unified combatant command

The Department of Defense defines at least four types of command authority:{{Cite web|url=http://www.alu.army.mil/alog/issues/novdec07/cmmd_relat_difference.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401004720/http://www.alu.army.mil/alog/issues/NovDec07/cmmd_relat_difference.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 1, 2015|title=Dr. Christopher R. Paparone Army Logistician COCOM, ADCON, OPCON, TACON Support —Do You Know the Difference?}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.doctrine.af.mil/Portals/61/documents/Annex_3-30/3-30-D60-C2-Appendix-ComRels-Overview.pdf|title=(JP-1) Air Force Doctrine, Annex 3-30 - Command and Control (7 January 2020) APPENDIX A: COMMAND AUTHORITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS}}

1. COCOM – combatant command (legal authority): unitary control not further delegatable by the combatant commander (CCDR) within their geographic or functional combatant command (CCMD).
2. ADCON – administrative control of the command function of "obtaining resources, direction for training, methods of morale and discipline"
3. OPCON – operational control of a command function, e.g. sustainment. In that case, OPCON is embodied in the Army Field Support Brigades (AFSBs)
4. TACON – tactical control of sustainment, for example as embodied in a Contracting Support Brigade

File:GCCMAP 2019.png

^‡ Currently, four geographic combatant commands have their headquarters located outside their geographic area of responsibility.

{{See also|List of former unified combatant commands}}

File:Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones lead briefing at The Pentagon.jpg and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at The Pentagon, Joint Chiefs of Staff Room (also known as "The Tank") on January 15, 1981.]]

President [[George W. Bush (sitting third from the right) and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (sitting second from the left) meeting with the joint chiefs and combatant commanders|thumb|250px]]

The current system of unified commands in the U.S. military emerged during World War II with the establishment of geographic theaters of operation composed of forces from multiple service branches that reported to a single commander who was supported by a joint staff.JCS (1985), p. 1 A unified command structure also existed to coordinate British and U.S. military forces operating under the Combined Chiefs of Staff, which was composed of the British Chiefs of Staff Committee and the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.{{sfn|JCS History|1977|page=1}}

In mainland Europe, Allied forces fell under the command of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). There was a separate command for the Mediterranean area. After SHAEF was dissolved at the end of the war, American forces were unified under a single command, the US Forces, European Theater (USFET), commanded by General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower. In the Pacific, the split in the location of base areas (the Philippines and then Australia, versus Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast); General Douglas MacArthur's towering ego; and Army-Navy rivalries meant that two separate commands were created."History of the Unified Command Plan 1946-77," p.1; {{cite book |last= Manchester |first= William |author-link= William Manchester |title= American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964 |publisher= Little, Brown |location= Boston |date= 1978 |isbn= 978-0-440-30424-1 |title-link= American Caesar}}

The Joint Chiefs of Staff continued to advocate for permanent unified commands, and President Harry S. Truman approved the first plan on 14 December 1946.{{sfn|JCS History|1977|p=2}} Known as the "Outline Command Plan", it would become the first in a series of Unified Command Plans.

{{sfn|JCS History|1977}}

The original 1946 plan established seven unified commands: Far East Command, Pacific Command, Alaskan Command, Northeast Command, the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Caribbean Command, and European Command. However, on 5 August 1947, the CNO recommended instead that CINCLANTFLT be established as a fully unified commander under the broader title of Commander in Chief, Atlantic (CINCLANT). The Army and Air Force objected, and CINCLANTFLT was activated as a unified command on 1 November 1947. A few days later, the CNO renewed his suggestion for the establishment of a unified Atlantic Command. This time his colleagues withdrew their objections, and on 1 December 1947, the U.S. Atlantic Command (LANTCOM) was created under the Commander in Chief, Atlantic (CINCLANT).Joint History Office, History of the Unified Command Plan 1946–1993, pp. 14–15.

