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105-470: The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and unified and specified combatant commands . It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U.S. military. It increases in severity from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (most severe) to match varying military situations, with DEFCON 1 signaling the impending outbreak of nuclear warfare . DEFCONs are

210-679: A "unified high command" in what would come to be called the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Modeled on the British Chiefs of Staff Committee, the JCS' first formal meeting was held on 9 February 1942, to coordinate operations between War and Navy Departments. The official history of the Army Air Forces noted that although there was "no official charter establishing this committee...by the end of February it had assumed responsibilities toward

315-654: A NATO-led peacekeeping force with a UN mandate to separate warring factions, oversee the withdrawal of Serb forces and interdict the flow of arms to insurgents. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared Kosovo independent. Currently, the U.S. Army, with approx. 800 Soldiers, has the lead for Multinational Battle Group East (MNBG-E) in the eastern region, headquartered near Uroševac at Camp Bondsteel as part of KFOR. Contributing nations include Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. The majority of U.S. Soldiers come from U.S. Army National Guard units, with

420-583: A different state taking over the lead for each rotation of approximately nine months. The 11 September 2001 attacks did not directly affect the Seventh Army. However, the campaign in Iraq in 2003 did. The headquarters of V Corps was deployed to Iraq , as did 173rd Airborne Brigade , and after the campaign, 1st Armored Division followed for occupation duties. With parts of 1st Infantry Division also deployed in Iraq, and others on peacekeeping duties in

525-595: A logistical command, was formally activated in Italy. The headquarters, commanded by Maj. Gen. John H. Michaelis , was temporarily established at Camp Darby, near Livorno, Italy with units additionally stationed in Vicenza and Verona. Shortly after activation, SETAF moved the headquarters to Caserma Passalacqua in Verona, Italy. An airborne battalion eventually joined SETAF. On 15 July 1958 USAREUR forces were ordered to assist

630-513: A service branch when he became the Chief of Staff of the Air Force in 2020. On May 25, 2023, President Joe Biden nominated General Brown to become the 21st Chairman of the JCS. General Brown was subsequently confirmed and took up the post of chairman on October 1, 2023. General Richard B. Myers (Chairman, 2001–2005) was the first vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to serve as chairman of

735-665: A smaller organization, the 21st Theater Army Area Command, now known as 21st Theater Sustainment Command (TSC) . In the 1970s, USAREUR continued to improve its firepower when it received the new M16A1 rifle , the TOW anti-tank weapon , the OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopter, and the AH-1G Cobra helicopter . During the 1970s, force protection concerns grew as Palestinian groups brazenly conducted terror operations in Europe, such as

840-543: A statutory member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 20 December 2020. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is, by law, the highest-ranking military officer of the United States Armed Forces , and the principal military adviser to the president of the United States. He leads the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comprising the chairman, the vice chairman of

945-557: A subsystem of a series of "Alert Conditions", or LERTCONs , which also include Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs). The DEFCON level is controlled primarily by the U.S. president and the U.S. Secretary of Defense through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combatant Commanders ; each level defines specific security, activation and response scenarios for the personnel in question. Different branches of

1050-555: A year rapid redeployments had brought the occupation forces down to fewer than 290,000 personnel, and many of the larger formations had departed or been inactivated. The Seventh Army headquarters remained in control of the western portion of the American zone, and the Third Army controlled the eastern portion. In November 1945, the two field army commanders organized district "constabularies" based on cavalry groups. The Seventh Army

1155-555: Is Troy E. Black , who was sworn in by General Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on 3 November 2023, replacing SEAC Ramón Colón-López . The Joint Staff ( JS ) is a military headquarters staff based at The Pentagon (with offices in Hampton Roads , Virginia; Fort Leavenworth , Kansas; Lackland Air Force Base , Texas; Fort Belvoir , Virginia; Fairchild Air Force Base , Washington and Fort McNair , District of Columbia) composed of personnel from all

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1260-479: Is assisted by the vice director of the Joint Staff , a two-star officer. Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper tasked the Joint Staff with developing a Joint Warfighting Concept for the services by December 2020. Developing Joint all-domain command and control ( JADC2 ) as a concept is a key goal of the 20th CJCS. An OSD /Joint Staff Cross-Functional Team for JADC2 is underway . Esper ordered

1365-631: Is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense , which advises the president of the United States , the secretary of defense , the Homeland Security Council and the National Security Council on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of a chairman (CJCS), a vice chairman (VJCS),

1470-510: The 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck , Germany, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which will eventually expand to three airborne battalions, in Italy. Joint Task Force East provided from forces rotating from continental United States though bases in Bulgaria and Romania , was initially intended to be provided by a rotating US-based brigade. Two bases at Constanța , Romania were developed, with

