55-859: The United States Joint Forces Command ( USJFCOM ) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense . USJFCOM was a functional command that provided specific services to the military. The last commander was Army Gen. Ray Odierno and the Command Senior Enlisted was Marine Sergeant Major Bryan B. Battaglia . As directed by the President to identify opportunities to cut costs and rebalance priorities, Defense Secretary Robert Gates recommended that USJFCOM be disestablished and its essential functions reassigned to other unified combatant commands. Formal disestablishment occurred on 4 August 2011. USJFCOM
110-530: 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
165-404: A budget-saving measure. General Ray Odierno was given the task of winding down JFCOM. On 6 January 2011, the plan was officially approved in a memorandum by President Obama. On 4 August 2011, Joint Forces Command cased its flag colors and officially disestablished on 31 August 2011. Special Operations Command Joint Forces Command (SOCJFCOM) was transferred to U.S. Special Operations Command after
220-514: 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)
275-427: 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
330-554: A more efficient and effective manner, providing an integrated approach to joint development and joint training." US Joint Forces command was in charge of the theater surrounding Washington, DC and New York during the 9/11 attacks. During a cost cutting session, General Mattis, then in command of JFCOM suggested to disband because in his interviews with his own staff it was clear to him that most did not see added value. On 9 August 2010 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that Joint Forces Command has been slated for elimination as
385-774: 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
440-618: Is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that 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
495-525: Is a major subordinate command of FORSCOM. It is headquartered in the same building as FORSCOM at Fort Liberty, N.C. It commands all United States Army Reserve units in the continental United States , except those assigned to Special Operations Command . First United States Army at Rock Island Army Arsenal, Ill., is responsible for training, mobilization and deployment support to Army Reserve and National Guard units in FORSCOM. It executes missions within
550-503: Is to support national and coalition warfighters by improving joint interoperability at the data and information layer. Accomplishing these strategic goals within the C2 community involves publishing and evolving agreed-upon standards that exchange partners (services and, down the line, combatant commands and agencies) can use to share data more broadly, efficiently and effectively. The C2 Core standards also link C2 design guidance emerging at both
605-493: The CONUS based commands that provided forces to other combatant commands: United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), United States Fleet Forces Command (USFLTFORCOM), Air Combat Command (ACC), and United States Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM). USJFCOM Joint Concept Development and Experimentation (JCD&E) (J9) aimed to develop innovative joint concepts and capabilities providing experimentally proven solutions to
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#1732779911891660-545: 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
715-652: 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
770-551: 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
825-563: 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,
880-536: 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
935-697: The United States Forces Korea (USFK) and United States Forces Japan (USFJ) under USINDOPACOM , and United States Forces—Afghanistan (USFA) under USCENTCOM . United States Army Forces Command The United States Army Forces Command ( FORSCOM ) is the largest United States Army command. It provides land forces to the Department of Defense 's (DOD) unified combatant commands . Headquartered at Fort Liberty , North Carolina , FORSCOM consists of more than 750,000 active Army, U.S. Army Reserve , and Army National Guard soldiers. It
990-409: 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
1045-558: The "transformation laboratory" of the United States military to enhance the combatant commanders ' capabilities to implement the president's strategy. USJFCOM developed joint operational concepts, tested those concepts through rigorous experimentation, educated joint leaders, trained joint task force commanders and staffs, and recommended joint solutions to the Army , Navy , Air Force and Marines to better integrate their warfighting capabilities. USJFCOM included members from each branch of
1100-545: 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
1155-569: The Armies. The ASF would also be abolished, and its staff sections transferred to the War Department General Staff. In accordance with these recommendations, on 11 June 1946, Army Service Forces and the nine service commands areas were abolished. The service commands were replaced by six field armies. These six army areas, though similar in name, operated on a functional rather than geographic basis but roughly followed along
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#17327799118911210-911: 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
