detection and monitoring of aircraft suspected of illegal
drug trafficking. This information is passed to civilian law enforcement agencies to help combat
the flow of illegal drugs into North America. The Command has developed an initial concept for
implementing the new maritime warning mission.”
Missile Defense
USNORTHCOM is the combatant command responsible for the operation of the Ground-Based
Midcourse Defense System (GMD) designed to defend the United States against the threat of a
limited ballistic missile attack from nations such as North Korea and Iran.
Unique Civil Support Mission107
USNORTHCOM’s civil support mission includes domestic disaster relief operations during fires,
hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Support also includes counter-drug operations and managing
the consequences of a terrorist event employing a weapon of mass destruction. The command
provides assistance to a nonmilitary Primary Agency when tasked to do so by DOD. Per the Posse
Comitatus Act,108 military forces can provide civil support, but cannot become directly involved
in law enforcement.109

106 Ibid. and http://www.norad.mil/about/index.html.
107 Ibid.
108 For a definition of the Posse Comitatus Act that limits the use of military force in law enforcement, see
http://www.northcom.mil/About/history_education/posse.html.
109 For additional information on Posse Comitatus, see CRS Report RS22266, The Use of Federal Troops for Disaster
Assistance: Legal Issues
, by Jennifer K. Elsea and R. Chuck Mason.
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History110
On April 17, 2002, DOD announced the establishment of USNORTHCOM to consolidate under a
single unified command those existing homeland defense and civil support missions that were
previously executed by other military organizations. On May 8, 2002, U.S. Air Force General
Ralph E. Eberhart, the commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command
(NORAD) and U.S. Space Command, was nominated to be the first commander of
USNORTHCOM. USNORTHCOM attained initial operational capability on October 1, 2002.
USNORTHCOM provided support in response to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in
February 2002, and in May 2003 participated in a comprehensive terrorism response exercise
States—Top Officials 2, or TOPOFF 2. USNORTHCOM conducted Exercise Determined
Promise 03 in Clark County, NV, and Colorado Springs, CO. This major exercise was designed to
evaluate the command’s ability to command and control multiple homeland defense and defense
support of civil authorities missions simultaneously. Following Exercise Determined Promise 03,
USNORTHCOM announced full operational capability on September 11, 2003.
In February 2004, USNORTHCOM conducted Exercise Unified Defense 04. This major exercise
allowed the USNORTHCOM, Fifth Army, Joint Task Force Alaska and associated units to
practice the homeland defense and defense support to civil authorities missions. The exercise
involved the Department of Homeland Security and more than 50 federal, state and local
organizations. During the summer of 2004, USNORTHCOM supported interagency efforts to
deter and defeat any possible threats against several National Security Special Events. Exercise
Determined Promise 04, conducted in August 2004, tested USNORTHCOM’s ability to assist
civil and federal authorities in a coordinated response to simulated chemical, radiological, and
explosive hazards, conducted in California and Virginia. In the same month, USNORTHCOM
supported the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s efforts to provide relief to areas in
Florida most impacted by Hurricane Charley.
In September 2005, as directed by the secretary of defense and in accordance with the National
Response Plan, USNORTHCOM supported the Department of Homeland Security and Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies in disaster relief efforts in
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. More than 21,400 active-duty servicemembers and 45,700
Army and Air National Guard members supported the effort in the U.S. Gulf Coast.
In May 2006 USNORTHCOM participated in Exercise Ardent Sentry 06, which involved
numerous federal, provincial, state and local agencies in Canada and the United States. The
exercise required participants to respond to simulated terrorist activities and manage the
consequences of a range of simulated man-made and natural disasters. Exercise Ardent Sentry 06
helped military and civilian officials prepare to respond to a variety of national crises.
On July 4, 2006, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea launched six ballistic missiles,
including a long-range Taepodong-2 missile. USNORTHCOM personnel were immediately able
to detect the launch of all the missiles. While Ground-based Midcourse Defense System
interceptors at Fort Greely, AK, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, were operational during the
launches, top officials from the command were able to quickly determine the missiles posed no
threat to the United States or its territories.

110 http://www.northcom.mil/About/history_education/history.html.
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Subcomponents111
Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region (JFHQ-NCR)
“JFHQ-NCR, based at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. is responsible for land-based homeland
defense, defense support of civil authorities (DSCA), and incident management in the National
Capital Region. JFHQ-NCR is responsible for protecting the District of Columbia and
neighboring counties and cities of Maryland and northern Virginia. JFHQ-NCR draws together
the existing resources of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and NORAD
into a single point headquarters for planning, coordination and execution of the mission in the
National Capital Region.”
Joint Task Force Alaska (JTF-AK)
“JTF-AK is headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. JTF-AK’s mission is to, in
coordination with other government agencies, deter, detect, prevent and defeat threats within the
Alaska Joint Operations Area (AK JOA) in order to protect U.S. territory, citizens, and interests,
and as directed, conduct Civil Support operations.”
Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS)
“JTF-CS, was originally formed as a standing joint task force under USJFCOM. JTF-CS was
transferred to USNORTHCOM when USNORTHCOM was established October 1, 2002. The
task force consists of active, Guard and Reserve military members drawn from all service
branches, as well as civilian personnel, who are commanded by a federalized (Title X) National
Guard general officer. JTF-CS plans and integrates DOD support to the designated Primary
Agency for domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive
(CBRNE) consequence management operations. When approved by the secretary of defense and
directed by the commander of USNORTHCOM, JTF-CS deploys to the incident site and executes
timely and effective command and control of designated DOD forces, providing support to civil
authorities to save lives, prevent injury and provide temporary critical life support.”
Joint Task Force North (JTF North)
“JTF North, based at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, TX, is the DOD organization tasked to
support our nation’s federal law enforcement agencies in the interdiction of suspected
transnational threats within and along the approaches to the continental United States.
Transnational threats are those activities conducted by individuals or groups that involve
international terrorism, narcotics trafficking, alien smuggling, weapons of mass destruction, and
the delivery systems for such weapons that threaten the national security of the United States.”

