February 13, 2020
United States Central Command
According to the U.S. Unified Command Plan, the
that can bolster the United States within this competition are
Department of Defense (DOD) document that articulates the therefore to be prioritized over other strategic challenges,
division of operational responsibilities amongst the 11
including countering violent extremist groups such as al
Combatant Commands (CoCOMs), United States Central
Qaeda and the Islamic State, both of which have been
Command (CENTCOM) has command authority over U.S.
critical challenges in the CENTCOM AOR for decades.
forces in the Middle East and West/Central Asia.
Some observers contend that a shift in U.S. resources away
from the CENTCOM AOR and toward Europe and Asia is
CENTCOM was formally established by DOD on January 1, therefore necessary. In his 2019 posture statement, General
1983. Its area of responsibility (AOR) comprises Egypt,
Votel, the former Commander of CENTCOM, argued that
Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar,
he was laying the foundation for that reprioritization, noting,
United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran, Turkmenistan,
“[CENTCOM] will not be the main effort of our nation’s
Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
scarce resources in perpetuity.”
Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Accordingly, its geography spans
more than 4 million square miles and is populated by more
Nevertheless, Iran remains a central challenge to the United
than 550 million people from 22 ethnic groups, speaking 18
States, its allies and its interests in the CENTCOM AOR. In
languages with hundreds of dialects and professing multiple
recent months, Iran has become an increasingly militarily
religions that transcend national borders. Headquartered at
assertive as it tries to compel the Trump Administration to
MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) in Tampa, Florida,
ease sanctions. Iran and the United States have carried out
CENTCOM is commanded by Marine Corps General
strikes on each other’s personnel, and Iran has been linked
Kenneth F. McKenzie, who previously served as the
to attacks on U.S. partners and international energy
Director of Strategic Plans and Policy in the Joint Staff.
shipments. These developments have led some observers to
Component Commands
question whether the proposed strategic reprioritization of
threats, including the redirection of assets and capabilities
As with other CoCOMs, CENTCOM is a headquarters; no
away from the CENTCOM AOR, is feasible. Others contend
military units are permanently assigned to it. CENTCOM
that despite these developments with Iran, the United States
operates through component commands—one for each of
should reduce its strategic emphasis on the region given the
the U.S. armed services, along with a joint special
scale of the challenges posed by China and Russia. Still
operations component. Each component command may or
others contend that force planning concepts like “dynamic
may not have military forces assigned to it in theater.
force employment”—that is, the ability to rapidly shift key
U.S. Army Central (ARCENT): ARCENT is
U.S. military assets from one theater to another—mitigate
headquartered at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, and has a
some of the risk associated with diverting resources away
forward headquarters in Kuwait.
from CENTCOM.
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT): Funding
NAVCENT has its headquarters in Manama, Bahrain,
DOD budget documentation does not break out total funding
the home of the U.S. Fifth Fleet.
by COCOM. Forces and operations assigned to the
commands are, in general, funded by the military services
U.S. Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT):
(either in their regular, or base, budgets or with funding
AFCENT is also headquartered at Shaw AFB, South
designated for Overseas Contingency Operations, or OCO).
Carolina, and has a forward headquarters in Qatar.
COCOM funding is, with some exceptions, limited to
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command
Operation and Maintenance (O&M) accounts for
(MARCENT): MARCENT has its headquarters at
headquarters and mission support activities. In the case of
MacDill AFB, Florida.
CENTCOM, the U.S. Air Force is the Combatant Command
Support Agent (CCSA) and primarily responsible for
U.S. Special Operations Command Central
funding its headquarters.
(SOCCENT): SOCCENT is headquartered at MacDill
AFB, Florida, and maintains a forward headquarters in
For FY2021, the Air Force requested approximately $313.1
Qatar.
million in the O&M budget subactivity group (SAG) for
Combatant Command Mission Operations – USCENTCOM,
CENTCOM and National Strategic Priorities
including $186.1 million in base budget funding and $126.9
CENTCOM’s military operations and activities are informed million in OCO funding. For the same fiscal year, DOD
by the 2017 National Security Strategy and 2018 National
requested $20.5 billion in OCO funding for direct war costs
Defense Strategy. In the Trump Administration’s view,
associated with operations in the CENTCOM AOR,
effectively competing—economically, diplomatically, and
including Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS) primarily in
militarily—with China and Russia is the key national
Afghanistan and Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR)
security challenge facing the United States today. Activities
primarily in Iraq and Syria.
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United States Central Command
Figure 1. Select Installations in the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility
Regional Conflicts and U.S. Military
conflict with Iran for decades. Since summer 2019, the
Operations in the CENTCOM AOR
United States has deployed capabilities to the CENTCOM
AOR designed to deter further Iranian military action
A number of active conflicts are being waged in the
against U.S. forces, partners, commercial shipping and
CENTCOM AOR. The United States is a belligerent in
energy infrastructure in the region.
some, but not all, of those conflicts:
Afghanistan. The United States has conducted a variety of
Yemen. For over a decade, the Republic of Yemen
military operations in Afghanistan since 2001. Today U.S.
Government has been engaged in multiple armed conflicts
and coalition partners conduct counterterrorism operations
to which several internal militant groups and foreign
(Operation Freedom’s Sentinel) and train Afghan security
nations are parties.
and defense forces (Resolute Support Mission).
Further Reading
Syria/Iraq. The United States has conducted operations in
Syria and Iraq to defeat the Islamic State since 2014
CRS Report R43960, Yemen: Civil War and Regional
(Operation Inherent Resolve).
Intervention, by Jeremy M. Sharp
Persian Gulf. In fall 2019, the Trump Administration
assembled the International Maritime Security Construct, a
CRS Report R45122, Afghanistan: Background and U.S.
coalition that monitors Iranian threats which could use
Policy In Brief, by Clayton Thomas
military assets to protect commercial shipping in the Gulf.
As of November 2019, the IMSC’s contributors included
CRS Report R44017, Iran’s Foreign and Defense Policies,
the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Kingdom of
by Kenneth Katzman
Saudi Arabia, Albania, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
Iran. On January 2, 2020, the United States conducted a
drone strike, killing Major General Qasem Soleimani, a
Kathleen J. McInnis, Specialist in International Security
move that resulted in Iranian ballistic missile strikes against
Brendan W. McGarry, Analyst in U.S. Defense Budget
bases with U.S. troops in Iraq. Apart from U.S.-Iran naval
clashes during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, the United
IF11428
States has been periodically engaged in a hybrid, irregular
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United States Central Command
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