Under the original plan, each of the unified commands operated with one of the service chiefs (the Chief of Staff of the Army or Air Force, or the Chief of Naval Operations) serving as an executive agent representing the Joint Chiefs of Staff.{{sfn|JCS History|1977|page=3}} This arrangement was formalized on 21 April 1948 as part of a policy paper titled the "Function of the Armed Forces and the Joint Chiefs of Staff" (informally known as the "Key West Agreement").{{sfn|JCS History|1977|page=5}} The responsibilities of the unified commands were further expanded on 7 September 1948 when the commanders' authority was extended to include the coordination of the administrative and logistical functions in addition to their combat responsibilities.{{sfn|JCS History|1977|page=6}}

Far East Command and U.S. Northeast Command were disestablished under the Unified Command Plan of 1956–1957.

A 1958 "reorganization in National Command Authority relations with the joint commands" with a "direct channel" to unified commands such as Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) was effected after President Dwight Eisenhower expressed concern{{Specify|reason=When, Where?|date=June 2014}} about nuclear command and control.{{cite report |last1=Wainstein |first1=L. |pages=1–138 |title=The Evolution of U.S. Strategic Command and Control and Warning: Part One (1945–1953) |date=June 1975 |id=Study S-467 |publisher=Institute for Defense Analyses}} CONAD itself was disestablished in 1975.

United States Central Command was established in 1983, an upgrading of the three-star Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force.

Although not part of the original plan, the Joint Chiefs of Staff also created specified commands that had broad and continuing missions but were composed of forces from only one service.Naval Advancement Examples include the U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean and the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command. Like the unified commands, the specified commands reported directly to the JCS instead of their respective service chiefs.{{sfn|JCS History|1977|page=4}} These commands have not existed since Strategic Air Command was disestablished in 1992. The relevant section of federal law, however, remains unchanged, and the President retains the power to establish a new specified command.10 U.S.C. 161

The Goldwater–Nichols Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 clarified and codified responsibilities that commanders-in-chief (CINCs) undertook, and which were first given legal status in 1947. After that act,Tobias Naegele [https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/out-of-the-cold-war-into-the-fire/ (3 Nov 2022) Out of the Cold War, Into the Fire ] 12th CSAF Larry D. Welch; 13th CSAF Michael J. Dugan CINCs reported directly to the United States Secretary of Defense, and through him to the President of the United States.

Then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney announced in 1993 that the command system should continue to evolve toward a joint global structure.{{cite web|last=Cheney |first=Dick |title=Defense Strategy for the 1990s: The Regional Defense Strategy |place=Washington|publisher=Department of Defense|date=1993|page=11 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA268979.pdf}} Atlantic Command became the Joint Forces Command in the 1990s after the Soviet threat to the North Atlantic had disappeared and the need rose for an integrating and experimentation command for forces in the continental United States.

In 1997 the former Soviet Central Asian republics were assigned to CENTCOM.title="History of the Unified Command Plan, 1946-2012,Drea, Edward et al (2013). " Joint History Office, (Washington: Joint Chiefs of Staff) , p 5, 75, 84, https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/History/Institutional/Command_Plan.pdf In January 2002 the area of the Russian Federation remained unassigned. The following month the Secretary approved General Myers' recommendation that assigned Russia to EUCOM with PACOM in support for the Russian Far East.Drea, p.84 By mid-2002, for the first time the entire surface of the earth was divided among the geographic commands.Feickert, Andrew (2013). "The Unified Command Plan and Combatant Commands: Background and Issues for Congress," Congressional Research Service, (Washington: White House), p 48, https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42077/11 Rumsfeld assigned the last unassigned region—Antarctica—to PACOM, which stretched from Pole to Pole and covered half of the globe.Drea, Edward et al (2013). "History of the Unified Command Plan, 1946-2012," Joint History Office, (Washington: Joint Chiefs of Staff) , p 83, https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/History/Institutional/Command_Plan.pdf{{Cite web |title=Department of Defense Press Briefing by Adm. Harris in the Pentagon Briefing Room |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/673426/department-of-defense-press-briefing-by-adm-harris-in-the-pentagon-briefing-room/ |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=U.S. Department of Defense |language=en-US}}