111 http://www.northcom.mil/About/index.html.
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Army North (ARNORTH)
“ARNORTH is the Army component of NORTHCOM and is located at Fort Sam Houston, TX.
ARNORTH’s mission is to conduct homeland defense, civil support operations and theater
security cooperation activities. ARNORTH is responsible for developing and unifying the military
response capability for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives
(CBRNE) incidents. In addition, the Civil Support Readiness Directorate trains National Guard
Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams, which are state first responders for chemical,
biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive incidents.”
Air Force North (AFNORTH)
“Headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, near Panama City, FL, 1st Air Force is assigned to Air
Combat Command. It has the responsibility of ensuring the air sovereignty and air defense of the
continental United States. As the CONUS geographical component of the bi-national North
American Aerospace Defense Command, it provides airspace surveillance and control and directs
all air sovereignty activities for the continental United States Fleet Forces Command (USFF).”
U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF)
“USFF is the Navy component of USNORTHCOM and is located at Norfolk, VA. USFF’s
mission is to provide maritime forces prepared to conduct homeland defense, civil support
operations and theater security cooperation activities when directed by USNORTHCOM.
Additionally, USFF has responsibilities to generate ready Navy forces for assignment to global
Regional Combatant Commanders, execute the Fleet Response Plan (FRP) using the Fleet
Training Continuum, articulate to the Chief of Naval Operations the integrated Fleet warfighting
requirements as coordinated with all Navy Component Commanders, and provide operational
planning support to USTRATCOM.”
Ongoing Operations
USNORTHCOM’s and NORAD’s missions of homeland defense, air and missile defense, and
maritime warning involve a multitude of continuous operations in a variety of domains. These
operations are best described as monitoring, detection, and warning, and, in the case of air-
breathing threats, interception. According to the USNORTHCOM commander:
Our daily efforts include countering terrorism and transnational criminal organizations,
preparing to support our federal and state partners in the wake of a natural or manmade
disaster, air defense against both internal and external threats, maritime and ballistic missile
defense and of course, a growing focus on the Arctic.112

112 CQ Transcripts, “Senate Armed Services Committee Holds Hearing on the Proposed Defense Authorization Request
for Fiscal 2012 and Future Years for the U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command,” April 5, 2011.
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Selected Current Issues113
Countering Transnational Criminal Organizations114
Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and their involvement in the illicit
trafficking of drugs, weapons, money, and human beings into the United States is one of
USNORTHCOM’s primary homeland security concerns. USNORTHCOM, in keeping with U.S.
law and working with and through other U.S. government agencies, is working with the Mexican
government to defeat the TCOs. USNORTHCOM efforts include providing the Mexican military
with material solutions as well as sharing operational insights and experiences. In addition to
efforts along the southern U.S. border, USNORTHCOM has been providing support to U.S. law
enforcement agencies along both southern and northern borders. This support includes sensors,
radar, forward-looking infrared, and manned and unmanned aerial border surveillance. Because
access to these platforms is not unlimited, concerns exist that if a greater level of support is
required along one border, assets available for the other border might become constrained.
The Arctic115
Because of the growing geo-strategic importance of the Arctic, the USNORTHCOM Commander
has designated the Arctic as a key focus area. Along these lines, USNORTHCOM is currently
examining how to support other U.S. government agencies in the region with search and rescue
assets, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and law enforcement. As part of this
examination, USNORTHCOM has identified deficiencies in all-domain awareness,
communications, infrastructure (including a deepwater port), mobility (including an adequate
national icebreaking capability), search and rescue enabling capabilities, Arctic Ocean charting,
and the ability to observe and forecast Arctic environmental change.
U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM)
Website: http://www.pacom.mil
Mission116
“USPACOM protects and defends, in concert with other U.S. Government agencies, the territory
of the United States, its people, and its interests. With allies and partners, USPACOM is
committed to enhancing stability in the Asia-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation,
encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression, and, when
necessary, fighting to win. This approach is based on partnership, presence, and military
readiness.”