1575-423: The 351st Infantry Regiment served as the main body of Trieste United States Troops , on the border of Yugoslavia. On 15 March 1947, United States Forces, European Theater (USFET) was "replaced by the army command known as European Command (EUCOM). ..The Army element of the joint European Command headquarters was initially called Headquarters, U.S. Ground and Service Forces, Europe." On 15 March 1947, HQ USFET

1680-552: The Balkans , Seventh Army was virtually stripped of combat formations. The return of 173rd Brigade, V Corps and 1st Armored Division in early 2004 was followed by the deployment of the rest of 1st Infantry Division for occupation duties. V Corps began a rotational deployment in 2009 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The U.S. Army's reorganization plans from 2005 called for the formation's major subordinate units – 1st Armored Division and 1st Infantry Division – to be relocated to

1785-748: The Cuban Missile Crisis on October 16–28, 1962, the U.S. Armed Forces (with the exception of United States Army Europe (USAREUR)) were ordered to DEFCON 3. On October 24, Strategic Air Command (SAC) was ordered to DEFCON 2, while the rest of the U.S. Armed Forces remained at DEFCON 3. SAC remained at DEFCON 2 until November 15. While at DEFCON 2, 92.5% of SAC's weapons systems (approx. 1,479 strike aircraft; 182 Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman missiles; 2,962 total nuclear weapons; and 1,003 refueling tankers) were ready to launch within one hour, while its airborne alert program expanded to include 1/8th of SAC's bomber forces, allowing an average of 65 planes in

1890-544: The Goldwater–Nichols Act , the Joint Chiefs of Staff does not possess operational authority over troops or other units. Responsibility for conducting military operations goes from the president to the secretary of defense directly to the commanders of the unified combatant commands and thus bypasses the Joint Chiefs of Staff completely. Today, their primary responsibility is to ensure personnel readiness, policy, planning and training of their respective services for

1995-516: The Gulf War and the subsequent drawdowns, USAREUR faced a wholly different challenge in Europe. The command was engaged in humanitarian support operations, to include disaster relief and rescue and recovery, peacekeeping and non-combatant evacuations. Between 1990 and 1993 the command supported 42 deployments, which involved a total of 95,579 personnel. Conflict in the Balkans quickly became one of

2100-825: The Kosovo War , the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and increased security cooperation with other NATO land forces. From 1967 to 2006, the U.S. Army Europe dual hatted with the Seventh Army . The Seventh Army has since been dissolved and merged into the command. In 2020, the Army announced that United States Army Africa would consolidate with U.S. Army Europe to form a new command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The two commands were consolidated on November 20, 2020. The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA)

2205-1049: The M1A1 Abrams tank , the M2 and M3 Bradley series of infantry and cavalry fighting vehicles, the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) , the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system, the UH-60 Black Hawk and the AH-64A Apache helicopters. In January 1967, in accordance with Headquarters Department of the Army Msg NR DA796059 dated 9 January 1967, the USAREUR and Seventh Army staffs were merged to become Headquarters and Headquarters Company, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army (HHC USAREUR 7A). The dramatic events of

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2310-706: The Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTOUSA). When the war ended in Europe on 8 May 1945, the ETOUSA headquarters was located in Versailles , France, just outside Paris. As Eisenhower and his staff began to prepare for the occupation of Germany, the ETOUSA headquarters staff moved to Frankfurt, Germany. In Frankfurt the staff was co-located with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces and

2415-635: The Office of Military Government, United States . ETOUSA was redesignated Headquarters, United States Forces European Theater (HQ USFET) on 1 July 1945, remaining in Frankfurt. At the end of the war, the total U.S. Army strength in Europe was 2.4 million: two Army groups ( 6th and 12th ), five field armies ( First , Third , Seventh , Ninth and Fifteenth ), 13 corps headquarters, and 62 combat divisions (43 infantry, 16 armor, and 3 airborne). There were 11,000 tanks and armored fighting vehicles. Within

2520-480: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security . Although a higher DEFCON number refers to a more relaxed defence posture, the term has been misused in popular culture in which "DEFCON 5" is incorrectly used to describe an active conflict situation (such as in the title of the video game Defcon 5 ), or more figuratively, to describe an aggravated state of mind ("going to DEFCON five"). Defense readiness conditions vary between many commands and have changed over time, and

2625-572: The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) area of responsibility . During the Cold War , it supervised ground formations primarily focused upon the Warsaw Pact to the east as part of NATO 's Central Army Group . Since the revolutions of 1989 , it has greatly reduced its size, dispatched U.S. forces to the Gulf Wars of 1990-91 and the 2003 invasion of Iraq ,

2730-558: The Unified Combatant Commands . All combatant commanders receive their orders directly from the secretary of defense . On 20 July 1942, Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy became Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief (20 July 1942 – 21 March 1949). He was not technically the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Leahy's office was the precursor to the post of "Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff". That post

