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*[[International Security Assistance Force]], now taken over by NATO. Formerly the U.S. force in Afghanistan was [[Afghanistan War order of battle|Combined Forces Command Afghanistan]].
*[[International Security Assistance Force]], now taken over by NATO. Formerly the U.S. force in Afghanistan was [[Afghanistan War order of battle|Combined Forces Command Afghanistan]].
*Unpublicized temporary task forces
*Unpublicized temporary task forces

Central Command Forward - Jordan (CF-J) was established in Jordan after 2011, possibly in order to seize Syrian WMD if necessary.<ref>http://www.globalresearch.ca/jordan-invites-us-targets-for-syrian-retaliation/5348258</ref>


There are also elements of other [[Unified Combatant Command]]s, especially [[United States Special Operations Command]], operating in the CENTCOM area. It appears that SOCCENT does ''not'' direct the secretive [[Task Force 145|Task Force 77]], the ad-hoc grouping of [[Joint Special Operations Command]] 'black' units such as [[Delta Force]] and [[75th Ranger Regiment|Army Rangers]], which is tasked to pursue the most sensitive high value targets such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban leadership since 11 September 2001. Rather TF 77, which started out as [[Task Force 11]] and has gone through a number of name/number changes, reports directly to [[Joint Special Operations Command]], part of USSOCOM.
There are also elements of other [[Unified Combatant Command]]s, especially [[United States Special Operations Command]], operating in the CENTCOM area. It appears that SOCCENT does ''not'' direct the secretive [[Task Force 145|Task Force 77]], the ad-hoc grouping of [[Joint Special Operations Command]] 'black' units such as [[Delta Force]] and [[75th Ranger Regiment|Army Rangers]], which is tasked to pursue the most sensitive high value targets such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban leadership since 11 September 2001. Rather TF 77, which started out as [[Task Force 11]] and has gone through a number of name/number changes, reports directly to [[Joint Special Operations Command]], part of USSOCOM.

Revision as of 17:14, 11 January 2015

United States Central Command
Emblem of the United States Central Command.
Active1983–present
Country United States of America
TypeUnified Combatant Command
HeadquartersMacDill Air Force Base
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Nickname(s)CENTCOM
EngagementsPersian Gulf War
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
Commanders
Combatant CommanderGeneral Lloyd Austin, USA
Deputy CommanderVice Admiral Mark Fox, USN [1]
Notable
commanders		General David Petraeus
Admiral William Fallon
General John Abizaid
General Tommy Franks
General Anthony Zinni
General James Mattis
General Norman Schwarzkopf
Insignia
Shoulder sleeve insignia
(US Army only)

The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command of the U.S. Department of Defense, established in 1983. It was originally conceived of as the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF).

Its area of responsibility includes countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, most notably Afghanistan and Iraq. USCENTCOM (also called CENTCOM) has been the main American presence in many military operations, including the Persian Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan (2001–present), and the Iraq War. Forces from CENTCOM currently are deployed primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan in combat roles and have bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, and central Asia in support roles. CENTCOM forces have also been deployed in Jordan, and Saudi Arabia in the past, and although there is a small presence remaining in each of those countries, no substantial U.S. forces are based there as of 2009.

The current commander of CENTCOM is General Lloyd J. Austin, USA, who took command from General James Mattis, USMC on 22 March 2013. Mattis took command from [2][3][4] Lieutenant General John R. Allen, USMC, the deputy commander since July 2008, who took temporary command when the previous commander, General David Petraeus, USA, left to take command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan on 23 June.[5]

Of the six American regional unified combatant commands, CENTCOM is one of three whose headquarters are not within its area of operations. CENTCOM's main headquarters is located at MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa, Florida, although a forward headquarters was established in 2002 at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar, which transitioned to a new forward headquarters at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in 2009 to serve American strategic interests in the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility (AOR).

History

In 1983, U.S. Central Command succeeded the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force with responsibilities for handling United States national security interests in South-west Asia, Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. Among its first major activities was oversight of the Tanker War in the Persian Gulf (1987–1988).

Major US troop presence in the region dates to the 1990 Invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent Operation Desert Shield, which transferred hundreds of thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia. Islamists objected to the presence of non-Muslim troops in Saudi Arabia, and their use in Operation Desert Storm and other attacks on Iraq became a key rallying cry for opposition movements in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. By the late 1990s, a gradual move to other countries was underway, particularly Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the UAE.