113 Ibid.
114 For additional information on Mexican operations against TCOs, see CRS Report R41576, Mexico’s Drug
Trafficking Organizations: Source and Scope of the Rising Violence
, by June S. Beittel.
115 For additional information on the Arctic see CRS Report R41153, Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for
Congress
, coordinated by Ronald O'Rourke
116 http://www.pacom.mil/web/Site_Pages/USPACOM/Facts.shtml.
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USPACOM’s AOR covers half of the earth and is home to three billion people living in three
dozen countries with five of these nations being U.S. allies and with many more important
economic and security partners. USPACOM’s AOR contains the world’s three largest economies
and almost one-third of U.S. two-way trade in goods and services. In addition, much of the
world’s trade and energy that fuels the global economy transits Asia’s sea and air lines of
communication.
History117
USPACOM was established as a unified command on January 1, 1947, and is the oldest and
largest of the United States’ COCOMs. The present USPACOM includes areas originally assigned
to two other unified commanders. The Far East Command, which had been established on
January 1, 1947, was disestablished on July 1, 1957, and all its responsibilities were assumed by
the Pacific Command. That same day the command assumed some of the responsibilities of the
Alaskan Command and individual Army and Air Force component commands for the Pacific also
were established in Hawaii.
Added responsibilities were assigned to USPACOM on January 1, 1972, for military forces and
elements in the Indian Ocean, Southern Asia, and the Arctic. The Pacific Command’s AOR was
further expanded on May 1, 1976, to the east coast of Africa. This enlarged the Pacific Command
to more than 50% of the earth’s surface, an area of over 100 million square miles.
Another enlargement of the USPACOM area took place in October 1983, when CINCPAC was
assigned responsibility for the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, Mongolia, and the Republic of Madagascar. CINCPAC was also redesignated Commander
in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (USCINCPAC).
A new Alaskan Command (ALCOM) was established on July 7, 1989, at Elmendorf Air Force
Base, Alaska, as a subordinate unified command responsible to USCINCPAC. This placed the
defense of Alaska and its surrounding waters under the leadership of one commander, providing a
unity of command absent from the state since the early 1970s.
From 1989 through 2000, three UCPs slightly reduced USPACOM’s AOR. With the focus of
attention shifting to the Middle East, the August 16, 1989 plan assigned responsibility for the
Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden to Commander, USCENTCOM. The January 1, 1996, plan
transferred the Seychelles and adjacent waters to USCENTCOM. On October 1, 2000,
responsibility for Indian Ocean waters off Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa was
transferred from USPACOM to USEUCOM.
The UCP changed as a result of the events of September 11, 2001, and the ensuing war on
terrorism, as well as the new defense strategy articulated in the 2001 Quadrennial Defense
Review. For the first time the entire surface of the earth was divided among the various unified
commands. A new USNORTHCOM was created for homeland security and other changes in the
various commands’ responsibilities resulted in significant changes for USPACOM. The West
Coast of North America was reassigned from USPACOM to USNORTHCOM. While Alaska was
included in the reassignment to USNORTHCOM, Alaskan Command forces remained assigned to

117 http://www.pacom.mil/web/site_pages/uspacom/history.shtm.
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USPACOM in the Forces for Unified Commands Memorandum. Antarctica was also added to
USPACOM’s AOR. Approved in April 2002, the new UCP became effective October 1, 2002.
The 2008 UCP, signed on December 17, 2008, documented the transfer of all areas of the Indian
Ocean previously assigned to USPACOM west of 68 degrees east to the newly established
USAFRICOM. As a result, four island countries off the east coast of Africa that were formerly
assigned to PACOM were reassigned to AFRICOM: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and
Reunion.”
Subcomponents118
U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC)
Located in Fort Shafter, Hawaii, USARPAC is the Army’s component command in the Pacific
and supplies Army forces for full-spectrum security operations. USARPAC is the most forward
deployed unit in the Army still on U.S. soil in Hawaii.
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK)
USFK is a subcommand within USPACOM responsible to U.S. forces in Korea. While this is a
joint headquarters, command has traditionally been held by a three-star, U.S. Army general.
U.S. Eighth Army
The U.S. Eighth Army operates in conjunction with USFK and the United Nations Command in
Korea. U.S. Eighth Army’s stated mission is described as
Eighth Army supports deterrence of North Korea aggression against the Republic of Korea.
Should deterrence fail, Eighth Army supports Non-combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO),
transitions to hostilities, generates combat power to support Commander in Chief United
Nations Command/USFK’s campaign, and provides combat support and combat service
support to assigned, attached, and other designated forces within the Korea Theater of
Operation and on order, conducts combat operations.119
U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT)
PACFLT consists of the California-based Third Fleet and the Fifth Fleet in Japan. It is the world’s
largest fleet command responsible for 100 million square miles, more than half the Earth’s
surface, from the West Coast of the United States into the Indian Ocean. PACFLT consists of
approximately 180 ships, nearly 2,000 aircraft and 125,000 Sailors, Marines and government
civilian employees.120

118 Cynthia A. Watson, pp. 49-55.
119 http://8tharmy.korea.army.mil/mission.asp.
120 http://www.cpf.navy.mil/about/facts/.
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U.S. Pacific Air Force (PACAF)
PACAF is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, where it plans, conducts, and
coordinates defensive and offensive air operations in the Asian and Pacific region. PACAF’s
components consists of the Seventh Air Force in South Korea, the Fifth Air Force in Japan, the
Eleventh Air Force in Alaska, and the Thirteenth Air Force in Guam.
U.S. Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC)
MARFORPAC, the Marine component headquarters, includes the First Marine Expeditionary
Force in California and the Third Marine Expeditionary Force based in Okinawa.
Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC)
SOCPAC, located at Camp H. M. Smith, Oahu, Hawaii, is a sub-unified command and serves as
the SOF component command for USPACOM.
Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR)
SOCKOR, located at Camp Kim in Yongsan, Korea, is the Theater Special Operations Command
responsible for special operations on the Korean peninsula and, when established, the Korean
Theater of Operations.
Other Major USPACOM Organizations121
Joint Intelligence Operations Center (JIOC)
The JIOC is the central clearing house for intelligence throughout the theater and is responsible
for managing intelligence requirements at the strategic level and supports USPACOM
Subcomponents and Subordinate Commands.
Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS)
APCSS supports USPACOM security cooperation and capacity-building efforts by means of
international executive education and specialized assistance programs that are intended to both
educate and foster relationships between key regional security officials.
Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC)
JPAC’s mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result
of past conflicts.