2835-552: The United States Department of Defense uses exercise terms when referring to the DEFCON levels during exercises. This is to prevent confusing exercise commands with actual operational commands. On January 12, 1966, NORAD "proposed the adoption of the readiness conditions of the JCS system", and information about the levels was declassified in 2006: After NORAD was created, the command used different readiness levels (Normal, Increased, Maximum) subdivided into eight conditions, e.g.,

2940-666: The United States Department of Defense 's primary areas of focus, and peace enforcement in Bosnia was a harbinger of future military operations. From 1990 to 1995 USAREUR conducted mostly humanitarian operations in the area. In October 1992, USAREUR sent the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) and personnel from the 7th Medical Command to Zagreb , Croatia to provide medical support for United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) casualties. Throughout 1993–1995, USAREUR's 5th Quartermaster Company, in conjunction with United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) , delivered humanitarian aid to

3045-485: The commandant of the Coast Guard is not an ex officio member of the JCS like the other service chiefs, Coast Guard officers are legally eligible to be appointed as Chairman and Vice Chairman, pursuant to 10 U.S.C.   § 152(a)(1) and 10 U.S.C.   § 154(a)(1) respectively, which use the collective term "armed forces" rather than listing the eligible services, as well as to other positions on

3150-418: The military commands . The initial DEFCON system had "Alpha" and "Bravo" conditions (under DEFCON 3) and Charlie/Delta under DEFCON 4, plus an "Emergency" level higher than DEFCON 1 with two conditions: "Defense Emergency" and the highest, "Air Defense Emergency" ("Hot Box" and "Big Noise" for exercises). The United States has never declared a readiness condition of DEFCON 1 to prepare for nuclear war. During

3255-533: The "Maximum Readiness" level had two conditions "Air Defense Readiness" and "Air Defense Emergency". In October 1959, the JCS Chairman informed NORAD "that Canada and the U.S. had signed an agreement on increasing the operational readiness of NORAD forces during periods of international tension." After the agreement became effective on October 2, 1959, the JCS defined a system with DEFCONs in November 1959 for

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3360-522: The "most significant development" for the National Guard since the Militia Act of 1903 . The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act established the U.S. Space Force on 20 December 2019. The Space Force is headed by the chief of space operations, who reports directly to the secretary of the Air Force . Pursuant to 10 U.S.C.   § 9082 , the chief of space operations became

3465-455: The American war effort comparable to the CCS on the combined level." On 20 July 1942, Admiral Leahy became the "Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief", with all individual service chiefs operating under his authority. The first members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were: Each of the members of the original Joint Chiefs was a four-star flag or general officer in his service branch. By the end of

3570-596: The Bosnia mission. In early 1999, in response to growing ethnic tensions in Kosovo and military and paramilitary forces in daily conflict resulting in the more than 1,500 Kosovar Albanian deaths and 400,000 refugees, USAREUR formed Task Force Falcon, with the 1st Infantry Division as the core element. On 9 June 1999, after an inconclusive air campaign, Task Force Falcon deployed forces in the largest combined air-rail-sea-road movement since Operation Desert Storm, entering Kosovo on 12 June 1999, as part of Operation Joint Guardian,

3675-560: The CJCS, as well as to delegate some of the chairman's responsibilities, particularly resource allocation through the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC). General Colin L. Powell (Chairman, 1989–1993) was the first African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff when he became the 12th Chairman of the JCS in 1989. General Charles Q. Brown Jr. was the first African American appointed to lead

3780-529: The Coast Guard operates under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense , except when the president (e.g., in times of war or national emergency) transfers it to the Department of the Navy . The commandant of the Coast Guard is not a de jure member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff but is sometimes regarded as a de facto member, being entitled to the same supplemental pay as

3885-464: The Corps, but was not a regular member; General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. , Commandant in 1952–55, was the first to sit as an occasional member. The law was amended during the term of General Louis H. Wilson, Jr. (1975–79), making the commandant a full-time JCS member in parity with the other three DoD services. The position of vice chairman was created by the Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986 to complement

3990-696: The Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the president. The Joint Staff (JS) is a headquarters staff in the Pentagon , composed of personnel from each of the six service branches, that assists the chairman and the vice chairman in discharging their responsibilities and is managed by the director of the Joint Staff (DJS). After the 1986 reorganization of the Armed Forces undertaken by

4095-534: The Joint Board had little to no impact on the manner in which the United States conducted World War I. After World War I, the two secretaries agreed in 1919 to reestablish and revitalize the Joint Board. The mission of the General Staff was to develop plans for mobilization for the next war. In these, the U.S. was always designated "blue" and potential enemies were assigned various other colors . Now,

4200-495: The Joint Board's membership was to include the chiefs of staff, their deputies, and the chief of war plans division for the Army and the director of plans division for the Navy. Under the Joint Board was to be a staff called the Joint Planning Committee to serve the board. Along with new membership, the Joint Board could initiate recommendations on its own initiative. However, the Joint Board still did not possess