1265-894: The Army Service Component Command of United States Northern Command . Following the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission , FORSCOM Headquarters moved from Fort McPherson, Georgia to a building at what was then Fort Bragg, North Carolina , in June 2011. The Command hosted a " Casing of the Colors " ceremony on 24 June 2011 at Fort McPherson, and an "Uncasing of Colors" on 1 Aug. 2011 at Fort Bragg. The new brigade-level formations – armour, infantry, airborne, air assault and Stryker - are more capable. FORSCOM currently commands U.S. Army Reserve Command , and First Army , and three Active Army corps. The United States Army Reserve Command (USARC)
1320-549: 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
1375-526: The Command a new acronym, USACOM, and brought United States Army Forces Command and Air Combat Command under its authority. In late 2004, U.S. Joint Forces Command assumed the role of primary conventional force provider in the Department of Defense. This landmark change assigned nearly all U.S. conventional forces to Joint Forces Command. Requirements, for example, for U.S. service personnel to support
1430-517: The Davis Committee were implemented, establishing Continental Army Command (CONARC) to carry out both training and operations. Forces in the United States were split between two new commands, Forces Command and Training and Doctrine Command, in 1973. FORSCOM assumed CONARC's responsibility for the command and collective training of all divisions and corps in the continental U.S. and for the installations where they were based. To do this it had
1485-537: The DoD enterprise level and within multiple C2-related communities of interest and programs of record to support the broadest range of interoperability requirements possible. Among the command's many directorates and departments was Project Alpha, a JFCOM rapid idea analysis group created to "identify high-impact ideas from industry, academia and the defense community that could transform the United States Department of Defense into an organization better equipped to deal with
1540-400: The President being strictly forbidden. Additionally, the dual-hatted title of Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic carried over to JFCOM from U.S. Atlantic Command and remained until October 2003 when it was superseded by the title of Supreme Allied Commander Transformation . Unified Combatant Command A unified combatant command , also referred to as a combatant command ( CCMD ),
1595-493: 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 ,
1650-790: The Services of Supply. On 30 August 1945, Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall created a board headed by Lieutenant General Alexander M. Patch to review the organization of the War Department. The board submitted its recommendations to the Chief of Staff on 18 October. These were that the technical services be continued, with the Transportation Corps made permanent, and that the Finance Department becoming an eighth technical service. The service commands would be abolished, and their functions transferred to
1705-504: 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
United States Joint Forces Command - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-755: 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
1815-559: 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
1870-405: The U.S. military, civil servants, contract employees, and consultants. It had four component commands, a sub-unified command (Special Operations component is SOCJFCOM ) and eight subordinate activities, including: Joint Warfighting Center ; Joint Systems Integration Center ; Joint Transformation Command for Intelligence ; and Joint Warfare Analysis Center (JWAC). JFCOM's Service components were
1925-689: 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
1980-533: 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
2035-626: The continental United States and Puerto Rico. FORSCOM also commands three Army corps: V Corps at Fort Knox ; III Corps at Fort Cavazos , Texas; and XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty, North Carolina . Together the three corps include nine divisions, one cavalry regiment, 37 support brigades of various types, and a range of other corps combat, combat support and combat service support units. The Army National Guard provides Forces Command eight National Guard combat divisions, 15 brigades, and extensive combat support and combat service support units . The current FORSCOM Army National Guard strength
2090-483: 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
2145-513: The deputy director J7 for joint and coalition warfighting, a subordinate element of the Joint Staff J7. "We will continue our mission to provide comprehensive training that meets demands of the joint warfighter who continue to engage our adversaries in an ever-changing operational environment," said Army Maj. Gen. Frederick S. Rudesheim, deputy director for joint and coalition warfighting. "Key functions and missions will be linked together in
2200-491: The disestablishment of JFCOM, but was then disestablished in 2013. Until 24 October 2002, all combatant commanders held the title of " Commander-in-Chief ", including the commander in chief of Joint Forces Command (USCINCJFCOM). However, an order dispatched by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld renamed all CINCs in the United States military as "Commanders" with the use of "CINC" as an acronym for anyone other than