On 24 October 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced that in accordance with Title 10 of the United States Code, the title of "Commander-in-Chief" would thereafter be reserved for the President, consistent with the terms of Article II of the United States Constitution. Thereafter, the military CINCs would be known as "combatant commanders", as heads of the unified combatant commands.{{Cite report |url=https://library.rumsfeld.com/doclib/sp/2576/2002-10-24%20re%20The%20Title%20Commander%20in%20Chief.pdf |title=MEMORANDUM FOR SECRETARIES OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS SUBJECT: The Title "Commander-in-Chief" |last=Rumsfeld |first=Donald |date=2002-10-24 |location=The Rumsfeld Papers |access-date=2021-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115051555/https://library.rumsfeld.com/doclib/sp/223/2002-10-24%20re%20The%20Title%20Commander%20in%20Chief.pdf |archive-date=2020-11-15 |df=dmy-all}}

A sixth geographical unified command, United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), was approved and established in 2007 for Africa. It operated under U.S. European Command as a sub-unified command during its first year, and transitioned to independent Unified Command Status in October 2008. In 2009, it focused on synchronizing hundreds of activities inherited from three regional commands that previously coordinated U.S. military relations in Africa.AFRICOM FAQs

Joint Forces Command was disbanded on 3 August 2011 and its components placed under the Joint Staff and other combatant commands.

President Donald Trump announced on 18 August 2017 that the United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) would be elevated to the status of a unified combatant command from a sub-unified command. It was also announced that the separation of the command from the NSA would be considered.{{cite press release |title=Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Elevation of Cyber Command |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2017/08/18/statement-donald-j-trump-elevation-cyber-command |department=Office of the Press Secretary |date=2017-08-18 |access-date=2017-08-18 |via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov |df=dmy-all}}{{cite journal |last=Trump |first=Donald |author-link=Donald Trump |title=Presidential Documents: Memorandum of August 15, 2017: Elevation of U.S. Cyber Command to a Unified Combatant Command |url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-08-23/pdf/2017-17947.pdf |journal=Federal Register |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |volume=82 |issue=162 |pages=39953–39954 |date=2017-08-23 |access-date=2017-08-23 |df=dmy-all}} USCYBERCOM was elevated on 4 May 2018.

Vice President Mike Pence announced on 18 December 2018 that President Donald Trump had issued a memorandum ordering the stand-up of a United States Space Command (USSPACECOM).{{cite press release | title=Remarks by Vice President Pence at Kennedy Space Center |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-vice-president-pence-kennedy-space-center/ |location=Kennedy Space Center, Florida |department=Office of the White House Press Secretary |date=2018-12-18 |access-date=2018-12-18 | via=National Archives | work=whitehouse.gov |df=dmy-all}} A previous unified combatant command for unified space operations was decommissioned in 2002. The new USSPACECOM will include "(1) all the general responsibilities of a Unified Combatant Command; (2) the space-related responsibilities previously assigned to the Commander, United States Strategic Command; and (3) the responsibilities of Joint Force Provider and Joint Force Trainer for Space Operations Forces".{{cite press release |title=Text of a Memorandum from the President to the Secretary of Defense Regarding the Establishment of the United States Space Command |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/text-memorandum-president-secretary-defense-regarding-establishment-united-states-space-command/ |department=Office of the Press Secretary |date=2018-12-18 |access-date=2018-12-18 |via=National Archives |work=whitehouse.gov |df=dmy-all}} USSPACECOM was re-established on 29 August 2019.