4305-898: The Joint Chiefs of Staff , the chief of staff of the United States Army , the commandant of the United States Marine Corps , the chief of naval operations , the chief of staff of the United States Air Force , the Chief of Space Operations (statutory member after December 2020), and the chief of the National Guard Bureau . The Joint Chiefs of Staff have offices in the Pentagon . The chairman outranks all service chiefs, but does not maintain authority over them, their branches or

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4410-450: The Joint Chiefs of Staff . General Peter Pace (Vice Chairman 2001–2005; Chairman, 2005–2007) was the first Marine to serve in either position. Admiral Lisa Franchetti became the first woman to serve on the JCS when she took over as Chief of Naval Operations on November 2, 2023. A provision in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act added the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Guard historians called it

4515-406: The Joint Chiefs of Staff do not have operational command authority, either individually or collectively, as the chain of command goes from the president to the secretary of defense, and from the secretary to the regional combatant commanders . Goldwater–Nichols also created the office of vice chairman, and the chairman is now designated as the principal military adviser to the secretary of defense,

4620-604: The Joint Chiefs, and occasionally will attend meetings of the JCS by invitation. Unlike the Joint Chiefs, who are not actually in the military's operational chain of command, the commandant is both the administrative and the operational commander of the Coast Guard. As the U.S. military grew in size following the American Civil War , joint military action between the Army and Navy became increasingly difficult. The Army and Navy were unsupportive of each other at either

4725-453: The Joint Staff. As of 2020 , no Coast Guard officer has been appointed Chairman or Vice Chairman, but Coast Guard officers routinely serve on the JCS staff, including one vice admiral who was appointed to serve as J6 in 2016. United States Army Europe United States Army Europe and Africa ( USAREUR-AF ) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) / Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout

4830-514: The Lebanese government. Task Force 201, the Army component of Operation Blue Bat rapidly deployed more than 8,000 Soldiers from Europe to Beirut by air and sea. As the situation quickly stabilized, all U.S. forces redeployed from the country within 4 months. Although the Korean War – open East–West conflict – had ended, political tensions remained high in Europe. Particularly troublesome was

4935-523: The NATO-led Implementation Force , under the overall command of British General Michael Walker . Task Force Eagle's mission was to implement and monitor the military aspects of the agreement, enforce the cease-fire, supervise the marking of boundaries and the zone of separation between the former warring factions, and enforce the withdrawal of the combatants to their barracks and the movement of heavy weapons to storage sites. It

5040-658: The Office of the Commander in Chief of European Command; to U.S. Air Forces Europe ; to the U.S. Navy, Germany ; and to a few exempted War Department agencies. The offices and personnel of the general and special staff divisions of EUCOM headquarters performed USAREUR's general and special staff duties. The principal function of the commanding general of USAREUR became the establishment and maintenance of high standards of discipline. General Huebner also became Commanding General, USAREUR. The Berlin Blockade began 24 June 1948 when

5145-837: The Pentagon. The crisis cooled in Berlin from 1962 to 1963, and augmenting forces returned to the United States. Equipment modernization programs during this period included the M113 armored personnel carrier , the M14 rifle , the M60 machine gun , the OV-1 fixed wing observation aircraft , the UH-1B Huey helicopter , the M151 MUTT truck, and the M60 Patton tank. In late 1963 Operation BIG LIFT tested

5250-676: The Seventh Army title. Decisions that took effect in 2006 stated that the official designation would be "United States Army Europe" (USAREUR). The organization perpetuates the lineage and honors of the Seventh Army and authorized the display and wear of appropriate Seventh Army heraldic items. The first Redeployment of Forces from Germany took place in 1968, with the removal of about 28,000 military personnel from Germany. The units and personnel withdrawn remained committed to NATO and during REFORGER I – Return of Forces to Germany – conducted in January 1969, more than 12,000 soldiers returned to Germany for an exercise using pre-positioned equipment. In

5355-430: The Seventh Army. Within a few weeks other assignments to the Seventh Army included the V and VII Corps . Due to President Truman's 10 December 1950 Declaration of a National Emergency as a result of circumstances in the Korean War, four CONUS based U.S. Army divisions were alerted to move to the U.S. Occupation Zone of Germany (these divisions were known as the augmentation force to the U.S. Army in Europe). A main concern

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5460-425: The Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied control. Even though Allied forces in the city were outnumbered 50–1, General Lucius D. Clay, in charge of the US Occupation Zone in Germany, gave the order for the Berlin Airlift . Headquartered out of Wiesbaden Army Airfield , the Allies supplied almost 9,000 tons per day of supplies to the beleaguered city until

5565-405: The U.S. Strategic Air Command (SAC). DEFCONs should not be confused with similar systems used by the US military, such as Force Protection Conditions (FPCONS), Readiness Conditions (REDCONS), Information Operations Condition (INFOCON) and its future replacement Cyber Operations Condition (CYBERCON), and Watch Conditions (WATCHCONS), or the former Homeland Security Advisory System used by

