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67-586: In October 1961, the Joint Chiefs of Staff approved the NECPA plan, directing initial operating capability (IOC) by 1 March 1962. United States Atlantic Command converted the cruiser Northampton in March 1962, and the light carrier Wright in 1963 for NECPA duties. The United States Navy began alternating the ships in mid-1964, to keep one at sea and the other in port at any time. The Northampton

134-530: A United States Space Command (USSPACECOM). 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". USSPACECOM

201-679: 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

268-514: 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)

335-427: A geographical basis (known as an " area of responsibility ", AOR) or on a functional basis, e.g., special operations , force projection , transport , and cybersecurity . Currently, seven combatant commands are designated as geographical, and four are designated as functional. Unified combatant commands are "joint" commands and have specific badges denoting their affiliation. The Unified Command Plan (UCP) establishes

402-461: 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

469-774: A specific type of nontransferable operational command authority over assigned forces, regardless of branch of service. The chain of command for operational purposes (per the Goldwater–Nichols Act ) goes from the president of the United States through the secretary of defense to the combatant commanders. The Department of Defense defines at least four types of command authority: Geographic combatant commands Functional combatant commands Currently, four geographic combatant commands have their headquarters located outside their geographic area of responsibility. The current system of unified commands in

536-480: 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

603-555: 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

670-479: 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

737-459: Is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces , and conducts broad and continuing missions. There are currently 11 unified combatant commands, and each is established as the highest echelon of military commands, in order to provide effective command and control of all U.S. military forces, regardless of branch of service, during peace or during war time. Unified combatant commands are organized either on

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804-631: 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),

871-481: 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

938-436: The Joint Chiefs of Staff also created specified commands that had broad and continuing missions but were composed of forces from only one service. 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. These commands have not existed since

1005-652: 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. Joint Forces Command was disbanded on 3 August 2011 and its components placed under the Joint Staff and other combatant commands. In January 2002, for the first time the entire surface of

1072-551: The Pacific War proved more difficult to organize, as neither General of the Army Douglas MacArthur nor Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was willing to be subordinate to the other, for reasons of interservice rivalry . The Joint Chiefs of Staff continued to advocate in favor of establishing permanent unified commands, and President Harry S. Truman approved the first plan on 14 December 1946. Known as

1139-501: 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

1206-563: 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 about nuclear command and control. CONAD itself was disestablished in 1975. Although not part of the original plan,

1273-536: 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. 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

1340-485: 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

1407-409: The "Outline Command Plan", it would become the first in a series of Unified Command Plans. The original "Outline Command Plan" of 1946 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

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1474-522: 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

1541-511: 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

1608-484: The Armed Forces and the Joint Chiefs of Staff" (informally known as the " Key West Agreement "). 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. Far East Command and U.S. Northeast Command were disestablished under

1675-854: 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) 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

1742-560: 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

1809-549: 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

1876-478: 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

1943-464: 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

2010-696: 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

2077-534: 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,

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2144-495: 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

2211-898: 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

2278-450: 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

2345-406: 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,

2412-604: 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

2479-431: 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. Unified Combatant Command A unified combatant command , also referred to as a combatant command ( CCMD ), is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that

2546-493: The Secretary of Defense or the president. 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 ,

2613-561: The 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. 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, CINCs reported directly to

2680-699: The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff . In the European Theater , Allied military forces fell under the command of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). After SHAEF was dissolved at the end of the war, the American forces were unified under a single command, the US Forces, European Theater (USFET), commanded by General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower . A truly unified command for

2747-567: 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

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2814-559: 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. 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

2881-689: 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 strategic command system should continue to evolve toward a joint global structure. The 1997 UCP assigned the former Soviet European republics and the whole of Russia to EUCOM which thus stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The former Soviet Central Asian republics were assigned to CENTCOM. The U.S. Atlantic Command became

2948-590: 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

3015-533: The case of senior admirals nominated for these positions. 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

3082-458: 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

3149-505: 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 ,

3216-428: 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,

3283-424: 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

3350-483: 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

3417-527: The earth was divided among the US geographic commands. Rumsfeld assigned the last unassigned region— Antarctica —to PACOM, which stretched from Pole to Pole and covered half of the globe. On 24 October 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced that in accordance with Title 10 of the US Code (USC), the title of " Commander-in-Chief " would thereafter be reserved for the President, consistent with

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3484-580: 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

3551-400: 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,

3618-580: 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

3685-421: 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

3752-478: 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

3819-526: The missions, command responsibilities, and geographic areas of responsibility of the combatant commands. Each time the Unified Command Plan is updated, the organization of the combatant commands is reviewed for military efficiency and efficacy, as well as alignment with national policy. Each unified combatant command is led by a combatant commander (CCDR), who is a four-star general or admiral . The combatant commanders are entrusted with

3886-531: 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"

3953-525: 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

4020-881: 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. 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. President Donald Trump announced on 18 August 2017 that

4087-802: 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

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4154-894: Was considered for the NECPA role in the early 1960s after its original radar picket mission became obsolete, but no such conversion has been documented. A permanent UHF ground station (located in Waldorf, Maryland ), served as the primary communications link between the separate command posts: National Military Command Center , Alternate National Military Command Center , National Emergency Airborne Command Post , and NECPA. Three ground communications vans were located at Otis AFB , MA , Greenville, SC , and Homestead AFB , FL to cover commonly used routes of Presidential aircraft. After President John F. Kennedy ’s assassination, vans were moved to Jackson, MS and Austin, TX , to cover President Lyndon B. Johnson ’s travel routes. Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS )

4221-407: 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,

4288-415: Was created under the Commander in Chief, Atlantic (CINCLANT). 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. This arrangement was formalized on 21 April 1948 as part of a policy paper titled the "Function of

4355-479: 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

4422-777: Was marginally upgraded for NECPA duties, since it was due for replacement; however, the Wright was modified to the utmost efficiency to hold the National Command Authorities for indefinite periods. The software was developed by the Naval Electronics Laboratory , San Diego. The product was turned over for acceptance and administration to the Naval Command and Systems Support Activity (NAVCOSSACT), Washington Navy Yard , Washington, DC . The nuclear submarine USS Triton (SSRN-586)

4489-734: 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

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