2255-527: 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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2310-482: The help of various regional numbered army headquarters, First Army , Fourth Army , Fifth Army , and Sixth Army , at various times. In 1987 FORSCOM was also given the status of a "specified command", almost equal to a unified combatant command , with a broad and continuing mission, but composed solely of Army forces. Like the unified commands, the specified commands reported directly to the JCS instead of their respective service chiefs. Fourth Army cased its colors and
2365-526: 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
2420-444: The most pressing problems facing the joint force. It aimed to rapidly deliver operationally relevant solutions to support current operations and drive DOTMLPF and policy changes to better enable the future joint force. JCD&E aimed to provide thought leadership and collaborative environments to generate innovative ideas with a range of interagency, multinational, academic and private sector partners. The C2 (Command and Control) Core
2475-453: The old corps area boundaries. Army Ground Forces moved from Washington, D.C. to Fort Monroe. In March 1948, a thorough reorganization of the Department of the Army created the Office of the Chief of Army Field Forces (OCAFF) at Fort Monroe and placed the armies and installations in the continental United States directly under departmental control. Seven years later, the recommendations of
2530-881: 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
2585-788: The transformation of the Armed Forces of Liberia , were fed to JFCOM, in this case via Africa Command , and JFCOM liaised with the service staffs to obtain available forces. Along with this responsibility came the task to develop a new 'risk-assessment' process that provided national leaders a worldwide perspective on force-sourcing solutions. Its operations and exercises included Noble Resolve , an experimentation campaign plan to enhance homeland defense and improve military support to civil authorities in advance of and following natural and man-made disasters and Empire Challenge, an annual intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) interoperability demonstration. United States Joint Forces Command
2640-818: The uncertain landscape of the future." Project Alpha was discontinued as part of an internal reorganization of U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Experimentation Directorate. As of 1 August 2011, the Joint Warfighting Center (J7), Joint Center for Operational Analysis, and the Joint Concept Development and Experimentation directorate (J9) merged and transitioned from Joint Forces Command to the Joint Staff J7 as part of USJFCOM's disestablishment. The new organization created by this merger will remain in Suffolk, Va., and be known as
2695-778: Was a DoD project sponsored by Joint Forces Command and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense/Network and Information Integration (OASD/NII) to develop an open standard-supporting, extensible markup language (XML)-based command and control (C2) data exchange. It represents the first major implementation of the Universal Core v2.0, a federal information sharing initiative. It supports the DoD Net Centric Data Strategy by enabling data to be visible, accessible, understandable, trustworthy and interoperable. The overarching goal of this project
2750-619: Was created on 1 July 1973 from the former Continental Army Command , which in turn supplanted Army Field Forces and Army Ground Forces . The command has formations and units located at 15 installations, including the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana (the former Fort Polk). In 1942 the Army was divided between Army Ground Forces ; Army Service Forces; and
2805-466: 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
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#17327799118912860-478: Was formed in 1999 when the old United States Atlantic Command was renamed and given a new mission: leading the transformation of the Department of Defense through experimentation and education. USLANTCOM had been active from 1947 to 1993 as a primarily U.S. Navy command, focused upon the wartime defence of the Atlantic sea lanes against Soviet Union attack. After the end of the Cold War, a 1993 reorganization gave
2915-468: Was inactivated for the last time in 1991. FORSCOM lost its specified status in 1993. Sixth Army was headquartered at the Presidio of San Francisco . It was eventually inactivated in June 1995. In 2004, Fifth Army transferred its Reserve Component preparation obligations to First Army, and became responsible for homeland defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) as United States Army North,
2970-890: 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
3025-444: Was the only combatant command focused on the transformation of U.S. military capabilities. The commander of USJFCOM oversaw the command's four primary roles in transformation – joint concept development and experimentation, joint training, joint interoperability and integration, and the primary conventional force provider as outlined in the Unified Command Plan approved by the President . Its Unified Command Plan designated USJFCOM as
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