5670-476: The U.S. Armed Forces (after the chairman). In the absence of the chairman, the vice chairman presides over the meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He may also perform such duties as the chairman may prescribe. It was not until the National Defense Authorization Act in 1992 that the position was made a full voting member of the JCS. The current vice chairman is Admiral Christopher W. Grady , who began his tenure on 20 December 2021. The senior enlisted advisor to

5775-433: The U.S. Armed Forces (i.e. U.S. Army , U.S. Navy , U.S. Air Force , U.S. Marine Corps , U.S. Coast Guard , U.S. Space Force ) and different bases or command groups can be activated at different defense conditions. According to Air & Space/Smithsonian , as of 2022, the U.S. DEFCON level has never been more severe than DEFCON 3. The DEFCON 2 levels in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and 1991 Gulf War applied only to

5880-462: The U.S. Army headquarters at Heidelberg, formerly known as EUCOM, became Headquarters, United States Army, Europe. It remained in Heidelberg under the temporary command of General Handy (who wore two hats in both USEUCOM and USAREUR for a while). As Cold War tensions continued to escalate in 1952, General Williston B. Palmer commanding the 2nd Armored Division authorized the founding of the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra in Vaihingen-Stuttgart under

5985-542: The United States had no equivalent body. The Joint Board's lack of authority made it of little use to the CCS, although its 1935 publication, Joint Action of the Army and Navy, did give some guidance for the joint operations during World War II. The Joint Board had little influence during the war and was ultimately disbanded in 1947. As a counterpart to the UK's Chiefs of Staff Committee in the CCS, and to provide better-coordinated effort and coordinated staff work for America's military effort, Admiral William D. Leahy proposed

6090-436: The United States. Another separate infantry regiment – the 5th – was located in Austria but came under the control of US Forces in Austria. In 1947 Headquarters Third Army returned to the United States. From then until the early 1950s, the structure of the American occupation forces consisted of the 1st Infantry Division , a separate infantry regiment, and the U.S. Constabulary of 10 cavalry regiments. From c. 1947 to 1954,

6195-479: The air in position to be directed at targets in the Soviet Union at any given time. On October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a joint attack on Israel resulting in the Yom Kippur War . The United States became concerned that the Soviet Union might intervene, and on October 25, US forces, including Strategic Air Command , Continental Air Defense Command , European Command and the Sixth Fleet , were placed at DEFCON 3. According to documents declassified in 2016,

6300-505: The axe murder incident at Panmunjom on August 18, 1976, readiness levels for US forces in South Korea were increased to DEFCON 3, where they remained throughout Operation Paul Bunyan . During the September 11 attacks , Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ordered the DEFCON level be increased to 3, and also a stand-by for a possible increase to DEFCON 2. It was lowered to DEFCON 4 on September 14. Historic/Defunct: Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS )

6405-412: The blockade was lifted on 12 May 1949. From 1948 to 1950, Cold War tensions grew, and the outbreak of hostilities in Korea in June 1950 heightened east–west tensions in Europe. The Seventh Army was reactivated at Vaihingen , Stuttgart in late November 1950. The two U.S. Army division sized units in the U.S. Occupation Zone of Germany, the First Infantry Division and the U.S. Constabulary, were assigned to

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6510-417: The camp. In Bosnia and Herzegovina , after the Dayton Peace Accords were reached in November 1995, USAREUR's 1st Armored Division began deploying there in December, with the first Lockheed C-130 Hercules landing in Tuzla in Bosnia, on 2 December, and the first trains departing Germany 8 December. One major barrier to the deployment of the 1st Armored Division was the bridge over the Sava River, which

6615-458: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC) advises on all matters concerning joint and combined total force integration, utilization, development, and helps develop noncommissioned officers related joint professional education, enhance utilization of senior NCOs on joint battle staffs, and support the chairman's responsibilities as directed. Command Sergeant Major William Gainey , was the first SEAC, serving from 1 October 2005. The current SEAC

6720-444: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs. While serving as the chairman or vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, chief of staff of the Army, commandant of the Marine Corps, Chief of Naval Operations, chief of staff of the Air Force, or commandant of the Coast Guard, basic pay is $ 18,491.70 a month, plus a $ 4,000 per year personal money allowance. Although it is a branch of the Armed Forces pursuant to 14 U.S.C.   § 101 ,

6825-428: The chiefs of the Army , Marine Corps , Navy , Air Force , Space Force , and the chief of the National Guard Bureau . Each of the individual service chiefs, outside their JCS obligations, works directly under the secretaries of their respective military departments, e.g. the secretary of the Army , the secretary of the Navy , and the secretary of the Air Force . Following the Goldwater–Nichols Act in 1986,

6930-424: The combatant commanders to utilize. In addition, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff acts as the chief military advisor to the president and the secretary of defense. In this strictly advisory role, the Joint Chiefs constitute the third-highest deliberative body for military policy, after the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council , which includes the president and other officials besides