121 Statement of Admiral Robert F. Willard, U.S. Navy, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command Before the Senate Armed
Services Committee on U.S. Pacific Command Posture, April 12, 2011, pp. 27-29.
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Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF-West)
JIATF-West is the USPACOM executive agent for countering drug-related transnational crimes in
the Asia-Pacific region primarily by supporting U.S. law enforcement agencies operating in the
region.
Ongoing Operations
While USPACOM has significant on-the-ground presence in Korea as well as a variety of naval
and air activities throughout its AOR, its primary focus is exercise and engagement programs.
USPACOM’s current program consists of 18 major exercises involving joint military forces as
well as other U.S. government agencies. These exercises are conducted with 27 of 36 USPACOM
partner nations.
On the operational side, USPACOM played a crucial role in helping Japan in the aftermath of the
March 11, 2011, earthquake and resultant tsunami which devastated parts of Japan. USPACOM
and its subordinate commands provided direct disaster relief support on the ground, at sea, and in
the air.
Selected Current Issues
In his April 2011 testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, the USPACOM
commander indicated current major issues in his AOR.122 These issues included the threat to the
United States and its allies posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities, its
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and associated technologies, and its potential for
instability. 123 Another issue was transnational violent extremist organizations (VEOs)
undermining stability and threatening Allies and emerging partners. The USPACOM commander
voiced concern with China’s significant military modernization associated with its unclear
intent.124 He also noted that territorial disputes, and increasingly assertive actions to resolve them,
present the potential for conflict and instability. Cyber threats and transnational criminal
activity—to include piracy and trafficking in narcotics and persons—were cited as growing areas
of concern. Finally, humanitarian crises such as pandemics and famines, as well as natural
disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes; and environmental degradation presented
unique challenges to USPACOM.

122 Ibid., p. 3.
123 For additional information on North Korean nuclear weapons see CRS Report RL34256, North Korea’s Nuclear
Weapons: Technical Issues
, by Mary Beth Nikitin.
124 For information on Chinese naval modernization see CRS Report RL33153, China Naval Modernization:
Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress
, by Ronald O'Rourke.
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U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM)
Website: http://www.southcom.mil/appssc/index.php
Mission125
“USSOUTHCOM is responsible for providing contingency planning, operations, and security
cooperation for Central and South America, the Caribbean (except U.S. commonwealths,
territories, and possessions), Cuba; as well as for the force protection of U.S. military resources at
these locations. USSOUTHCOM is also responsible for ensuring the defense of the Panama
Canal and canal area.”
History126
During World War II, the Roosevelt administration established the U.S. Caribbean Defense
Command (1941-1947), a prototype unified military organization, to defend the Panama Canal
and surrounding area. The command organized and implemented an active system of regional
defense, including antisubmarine and counterespionage operations.
Located in Panama, the U.S. Caribbean Defense Command also established military training
missions in Latin America; distributed military equipment to regional partners through the Lend
Lease program; and opened U.S. service schools to Latin American soldiers, sailors, and airmen.
At the height of the war, U.S. military planners assigned 130,000 uniformed personnel to duty
stations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Roughly half of those forces were under the direct
control of the U.S. Caribbean Defense Command.
In 1947, U.S. strategists adopted a national security plan that transformed the wartime
headquarters into the U.S. Caribbean Command. Beyond defending the Panama Canal, it assumed
broad responsibilities for inter-American security cooperation in Central and South America.
During the 1950s, defense officials also removed the Caribbean basin from the U.S. Caribbean
Command’s area of focus. In the event of a global war with the communist powers, they
reasoned, U.S. Atlantic Command, based in Norfolk, VA, needed the Caribbean basin to conduct
hemispheric antisubmarine operations.
By 1960, the U.S. Caribbean Command carried a name that incorrectly described its geographic
interests, Central and South America. The Kennedy administration changed the name to
USSOUTHCOM on June 6, 1963. During the 1960s, the USSOUTHCOM mission involved
defending the Panama Canal, contingency planning for Cold War activities, and the
administration of the U.S. foreign military assistance program in Central and South America. In
particular, USSOUTHCOM personnel undertook civic-action projects with partner nation forces
to accelerate regional development. During the 1970s the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended
disestablishing the command to trim the U.S. military presence abroad. For political reasons, the
command narrowly survived, albeit with limited responsibilities and resources.

125 http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/pages/about.php.
126 http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/factfiles.php?id=76.
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In the 1980s, internal conflicts in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and elsewhere rekindled U.S. military
interest in Latin America and the Reagan administration revitalized USSOUTHCOM. When the
Cold War ended, the command, like other U.S. military organizations, entered a period of
dramatic change. In rapid succession, USSOUTHCOM was assigned responsibility for counter-
drug operations, expanded its area of geographic focus to include the Caribbean, and enhanced its
capacity for humanitarian missions. In September 1997, USSOUTHCOM moved to Miami, FL.
Subcomponents127
U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH)
ARSOUTH is located at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, where its primary mission is to support regional
disaster and counterdrug operations. ARSOUTH also is responsible for oversight, planning, and
logistical support for humanitarian and civic assistance projects throughout the region.
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet
(COMUSNAVSO/COMFOURTHFLT)

