Unified Combatant Command > Related Articles

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

See also pages that link to Unified Combatant Command or to this page.

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Note that some organizations report both to a UCC and a service organization, such as Twelfth Air Force

Parent topics

• National Command Authority [r]: The combination of the U.S. President and Secretary of Defense, or their successors, who have the sole authority to authorize the use of nuclear weapons, or issue orders to Unified Combatant Commands [e]
• Goldwater-Nichols Act [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Theater of operations (military) [r]: A geographically defined area in which a single military commander has authority over all military services [e]

Subtopics

UCCs and subordinates

• United States Central Command [r]: Unified Combatant Command responsible for U.S. operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, now under the command of General David Petraeus [e]
  • United States Fifth Fleet [r]: Naval component of United States Central Command; in WWII, the Pacific Fleet when under the command of ADM Raymond Spruance [e]
    • Task Force 151 [r]: A multinational naval task force, centered around a unit from United States Central Command, which is conducting counter-piracy operations in the waters off Somalia [e]
  • Multi-National Force-Iraq [r]: The senior Coalition military headquarters in Iraq, commanded by GEN Ray Odierno, U.S. Army [e]
    • Multi-National Corps-Iraq [r]: Highest land combat headquarters for Coalition tactical units in the peace operations phase of the Iraq War [e]
• United States European Command [r]: U.S. Unified Combatant Command with responsibility for Europe and some nearby areas, such as the Mediterranean Sea; United States Africa Command is a subcommand [e]
  • United States Sixth Fleet [r]: The major forward-deployed U.S. Navy command of the United States European Command; operates in the Mediterranean Sea [e]
  • Seventh United States Army [r]: Headquarters for the U.S. Army elements of United States European Command; the largest formation in the United States Army. Also designated USAREUR. Major U.S. Army formation in the WWII Battle of Sicily (Operation HUSKY) [e]
• United States Joint Forces Command [r]: A source of "surge" planners and staff, while helping organize the mission-focused joint task force that will address the specific need of other U.S. Unified Combatant Commands [e]
• United States Northern Command [r]: Within the Department of Defense, the military headquarters responsible for defense of the continental United States, and support to civil authorities for disasters beyond their capabilities [e]
  • North American Air Defense Command [r]: The joint Canada-U.S. military organization responsible for aerospace threat warning and defense for North America [e]
• United States Pacific Command [r]: The U.S. Unified Combatant Command, headquartered in Hawaii, and responsible for the Pacific and East Asia [e]
  • United States Seventh Fleet [r]: The forward-deployed forces of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps that operate in the western Pacific Ocean; a major operating command under United States Pacific Command [e]
  • United States Forces Korea [r]: The senior U.S. command, primarily the Eighth United States Army and Seventh Air Force is a sub-unified command of United States Pacific Command [e]
    • Eighth United States Army [r]: Actually consisting of a reinforced division, this is the headquarters for U.S. Army forces in South Korea, but its four-star commander also commands United States Forces Korea and tje United Nations Command [e]
• United States Southern Command [r]: U.S. Unified Combatant Command responsible for military operations in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America [e]
  • Twelfth Air Force [r]: United States Air Force intermediate command responsible for Air Combat Command fighter and bomber aircraft in the western United States, and is also the Air Component for the Unified Combatant Command, United States Southern Command [e]
• United States Special Operations Command [r]: A U.S. Unified Combatant Command with both functional and operational responsibilities, both to prepare special operations forces for the geographic commands, and to execute strategic special operations, typically under national orders and high security classification [e]
  • Joint Special Operations Command [r]: A major subordinate unit of the United States Special Operations Command, which takes on the most sensitive covert military operations, usually working unacknowledged within the geographic area of a Unified Combatant Command [e]
• United States Strategic Command [r]: The U.S. unified headquarters for the missions of worldwide nuclear and conventional precision strike; command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of strategic operations; global network operations of the Global Information Grid, information operations, ballistic missile defense, and reduction of Weapons of Mass Destruction threats [e]
• United States Transportation Command [r]: The single point of contact and operations for transportation services, by land, air, and sea, for the U.S. Department of Defense [e]

UCC command and control

• Global Information Grid [r]: The overall computing and communications architecture and systems interconnecting the U.S. Department of Defense military and civilian organizations, other government agencies, and allied nations; information is at the strategic/theater and operational, not tactical levels [e]
• Global Broadcast Service [r]: A U.S. military communications satellite system, used for the one-way distribution of large files and real-time video (originally from MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles in Bosnia), over Internet Protocol, from a small number of geographic and theater uplinks to several hundred receiving stations [e]
• Theater Battle Management Core System [r]: The major U.S. software system for preparing and executing an air tasking order at the theater of operations (i.e., Unified Combatant Command) level [e]
• Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System [r]: A U.S. Army and Marine artillery fire control system that cooperates with Navy and Air Force fire control systems, as well as British, French, Italian and German artillery systems. [e]