7035-517: The command of the ground and service forces from USAREUR, while other USAREUR functions revert to EUCOM. General Eddy became CG of Seventh Army. HQ USAREUR continued to exist, without troops, to fulfilled certain legal requirements in connection with court-martial and other responsibilities. A new joint, multi-service United States European Command was established in Frankfurt , Germany on 1 August 1952. General Matthew B. Ridgway became commander and Gen. Thomas T. Handy deputy commander. On that day,

7140-437: The continental United States – Fort Bliss , Texas, and Fort Riley , Kansas , respectively. The 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment , converted to a Stryker Brigade, and the 12th Aviation Brigade, replaced them. The Seventh Army, having been merged with US Army Europe since 1967, remained merged, as was confirmed with the release of unit designations for the modular force in mid 1996. HQ USAREUR and V Corps were planned to merge and

7245-507: The crisis deepened. That 1946–1991 Cold War maximum USAREUR troop record gradually reduced over time. The command dispatched the reinforced 1st Battle Group, 18th Infantry Regiment , to Berlin to strengthen the existing garrison (2nd and 3rd Battle Groups, 6th Infantry). The nuclear armed USAREUR did not go to DEFCON 3 during 22 Oct to 20 November 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis due to political reasons. Almost all other US Forces worldwide were at DEFCON 3 per JFK's 22 October speech and direction to

7350-427: The direction of Samuel Adler in support of U.S. cultural diplomacy throughout Europe. In 1953, the Korean War Armistice was signed, and tensions began to ease in Europe. About 13,500 soldiers manned each of the USAREUR divisions. New equipment fielded at the time included the M48 tank , the M59 armored personnel carrier , and tactical nuclear weapons. On 25 October 1955, the Southern Europe Task Force (SETAF),

7455-435: The end of World War II, the Joint Chiefs of Staff was officially established under the National Security Act of 1947 . Per the National Security Act, the JCS consisted of a chairman, the chief of staff of the Army , the chief of staff of the Air Force (which was established as a separate service by the same Act), and the chief of naval operations . The commandant of the Marine Corps was to be consulted on matters concerning

7560-457: The entire VII Corps . The command eventually deployed more than 75,000 personnel plus 1,200 tanks, 1,700 armored combat vehicles, more than 650 pieces of artillery, and more than 325 aircraft. When the war ended, many USAREUR soldiers remained to complete the logistical cleanup; others were deployed to northern Iraq or Turkey as part of Operation Provide Comfort to aid refugees. Upon their return to Europe, many also found that their units were in

7665-400: The following departments where all the planning, policies, intelligence , manpower , communications and logistics functions are translated into action. The Joint Chiefs may recognize private citizens, organizations or career civilian government employees for significant achievements provided to the joint community with one of the following decorations/awards. Although, as discussed above,

7770-580: The four services and the Joint Staff to create a new joint warfighting concept for All-domain operations, operating simultaneously in the air, land, sea, space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). The Joint Chiefs and Combatant Commanders witnessed demonstrations of the concept in September 2020. The Joint Staff includes the following departments where all the planning, policies, intelligence , manpower , communications and logistics functions are translated into action. The Joint Staff includes

7875-746: The impasse over the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany, the former British, French and U.S. zones of occupation) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany, the former Soviet zone of occupation). East Germany [the DDR] was considered by many countries over the years to be nothing more than the Soviet Zone of Occupation; this changed in 1973 with the UN recognition of both Germanies. Berlin posed an additional problem; it

7980-565: The initial UN mandate in February 1999, USAREUR renamed the U.S. Army organization Task Force Sabre, with the task to protect U.S. facilities and equipment. They were relieved in June 1999 by the U. S. national support element to Kosovo Force (KFOR) - Task Force Falcon (Rear). U.S. Soldiers left Camp Able Sentry in 2002, but it remained as a contractor operated logistics base until Aug. 2004 when all U.S. personnel departed and NATO assumed control of

8085-611: The kidnapping of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics, and the Red Army Faction and the Red Brigades targeted U.S. facilities and personnel with bombings, kidnapping and assassinations. In May 1972 bombs exploded at V Corps headquarters in Frankfurt, killing an Army lieutenant colonel, and in Heidelberg at Campbell Barracks , killing three Soldiers. U.S. installations were attacked sporadically throughout

8190-456: The late 1960s and early 1970s, the needs of the war in Vietnam reduced USAREUR's assigned strength, sometimes drastically. As the war began to wane, forces began to return to Europe, and USAREUR adopted a new system based upon the community commander concept. In 1974, efforts to streamline the headquarters resulted in the termination of the U.S. Theater Army Support Command, and its replacement by

8295-659: The late 1980s – the opening of the Berlin Wall , German reunification , and the collapse of the Soviet Union – combined to change USAREUR again. Intermediate nuclear weapons of the 56th Field Artillery Command were withdrawn, chemical weapons were moved out of Europe, and units began to depart the European continent while others were inactivated. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, USAREUR began deploying units to