COMUSNAVSO/COMFOURTHFLT is located in Mayport Naval Base in Florida and supports
USSOUTHCOM with a full range of naval capabilities. Its primary responsibility is to provide
sea-based forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver as well as developing cooperative
relationships with partners in the region.
Air Forces Southern/ Twelfth Air Force (AFSOUTH)
AFSOUTH is located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona and is responsible for Air
Force forces in the region. AFSOUTH serves as the executive agent for forward operating
locations in the region and provides joint and combined radar surveillance and intra-theater airlift.
U.S. Marine Forces South (USMARFORSOUTH)
USMARFORSOUTH is located in Miami, Florida, and advises USSOUTHCOM on the proper
employment and support of Marine forces operating in the region. In addition,
USMARFORSOUTH conducts deployment/redeployment planning and supervises mission
execution for assigned Marine forces.
Special Operations Command South (USSOCSOUTH)
USSOCSOUTH is located near Miami, Florida, and provides primary theater contingency
response forces and plans for and conducts special operations in support of USSOUTHCOM.
USSOCSOUTH can also serve as a Joint Special Operations Task Force when required.

127 http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/pages/team.php.
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USSOUTHCOM Task Forces and Direct Reporting Units128
Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo)
JTF-Bravo is located at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, and operates a forward, all weather,
day/night C-5 Galaxy-capable air base. JTF-Bravo organizes multilateral exercises and, with
partner nations, supports humanitarian and civic assistance, counterdrug, contingency and disaster
relief in Central America.
Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF–Guantanamo)
JTF-Guantanamo is located at the U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo, Cuba, and conducts detention
and interrogation operations in support of world-wide U.S. counterterrorism operations.
Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF South)
JIATF-South is located in Key West, Florida and is an interagency task force that integrates and
synchronizes U.S, counterdrug operations and is responsible for the detection and monitoring of
suspect air and maritime drug activity in the region. JIATF South works in coordination with
USNORTHCOM’s JTF North on a variety of counterdrug and counter trafficking operations.
Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (CHDS)
CHDS is located in Washington, DC, and provides education, outreach, and research and
knowledge-sharing activities on defense and policy making with regional military and political
leaders.
Ongoing Operations129
Exercises and Military-to-Military Activities
USSOUTHCOM is involved in a variety of exercises and military-to-military operations in
support of the Theater Engagement Plan. On an annual basis, USSOUTCOM conducts medical
readiness training exercises, engineering exercises, and disaster relief and humanitarian assistance
exercises. In 2010, in response to the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti, USSOUTCOM was
placed in charged of Operation Unified Response to support the U.S. government’s response to
the disaster. While the operation concluded in May 2010, USSOUTHCOM continues an annual
exercise, New Horizon Haiti, that provides targeted humanitarian and civic assistance. In addition
USSOUTHCOM conducts seven annual military exercises designed to facilitate interoperability,
build capabilities, and provide opportunities to share best practices with regional military and
security forces.

128 Ibid.
129 Posture Statement of General Douglas M. Fraser, United States Air Force, Commander, United States Southern
Command, Before the 112th Congress, Senate Armed Services Committee, April 5, 2011.
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Task Force-Oriented Activities
JTF-Guantanamo continues to serve as a detention and interrogation center for suspected
terrorists. JTF-Bravo and JIATF-South are involved in a wide variety of day-to-day activities and
operations designed to counter illicit trafficking of people, narcotics, money, and weapons. In
addition to operations against Transnational Criminal Organizations, USSOUTHCOM task forces
also work to counter violent extremist organizations from the Middle East which have been active
in Latin America and the Caribbean and are considered a potential threat.
Selected Current Issues130
Counter-Trafficking
The USSOUTHCOM Commander noted that illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons, and people and
their associated TCOs constitute the primary threat to regional security. Working in conjunction
with regional partners, USSOUTCOM is combating these criminal organizations through demand
reduction; eradication and regulation of source materials; suppression of money laundering; and
interdiction of illegal shipments as they transit to the U.S. and other end-user countries. These
efforts not only involve regional partners but also various U.S. Interagency offices.
Natural Disasters, Poverty, and Violence
The USSOUTHCOM Commander testified that natural disasters, poverty, and violence in the
region have a negative impact on regional security and stability. Widespread and frequent natural
disasters in the region have worsened economic and social conditions in countries that can ill-
afford these types of setbacks and when governments can not make discernable progress
recovering in the aftermath of these events, citizens loose faith in government. While economic
conditions in some countries have improved, poverty, particularly in Central America, creates
conditions for social stagnation. These social conditions create openings for criminal
organizations to recruit new members who both undermine legitimate governance and contribute
to increasing violence against private citizens.
Extra-Regional Actors
While the USSOUTHCOM Commander noted there are economic benefits for countries in his
AOR in establishing or renewing relationships with extra-regional actors such as China, Russia,
and Iran, it also presents a number of challenges. China, for example, has sold light attack and
training aircraft to Venezuela and Bolivia and air surveillance radars to Venezuela and Ecuador.
Russian arms transfers with Latin American in 2009 were valued at $5 billion and Russian sales
of automatic weapons and man-portable air defense systems to Venezuela are viewed as
troubling. Iran has nearly doubled the number of its embassies in the region over the past decade
and hosted three regional heads of state in 2010. In addition to extra-regional state actors, violent
extremist organizations from the Middle East are active in Latin America and the Caribbean and
are involved in fund-raising activities to finance worldwide activities.