Each combatant command (CCMD) is headed by a four-star general or admiral (the CCDR) recommended by the Secretary of Defense, nominated for appointment by the President of the United States, confirmed by the Senate and commissioned, at the President's order, by the Secretary of Defense. The Goldwater–Nichols Act and its subsequent implementation legislation also resulted in specific Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) requirements for officers before they could attain flag or general officer rank thereby preparing them for duty in Joint assignments such as UCC staff or Joint Chiefs of Staff assignments, which are strictly controlled tour length rotations of duty. However, in the decades following enactment of Goldwater–Nichols, these JPME requirements have yet to come to overall fruition. This is particularly true in the case of senior naval officers, where sea duty / shore duty rotations and the culture of the naval service has often discounted PME and JPME as a measure of professional development for success. Although slowly changing, the JPME requirement still continues to be frequently waived in the case of senior admirals nominated for these positions.Holder & Murray, p. 86.

The operational chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense to the combatant commanders of the combatant commands. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may transmit communications to the Commanders of the combatant commands from the President and Secretary of Defense and advises both on potential courses of action, but the Chairman does not exercise military command over any combatant forces. Under Goldwater–Nichols, the service chiefs (also four stars in rank) are charged with the responsibility of the strategic direction; unified operation of combatant commands; and the integration of all land, naval, and air forces in an efficient "unified combatant command" force. Furthermore, the Secretaries of the Military Departments (i.e., Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of the Air Force) are legally responsible to "organize, train and equip" combatant forces and, as directed by the Secretary of Defense, assign their forces for use by the combatant commands. The Secretaries of the Military Departments thus exercise administrative control (ADCON){{cite report |url=https://www.army.mil/article/203331/the_challenging_world_of_command_and_support_relationships |first1=Justin M., Lt. Col. |last1=Redfern |first2=Aaron M., Maj. |last2=Cornett |date=April 5, 2018 |df=dmy-all |title=The challenging world of command and support relationships |publisher=Department of Defense |department=United States Army}} rather than operational control (OPCON—the prerogative of the combatant commander) over their forces.

A sub-unified command, or, subordinate unified command, may be established by combatant commanders when authorized to do so by the Secretary of Defense or the president.Joint Pub 1, p. V-9. They are created to conduct a portion of the mission or tasking of their parent geographic or functional command. Sub-unified commands may be either functional or geographic, and the commanders of sub-unified commands exercise authority similar to that of combatant commanders.

Examples of former and present sub-unified commands are the Alaskan Command (ALCOM) under USNORTHCOM, the United States Forces Korea (USFK) and United States Forces Japan (USFJ) under USINDOPACOM, and United States Forces—Afghanistan (USFA) under USCENTCOM.

• United States Air Force
• United States Army
• United States Coast Guard
• United States Marine Corps
• United States Navy
• United States Space Force