UCC resources and activities

• Air tasking order [r]: The process and documentation of plans for the coordinated use of air and missile resources, and ground systems, such as electronic warfare and intelligence collection, which may interact with them [e]
• Echelons above corps [r]: Military resources under the control of a headquarters above the level of the highest tactical organization (i.e., a corps), usually a theater or national level of command; the higher headquarters may delegate tactical control of them to subordinate units, or control them directly (e.g., reconnaissance satellites, elite special operations forces) [e]
• Operational Preparation of the Environment [r]: Clandestine operations of the U.S. Department of Defense that can fall into Intelligence Preparation of the Battlespace or Operational Preparation of the Battlespace, but are of sufficient sensitivity that if they were conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency, the Congressional leadership would need to be informed [e]
  • Intelligence Preparation of the Battlespace [r]: "An analytical methodology employed to reduce uncertainties concerning the enemy, environment, and terrain for all types of operations. Intelligence preparation of the battlespace builds an extensive database for each potential area in which a unit may be required to operate. The database is then analyzed in detail to determine the impact of the enemy, environment, and terrain on operations and presents it in graphic form. Intelligence preparation of the battlespace is a continuing process. Also called IPB." (Joint Chiefs of Staff) [e]
  • Operational Preparation of the Battlespace [r]: Non-intelligence activities conducted prior to D-Day, H-Hour, in likely or potential areas of employment, to train and prepare for follow-on military operations (United States Special Operations Command) [e]
  • Advanced Force Operations [r]: Clandestine operations, not primarily for Intelligence Preparation of the Battlespace, conducted by special operations personnel prior to major combat, but preparing for combat operations (e.g., target selection, guerilla liaison, setting up evasion and escape networks) [e]

Other related topics

Service commands supporting UCCs

• Air Combat Command [r]: The United States Air Force headquarters responsibility for preparing and training resources for the operational Unified Combatant Commands, as well as doctrinal development [e]
  • Eighth Air Force [r]: The organization currently "owning" the bombers, information operations, and most intelligence aircraft of the United States Air Force; it conducted strategic bombing against Germany in the Second World War [e]
• Air Force Special Operations Command [r]: The Air Component of United States Special Operations Command; lineage includes Air Commando units in the Vietnam War [e]
• Air Mobility Command [r]: The organization responsible for readiness of United States Air Force transport and air refueling aircraft, which report, for operations, to United States Transportation Command [e]
• Army Special Operations Command [r]: A command that trains and prepares U.S. Army special operations personnel, including United States Army Special Forces, and serves as the land forces component of United States Special Operations Command [e]
• Marine Special Operations Command [r]: The Marine component of United States Special Operations Command, this unit absorbed the existing Marine special reconnaissance "Force Recon" companies (but not battalions), but also added a support organization, school, and a system of developing training teams for foreign internal defense and other special operations missions [e]
• United States Army Forces Command [r]: Add brief definition or description

Service officers not in UCC line of command

• Joint Chiefs of Staff [r]: The staff committee of the most senior members of the U.S. military services, charged with policy advice, doctrinal development, and preparedness rather than operational control of forces [e]
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [r]: The senior member of the uniformed services of the United States, statutory senior military adviser to the President and Secretary of Defense; currently Admiral Mike Mullen; policy developer and adviser not in the operational chain of command [e]
• Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [r]: Second-ranking member of the U.S. military and Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), not in the line of operational command but in the statutory advisory function of the JCS [e]
  • Joint Staff [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Chief of Naval Operations [r]: The senior officer of the United States Navy, not in the operational chain of command but responsible for preparation and readiness of naval forces [e]
• Chief of Staff of the Air Force [r]: The senior uniformed leader of the United States Air Force, responsible for development and readiness of Air Force units and representing the Air Force on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but not in the line of command over Unified Combatant Commands [e]
• Chief of Staff of the Army [r]: Uniformed professional head of the United States Army, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and of four-star general rank [e]
• Commandant of the Marine Corps [r]: Senior uniformed officer of the United States Marine Corps and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; responsible for doctrinal development, and preparing and training forces, for deployment to Unified Combatant Commands [e]

Other government agencies

• Agency for International Development [r]: U.S. government agency responsible for nonmilitary foreign aid of goods, services, and certain finances, although it does not operate at the highest levels of international finance. May operate assistance and development programs in foreign countries [e]
• United States intelligence community [r]: The United States' intelligence agencies coordinated by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. [e]