8400-549: The legal authority to enforce its decisions. U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt and British prime minister Winston Churchill established the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) during the 1942 Arcadia Conference . The CCS would serve as the supreme military body for strategic direction of the joint U.S.–UK war effort. The UK portion of the CCS would be composed of the British Chiefs of Staff Committee , but

8505-548: The main facility located at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base . Initially however, Joint Task Force East was to have been provided by a rotational 2nd Cavalry Regiment Stryker squadron. The Task Force was originally planned to be called the Eastern Europe Task Force. However, since the stresses of the Iraq and Afghan deployments, the army provision of Joint Task Force East has been replaced by

8610-478: The management of the Joint Staff, an organization composed of approximately equal numbers of officers contributed by the Army, the Navy and Marine Corps, the Air Force, the Space Force, and the Coast Guard, who have been assigned to assist the chairman in providing to the secretary of defense unified strategic direction, operation, and integration of the combatant land, naval, space, and air forces. The director

8715-542: The move to DEFCON 3 was motivated by CIA reports indicating that the Soviet Union had sent a ship to Egypt carrying nuclear weapons along with two other amphibious vessels. Soviet troops never landed and the declassified documents did not disclose the fate of the ship and its cargo. Over the following days, the various forces reverted to normal status with the Sixth Fleet standing down on November 17. Following

8820-540: The night of 12 August 1961, the Soviets closed the border crossing points and began to construct the Berlin Wall , isolating the three western sectors of the city both from East Germany and the Soviet sector, or East Berlin. In response, the United States deployed an additional armored cavalry regiment to Europe, along with additional support units. USAREUR strength reached a post- World War II high of 277,342 in June 1962 as

8925-531: The planning or operational level and were constrained by disagreements during the Spanish–American War in the Caribbean campaigns. The Joint Army and Navy Board was established in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt , comprising representatives from the military heads and chief planners of both the Navy's General Board and the Army's General Staff . The Joint Board acting as an "advisory committee"

9030-491: The process of either relocating to the Continental United States (CONUS) or inactivating. In 1992 alone, about 70,000 soldiers redeployed to CONUS with about 90,000 family members. The command shrank from 213,000 soldiers in 1990 to 122,000 in 1992. The VII Corps was inactivated. From 858 installations in 1990, USAREUR went down to only 415 in 1993 with more scheduled to close in the years ahead. After

9135-413: The process started until the decision was made to retain a Corps Headquarters within USAREUR, and V Corps was once again separated from HQ USAREUR. It was then decided that V Corps would deactivate after a final deployment to Afghanistan. In September 2005, it was expected that the finalised force in Europe would consist of USAREUR HQ, V Corps, aviation and combat service support, and two maneuver brigades:

9240-545: The region. In June 1993, the command formed Task Force Able Sentry in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with the headquarters at Camp Able Sentry near the capital Skopje . These forces, along with personnel from 26 other countries, were originally part of the UNPROFOR which in 1995 became the U.N. Preventative Deployment force (UNPREDEP) deterring the spread of armed conflict. Upon expiration of

9345-593: The region. The first deployments from USAREUR to Saudi Arabia in August 1990 included the 45th Medical Company, an element of the 421st Medical Battalion (AA), and advance elements of 12th Aviation Brigade , which by September had deployed two Apache attack helicopter battalions, an OH-58 Kiowa scout helicopter company, a Black Hawk utility helicopter company, a CH-47 Chinook platoon, and associated support and maintenance units. These were quickly followed by intelligence specialists, chemical warfare experts, logistical personnel, many individual replacements, and finally almost

9450-545: The remainder of the decade, including a failed 1977 attack on a U.S. Army post in Giessen . On 15 September 1981, an assassination attempt was made on USAREUR commander Gen. Frederick J. Kroesen and his wife as they were driving through Heidelberg—the automobile trunk lid deflected the RPG-7 anti-tank projectile. In 1985 Army Specialist Edward Pimental was lured out of a Wiesbaden nightclub and killed for his ID card which

9555-439: The separate Seventh Army headquarters was eliminated, and HQ USAREUR became Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army. In January 1967, in accordance with Headquarters Department of the Army Msg NR DA796059 dated 9 January 1967, the USAREUR and Seventh Army staffs were combined to become U.S. Army Europe/Seventh Army. Nearly forty years later, Army Campaign Plan DP 58 (circa 2006) effectively dropped

9660-530: The six armed services, assisting the chairman and the vice chairman in discharging their responsibilities. They work closely with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the military department staffs, and the Combatant Command staffs. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is assisted by the director of the Joint Staff (DJS), a three-star officer who assists the chairman with