{{notelist|1}}

{{reflist}}

• Title 10 of the United States Code (10 U.S.C.) {{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/161- |title=§ 161}}
• {{cite web |title=AFRICOM FAQs|publisher=United States Africa Command |url=http://www.africom.mil/africomFAQs.asp |access-date=27 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421182424/http://www.africom.mil/AfricomFAQs.asp |archive-date=21 April 2010}}
• {{cite web |title=DefenseLINK — Unified Command Plan |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/unifiedcommand |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=15 January 2009}}
• {{cite magazine |last1=Holder |first1=Leonard |last2=Murray |first2=Williamson |title=Prospects for Military Education |url=https://digitalndulibrary.ndu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/ndupress&CISOPTR=16478&REC=1 |magazine=Joint Force Quarterly |volume=18 |date=Spring 1998}}
• {{cite web |author=JCS History |title=History of the Unified Command Plan, 1946–1977 |publisher=Joint Chiefs of Staff |date=20 December 1977 |url=http://www.dod.gov/pubs/foi/reading_room/268.pdf |access-date=21 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528174827/http://www.dod.gov/pubs/foi/reading_room/268.pdf |archive-date=28 May 2010}}
• {{cite web |department=Joint Chiefs of Staff |publisher=United States Department of Defense |title=History of the Unified Command Plan, 1977–1983 |date=July 1985 |url=http://www.dod.gov/pubs/foi/reading_room/269.pdf |access-date=21 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528175122/http://www.dod.gov/pubs/foi/reading_room/269.pdf |archive-date=28 May 2010}}
• {{cite web |title=Joint Publication 1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States |url=http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1.pdf |date=20 March 2009 |department=Joint Chiefs of Staff |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=22 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027024636/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1.pdf |archive-date=27 October 2011}}
• {{cite web |id=Joint Publication 1-02 |title=Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms |url=http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310102614/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 10, 2010 |date=31 January 2011 |department=Joint Chiefs of Staff |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=24 March 2011}}
• {{cite web |title=Joint Warfighting Center History |url=http://www.jfcom.mil/about/jwfc_history.htm |department=United States Joint Forces Command |publisher=Department of Defense |access-date=6 February 2007|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208195931/http://www.jfcom.mil/about/jwfc_history.htm |archive-date=8 December 2006}}
• {{cite web |title=Specified Command |url=http://www.tpub.com/content/advancement/14148/css/14148_21.htm |series=Naval Advancement |access-date=21 August 2016}}
• {{cite report |last=Story |first=William C. |title=Military Changes to the Unified Command Plan: Background and Issues for Congress |date=21 June 1999 |publisher=Congressional Research Service |url=http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/crs/rl30245.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010052854/http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/crs/rl30245.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 10, 2011 |access-date=22 August 2010}}
• {{cite web |title=US Creating New Africa Command to Coordinate Military Efforts |url=http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/February/20070206170933MVyelwarC0.2182581.html |publisher=United States Department of State |access-date=12 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021051013/http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/February/20070206170933MVyelwarC0.2182581.html |archive-date=21 October 2012}}
• {{cite web |title=U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility Countries |url=http://www.centcom.mil/area-of-responsibility-countries |department=USCENTCOM |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=12 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808111417/http://www.centcom.mil/area-of-responsibility-countries |archive-date=8 August 2013}}
• {{cite web |title=The Region EUCOM, Stronger Together |url=http://www.eucom.mil/mission/the-region |department=USEUCOM |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=12 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823072510/http://www.eucom.mil/mission/the-region/ |archive-date=23 August 2013}}
• {{cite report |title=USNORTHCOM 101 |url=http://nrt.sraprod.com/nrtconf/reports/040316/USNORTHCOM%20101.ppt |publisher=SRA |access-date=12 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513180226/http://nrt.sraprod.com/nrtconf/reports/040316/USNORTHCOM%20101.ppt |archive-date=13 May 2014}}
• {{cite web |title=ADM Keating's Letter |url=https://photos.state.gov/libraries/adana/19452/pdfs/uspacom.pdf |department=USPACOM |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=12 August 2013}}
• {{cite web |title=Area of Responsibility (USSOUTHCOM) |url=http://www.southcom.mil/aboutus/Pages/Area-of-Responsibility.aspx |department=USSOUTHCOM |publisher=United States Department of Defense |access-date=12 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130813044853/http://www.southcom.mil/aboutus/Pages/Area-of-Responsibility.aspx |archive-date=13 August 2013}}

{{commons|Unified Combatant Command}}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.usaraf.army.mil/MAP_INTERACTIVE/INTERACTIVE_MAP.swf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117005910/http://www.usaraf.army.mil/MAP_INTERACTIVE/INTERACTIVE_MAP.swf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-01-17 |title=Interactive Map—US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) area of operation |department=United States Army Africa |publisher=Department of Defense}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.defense.gov/specials/unifiedcommand/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212022612/http://www.defense.gov/specials/unifiedcommand/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 12, 2012 |title=Unified Command Plan |publisher=Department of Defense}}

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