130 Ibid.
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Potential Issues for Congress
Congress is presented with a wide range of national security policy issues that are impacted by
the provisions of the UCP as well as the COCOM construct. As the U.S. arguably moves to a
post- Iraq/Afghanistan era where global military operations against terrorists could be the new
“steady state,” it might prove prudent to re-examine the UCP and COCOMs. As new threats such
as cyber attacks and TCOs take center stage and new international actors such as China and India
emerge while established actors such as Russia and Iran transition to different types of security
challenges, such a re-examination could serve to increase the efficacy of U.S. national security
policy.
Is Greater Interagency Involvement in the UCP Process Needed?131
In the Fall 2010 edition of the Interagency Journal, former U.S. Ambassador Edward Marks
noted
The geographic commands have essentially two tasks: war planning and fighting, and
military engagement programs. Both tasks remain, and will always remain, fundamental
responsibilities of the Department of Defense and the military services. However while the
war planning and fighting responsibility obviously remains uniquely a duty of the
Department of Defense and the military services, the engagement programs no longer can be
handled as a discrete military activity. In today’s world, military engagement programs with
other countries can only be seen as part of the overall engagement activity of the U. S.
government. The so-called “nexus” of security challenges—terrorism, narcotics, smuggling,
international criminal networks, etc.—can no longer be managed as single agency programs
but must be integrated into “whole of government” programs.132
The concept of a “whole of government approach to national security” has taken on renewed
emphasis since September 11, 2001. Past and current senior military leadership have repeatedly
called for greater participation in national security matters from other U.S. government agencies,
even going so far as to publically advocate for greater funding levels for the State Department and
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) so they can play a greater role in military
operations.
In the current strategic environment, COCOMs are being faced with security challenges that fall
outside the traditional military realm. One such challenge, transnational criminal organizations or
TCOs, is a stated concern of Combatant Commanders both in a domestic and international
context. In this regard, if TCOs are expected to become a central security issue for COCOMs and
the President and DOD include TCO-related responsibilities in the UCP, enhanced interagency
involvement in the UCP process from the Justice Department, other U.S. law enforcement entities
and others could prove to be beneficial.

131 For additional information on U.S. Interagency issues see CRS Report RL34455, Organizing the U.S. Government
for National Security: Overview of the Interagency Reform Debates
, by Catherine Dale, Nina M. Serafino, and Pat
Towell.
132 Edward Marks, “Rethinking the Geographic Combatant Commands, InterAgency Journal, Vol. 1, Issue 1, Fall 2010,
p. 20.
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It can be argued while greater resources for other U.S. government agencies are important, of
equal importance is participation in the UCP process. It has been noted that military engagement
programs are at the forefront of geographical COCOM’s responsibilities and as hostilities in Iraq
and Afghanistan diminish over time, and the U.S. defense budget decreases, military engagement
could become the primary focus of all geographical COCOMs. Under the current UCP
development process, the U.S. Interagency has a degree of visibility but participation is limited.
While Interagency participation in developing regional war plans might not be appropriate, a
greater role in planning for military engagement activities might not only enhance these programs
but might also identify areas of redundancy with other U.S. government regional engagement
programs. This enhanced role could include more Interagency representatives in the early stages
of the UCP review and development process and increasing military presence in key Interagency
positions, particularly directorates that are responsible for strategic planning and resourcing.
While the Interagency might welcome the opportunity to play a greater role, DOD might be less
than enthusiastic with including a greater role for other U.S. government agencies in what it
likely considers fundamental strategic military planning.
In this regard, Congress might consider an in depth examination of the UCP development
process. This examination could focus on the current level of Interagency participation and
identifying areas in the process where greater Interagency involvement could be beneficial.
Has U.S. Foreign Policy Become “Too Militarized” as a Result of
the Geographic COCOMs?

In September 2000, Washington Post reporter Dana Priest published a series of articles whose
central premise was Combatant Commanders yielded an inordinate amount of political influence
within the countries in their areas of responsibility and “had evolved into the modern-day
equivalent of the Roman Empire’s proconsuls—well-funded, semi-autonomous, unconventional
centers of U.S. foreign policy.”133 Some national security experts consider this series as the
catalyst of the continuing debate as to whether or not COCOMs have assumed too much
influence overseas, thereby diminishing the roles other U.S. government entities play in foreign
and national security policy. Despite the post-September 11, 2011, ascendancy of the Interagency
in foreign policy and national security matters, the debate over the COCOM’s role continues. In
2007, testimony from Mark Malan from Refugees International before the Senate Subcommittee
on African Affairs of the Foreign Relations Committee he noted
In some parts of the world, like Iraq and Afghanistan, the face of U.S. foreign policy is
clearly a military one. In Africa, the DOD appears to be putting a civilian mask on the face
of a combatant command, with its marketing pitch for USAFRICOM. This disingenuous
strategy is not working. The veneer of the mask is simply too thin, and attempts to patch the
holes that have emerged—by telling us “what AFRICOM is not about” and re-emphasizing a
humanitarian and developmental role for the U.S. military in Africa—simply make the face
of U.S. foreign policy much shadier.
The notion of a benign U.S. combatant command is an enigma to those who clearly
understand (and accept) the need for the U.S. to secure access to Africa’s natural resources,