9765-537: The use of prepositioned equipment through redeployment of the 2nd Armored Division to Europe via a single airlift. In 1966, France withdrew from the NATO Military Command Structure , and U.S. forces were withdrawn from France. The communications zone headquarters moved from Orleans, France, to Worms, Germany, (and later to Kaiserslautern, where as 21st Theater Support Command it remains today). USEUCOM moved to Stuttgart. On 1 December 1966,

9870-802: The war each had been promoted: Leahy and King to fleet admiral ; Marshall and Arnold to general of the Army . Arnold was later appointed to the grade of general of the Air Force . One of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's committees was the Joint Strategic Survey Committee (JSSC). The JSSC, "one of the most influential planning agencies in the wartime armed forces", was an extraordinary JCS committee that existed from 1942 until 1947. Members included Lieutenant General Stanley D. Embick , U.S. Army, chairman, 1942–1946, Vice Admiral Russell Willson , U.S. Navy, 1942–1945, Vice Admiral Theodore Stark Wilkinson , U.S. Navy, 1946, and Major General Muir S. Fairchild , U.S. Army Air Force, 1942–?. With

9975-605: Was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II from 1942 to 1945. It commanded U.S. Army Ground Forces , U.S. Army Air Forces , and U.S. Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the Mediterranean coast. It was bordered to the south by the North African Theater of Operations, US Army (NATOUSA), which later became

10080-407: Was created to plan joint operations and resolve problems of common rivalry between the two services. Yet the Joint Board accomplished little since its charter gave it no authority to enforce its decisions. The Joint Board also lacked the ability to originate its own opinions and was thus limited to commenting only on the problems submitted to it by the secretaries of war and Navy . As a result,

10185-519: Was destroyed during the four-year civil war. Construction of the longest assault float bridge in military history, 620 meters long, ribbon float (pontoon) bridge between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina began on 22 December. Despite melting snow that flooded the river and later, freezing temperatures, the bridge was completed on 31 December and the first M1A1 Abrams tank crossed the bridge at 10 am. The division, along with many Reserve Component support troops, formed Task Force Eagle as part of

10290-479: Was established and first held by General of the Army Omar Bradley in 1949. The current and 21st chairman is General Charles Q. Brown Jr. , who began his tenure on 29 September 2023. The position of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was created by the Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986. The vice chairman is a four-star- general or admiral and, by law, is the second highest-ranking member of

10395-495: Was formally redesignated Headquarters, European Command (HQ EUCOM) (not to be confused with the present joint command, "USEUCOM", which was formed on 1 August 1952). Between February and June 1948 the headquarters relocated to Campbell Barracks in Heidelberg, where it remained until June 2013. The Army element of the joint European Command headquarters was initially called Headquarters, U.S. Ground and Service Forces, Europe. On 15 November 1947, U.S. Ground and Service Forces, Europe,

10500-517: Was inactivated in March 1946, in Germany. On 1 May 1946, the zone-wide United States Constabulary headquarters was activated at Bamberg . In mid-1946, the tactical units consisted of the Third Army (Heidelberg) with three infantry divisions (1st, 3rd and 9th) and several separate regiments (3rd, 14th, 29th and 508th Airborne ). The 3rd Infantry Division was in the process of being redeployed back to

10605-486: Was possible Soviet attempts to "take advantage" due to their numerical superiority in Germany during the Korean War. The first augmentation division to arrive overseas in Germany was the 4th Infantry Division in May 1951, followed by the 2nd Armored Division and the 43rd and 28th Infantry Divisions during summer and fall of 1951. On 24 November 1950 EUCOM activated HHC Seventh United States Army at Stuttgart to take over

10710-441: Was renamed U.S. Army, Europe (USAREUR) to accord with the new Department of the Army nomenclature for such commands. USAREUR was a nonoperational, "paper" organization that provides the ground and service commander with the command functions required for administrative and logistical support. To it were assigned all ground and service units in the command except those assigned to the Office of Military Government, United States ; to

10815-487: Was surrounded by East Germany, but Great Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union all occupied sectors in the city. In the early years, travel between the sectors was unrestricted. At the time Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev announced in June 1961 that the Soviet Union was planning to conclude a peace treaty with the East German government, 3,000 East German refugees flowed daily into Berlin. Suddenly on

10920-714: Was the first time a NATO sponsored force had deployed operationally outside the NATO boundaries. IFOR was succeeded in December 1996 by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR) (Operation Joint Guard) whose mission was to deter renewed hostilities. On 20 June 1998 the mission was renamed Operation Joint Forge, with USAREUR continuing to serve as the supervising Army Service Component Command . On 24 November 2004, Task Force Eagle officially disestablished and closed its base in Tuzla, with European Union forces assuming responsibility for

11025-461: Was then used to enter Rhein-Main Air Base the next day to plant a bomb that killed two. And in 1986 a bombing at a Berlin disco frequented by service members killed two Soldiers. With increased combat and support components in place, the command undertook a wide-ranging modernization in the decade of the 1980s. More than 400 new systems were introduced, including individual weapons, field rations,

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