133 Dana Priest, “A Four-Star Foreign Policy? U.S. Commanders Wield Rising Clout, Autonomy,” September 28, 2000;
“An Engagement in 10 Time Zones: Zinni Crosses Central Asia, Holding Hands, Building Trust,” September 29, 2000;
“Standing Up to State and Congress,” September 30, 2000, Washington Post.
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especially oil; and to establish bases from which to destroy networks linked to Al-Qaeda.
When the U.S. promotes a combatant military command in terms of development and
humanitarianism, Africans will inevitably suspect that the true story is being kept from
them.134
The assertion that COCOMs have usurped other U.S. government entities in the foreign policy
arena may deserve greater examination. Geographic Combatant Commanders generally agree
their role is more political than military. A former USEUCOM and Supreme Allied Commander,
Europe (SACEUR) estimated he spent about 70% of his time on political-military issues, despite
having ongoing combat operations in the Balkans.135 USCENTCOM commanders have
reportedly spent a significant amount of time meeting with the senior Iraqi and Afghan political
leadership over the past ten years discussing issues of building and maintaining armed forces,
civil-military relations, and other national security matters. While these discussions might not
conform to what have been traditionally considered war fighting-related topics, the complexities
of U.S. involvement in these two countries suggests Combatant Commanders have been required
to play a more pronounced political role.
Some U.S. government officials suggest the Combatant Commander/State Department
relationship, as it currently exists, has proven beneficial. A former Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs noted he was
a huge fan of the [regional commanders]. I was the ambassador to Turkey; in EUCOM, when
the deputy [commander, the commander], and I were on the same page—there was nothing
we couldn’t achieve. In 6 years in Turkey as [deputy chief of mission] and ambassador, there
was never a single conflict. Now, I’m dealing with Colombia; I’ve made five of my six visits
with SOUTHCOM’s commander. We do everything together. Yes, someone could goof. But
the system works wonderfully—the [regional commanders] are some of the finest America
has to offer. When the [commander] and ambassador are on the same page, it’s a very
powerful combination. I’m a complete believer.136
Congress has examined aspects of this COCOM-State Department relationship in terms of the
broader topic of civil-military relations as well as how it pertains to USAFRICOM and its role in
U.S. foreign policy. In a broader context Congress might wish to consider the role Geographic
COCOMs play in U.S. foreign policy abroad. This consideration could take into account more
than just the State Department, but also other U.S. government agencies that play a foreign policy
role. While presence and access to resources have been cited as positive attributes for COCOM
involvement overseas, it is possible a reallocation of resources might put a more “civilian” face
on U.S. engagement and development efforts, possibly resulting in greater acceptance and
efficacy in regions that are sensitive to U.S. military presence. In examining the respective roles
of COCOMs, the State Department, and others, it might be possible to identify both areas of
redundancy as well as areas requiring greater emphasis, thereby enhancing overall U.S.
effectiveness in political-military relations with nations in respective regions. With many experts
predicting shrinking or flat U.S. military and State Department budgets over the next few years,
such an examination might lead to a more cost effective approach to U.S. foreign policy.

134 Testimony from Mark Malan, Refugees International, Washington, DC, “AFRICOM: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?”
before the Subcommittee on African Affairs, Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, at a hearing entitled
“Exploring the U.S. Africa Command and a New Strategic Relationship with Africa,” August 1, 2007.
135 Howard D. Belote, “Proconsuls, Pretenders, or Professionals? The Political Role of Regional Combatant
Commanders,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Strategy Essay Competition, 2004.
136 Ibid., p. 8.
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Are There Other Regions or Functions That Merit a
Separate COCOM?137

While Geographic COCOMs suggest their regional perspective is their primary virtue, others
argue the “strict geographic regionalism” the COCOMs were aligned under is no longer how the
world is organized.138 These critics contend globalization at one end and localism (tribalism) at
the other end has made the Geographic COCOM construct less than ideal.139
Given this view, some suggest there are opportunities to address this disparity. The Subcontinent
or Indian Ocean or western Asia has been cited as one AOR that could merit a separate command.
With long-term strategic emphasis on countering violent extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan,
it might be in the nation’s best interest to establish a separate command rather than continuing to
include them in USCENTCOM where the command’s planners and decision makers must also
focus on issues such as Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional influence, the Israel-
Palestine impasse, and the fate of Syria and Egypt. India might also figure into this strategic
recalculation as its relationships with Pakistan and China have a significant political-military
impact in the region. Some believe India—currently the responsibility of USPACOM—might be
a better fit under a separate Subcontinent COCOM.
Another area where a new COCOM could be warranted is Central Asia. Such a new command
could include Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—all presently
under USCENTCOM—and could be a natural complement to a Subcontinent COCOM as many
of the region’s issues are more “localized” as tribes in the region tend not to conform to
established political borders. These cross-border tribal and ethnic issues are viewed by many as
key contributors to regional instability.
While the establishment of new COCOMs might have an academic appeal, critics note such a
course of action might not be fiscally sustainable. Establishment of new COCOMs is viewed as
being a resource-intensive undertaking—even if resources are taken from existing COCOMs.
New COCOMs would require additional Joint-qualified senior and mid-level officers as well as
supporting military, civilian, and possibly contractor staff. New COCOMs would also likely
require additional physical infrastructure and if there is an intent to headquarter these new
COCOMs in their AORs, there might also be political and diplomatic issues to consider. In a
fiscally-constrained environment, these considerations might outweigh any operational benefits
that might be derived from the establishment of new COCOMs.
Aside from Geographic COCOMs, there might also be cause to re-examine Functional COCOMs.
One area for possible examination is if U.S. Cyber Command—currently a Subunified Command
under USSTRATCOM—should be elevated to a full-fledged Combatant Command.140
Proponents cite the following five benefits of this course of action:

137 Unless otherwise noted, information in this section is taken from Cynthia A. Watson, “Combatant Commands:
Origins, Structure, and Engagement,” Praeger Security International, 2011, pp. 185-186.
138 Edward Marks, p. 21.
139 Ibid.
140 Information in this section, unless otherwise noted, is from David M. Hollis, “USCYBERCOM: The Need for a
Combatant Command Versus a Subunified Command,” Joint Forces Quarterly, Issue 58, 3rd Quarter 2010, pp. 48-53.
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Unity of Command/Effort: The current DOD approach to cyberwarfare is
scattered across the Services and defense agencies. The Services, the Defense
Information Systems Agency (DISA), the National Security Agency (NSA), the
Intelligence Community, and the other COCOMs have unsynchronized
cyberspace warfighting capabilities. A separate and distinct USCYBERCOM
would have greater authority, responsibility, legitimacy, and visibility than the
current arrangement.
Synchronization: Under the current command arrangement, USCYBERCOM
might not have sufficient authority to fully synchronize cyber operations across
the Services and COCOMs. This could lead to a situation in which a COCOM
decides to conduct cyber operations within its AOR and, because there are no
physical boundaries in cyber space, these actions could have an adverse impact
on the other COCOMs.
Mass: A central COCOM with exclusive authority could mass the cyber
activities of the other COCOMs, Services, and DOD agencies into a coordinated
effort to achieve mass effects on their intended target.
Offensive Operations: One perceived benefit of elevating USCYBERCOM to
full combatant command status is it would enable the U.S. government to place
greater emphasis on offensive cyber operations as opposed to the current
disparate emphasis on defensive cyber operations which are viewed by some as
less effective than offensive operations.
Diverse Mission Focus: Supporters argue the current command arrangement
results in a lack of direction and discipline amongst DOD and government
entities that makes oversight and, ultimately, funding more difficult. An elevated
USCYBERCOM could serve to provide a single mission focus for the U.S.
military.
While proponents suggest, in the long run, a separate USCYBERCOM would be cost efficient,
such an undertaking in a fiscally-constrained environment could prove to be a difficult
undertaking. There might also be resistance from the other COCOMs to ceding their cyber-related
responsibilities to an elevated USCYBERCOM, arguing that they better understand the cyber
threats in their specific regions than would a single entity responsible for a wider range of cyber
threats. Because it might be difficult to identify, recruit, and retain cyber-qualified personnel that
would likely be needed for a separate USCYBERCOM, cyber professionals from the COCOMs
might be sought after to staff a new USCYBERCOM which could cause resentment from the
COCOMs.
Is There an Alternative to COCOMs?
Some experts believe the COCOM construct is a relic of the Cold War where the central mission
of the U.S. military was to prepare for and conduct combat operations in specific geographical
regions against conventional armed forces. These experts suggest a more radical approach to the
issue of COCOMs is required so they remain relevant in a post-September 11, 2001, world. Two
possible alternatives to the current COCOM construct are usually discussed.
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Replacing Subcomponent Commands with Joint Task Forces (JTFs)141
This proposal advocates retaining the COCOM headquarters and substituting a number of JTFs
for the Service-centric Subcomponent Commands. This approach could streamline and reduce
infrastructure and simplify command channels. These JTFs could be designed on a regional,
functional basis, for specific operational tasks and would be more flexible and reduce response
time to crises in the region. Larger COCOM AORs might also benefit from several JTFs that
could provide focused planning and operational execution in smaller, more manageable portions
of their AORs. Another perceived benefit of this construct is if a specific condition within a
COCOM’s AOR is resolved, the JTF established to address the issue could be rapidly
disestablished, thereby reducing personnel, infrastructure, and operations and maintenance
(O&M) costs.
Replacing COCOMs with a Joint Interagency Organization142
This proposal advocates replacing COCOMs with permanent standing, civilian-led interagency
organizations that would have regional responsibility for all aspects of U.S. foreign policy. These
organizations would be led by highly-credentialed civilians, potentially with a four-star military
deputy and would report directly to the President through the National Security Council (NSC).
These organizations would include representatives from all major U.S. government agencies,
including DOD. This construct would change only the authority to integrate all elements of U.S.
national power and DOD would continue to exercise its Title 10 authority by means of JIATFs.
A perceived benefit of this approach is it could result in a significant increase in unity of effort
across all the instruments of U.S. national power through all phases of an operation to include pre
and post-conflict. Another benefit is such an organization might better facilitate both coalition and
alliance-based operations from a political standpoint as it may be more palatable for some nations
to work with a civilian-led organization rather than a military-centric one. This new construct
might also have benefits for both regional engagement and developmental efforts thereby
reducing the military “face” of these operations, particularly in regions that are sensitive to U.S.
military presence.
These are but two possible alternatives to the current COCOM construct. While Congress might
not choose to directly address COCOM reform (particularly if there is a general belief the current
COCOM construct meets current and future security needs) it is possible that, as Congress, the
Administration, and DOD continue to pursue government-wide efficiencies aimed at reducing
federal spending, these and other alternatives might inform the debate.

141 Information in this section, unless otherwise noted, is taken from W. Spencer Johnson, “New Challengers for the
Unified Command Plan,” Joint Forces Quarterly, Summer 2002, pp. 62-70.
142 Brigadier General Jeffery Buchanan, U.S. Army, Captain Maxie Y. Davis, U.S. Navy, and Colonel Lee Wright, U.S.
Air Force, “Death of the Combatant Command? Toward a Joint Interagency Approach,” Joint Forces Quarterly, Issue
52, 1st Quarter 2009.
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Appendix. 2011 UCP COCOM Areas of
Responsibility




Author Contact Information

Andrew Feickert

Specialist in Military Ground Forces
afeickert@crs.loc.gov, 7-7673


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