Exercise Internal Look is one of the Command's primary planning events. Up until around 1990, it was annual, but it is now held every two years. Up until 1990 it was frequently used to train CENTCOM to be ready to defend the Zagros Mountains from a Soviet attack.[6] It has been employed for explicit war planning on at least two occasions: Internal Look '90, which was held after General Norman Schwarzkopf reoriented CENTCOM's planning to fending off a threat from Iraq, and Internal Look '03, which was used to plan what became Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In April–July 1999 CENTCOM conducted Exercise Desert Crossing 1999 centered on the scenario of Saddam Hussein being ousted as Iraq’s dictator. The exercise was held in the McLean, Virginia, offices of Booz Allen.[7] The exercise concluded that unless measures are taken, “fragmentation and chaos” will ensue after Saddam Hussein's overthrow.

During the Israeli incursion into Lebanon of 2006 a temporary task force, Joint Task Force Lebanon was also operational.

On 1 October 2008 Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti was transferred to AFRICOM.

The former United States Forces – Iraq (see also Iraq War order of battle), or USF-I, was a major subordinate multiservice command until it was disestablished in 2011.

Structure

CENTCOM headquarters staff directorates include personnel, intelligence, operations, logistics, plans & policy, information systems, training & exercises, and resources, as well as other functions. The intelligence section is known as JICCENT, or Joint Intelligence Center, Central Command, which serves as a Joint Intelligence Center for the co-ordination of intelligence. Under the intelligence directorate, there are several divisions including the Afghanistan-Pakistan Center of Excellence.

No fighting units are directly subordinate to this command; rather, there four subordinate service component commands and one subordinate unified command.

Service component commands
Sub-unified command

There are major subordinate multiservice commands reporting to Central Command which are conducting operations in various areas:

There are also elements of other Unified Combatant Commands, especially United States Special Operations Command, operating in the CENTCOM area. It appears that SOCCENT does not direct the secretive Task Force 77, the ad-hoc grouping of Joint Special Operations Command 'black' units such as Delta Force and Army Rangers, which is tasked to pursue the most sensitive high value targets such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban leadership since 11 September 2001. Rather TF 77, which started out as Task Force 11 and has gone through a number of name/number changes, reports directly to Joint Special Operations Command, part of USSOCOM.

War plans

Source: William Arkin, Code Names p.46

  • CENTCOM OPORDER 01-97, Force Protection
  • SOCEUR SUPPLAN 1001-90, 9 May 1989
  • CENTCOM CONPLAN 1010, July 2003
  • CENTCOM CONPLAN 1015-98, possibly support to OPLAN 5027 for Korea, 15 March 1991
  • CENTCOM 1017, 1999
  • CONPLAN 1020
  • CONPLAN 1067, Biological Warfare response?
  • CENTCOM CONPLAN 1100-95, 31 March 1992

Geographic scope

CENTCOM Area Of Responsibility

In 1983 with the establishment of the command Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti came within the area of responsibility (AOR). Thus CENTCOM became responsible for the 'Natural Bond' exercises with Sudan, the 'Eastern Wind' exercises with Somalia, and the 'Jade Tiger' exercises with Oman, Somalia, and Sudan. Exercise Jade Tiger involved the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit with Oman from 29 November 82-8 Dec 82.[8]

The formal Area of Responsibility now extends to 20 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uzbekistan, and Yemen. International waters included are the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and western portions of the Indian Ocean.[9] Syria and Lebanon are the most recent addition, having been transferred from the United States European Command on 10 March 2004.

Israel, which is now surrounded by CENTCOM countries remains in United States European Command (EUCOM), "because it is more politically, militarily and culturally aligned with Europe," according to American military officials.[10][citation needed] General Norman Schwarzkopf expressed the position over Israel more frankly in his 1992 autobiography: 'European Command also kept Israel, which from my viewpoint was a help: I'd have had difficulty impressing the Arabs with Central Command's grasp of geopolitical nuance if one of the stops on my itinerary had been Tel Aviv.'[11]

On 7 February 2007, plans were announced for the creation of a United States Africa Command which would transfer responsibility for all of Africa except the country of Egypt to the new USAFRICOM. On 1 October 2008, the Africa Command became operational and Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, the primary CENTCOM force on the continent, started reporting to AFRICOM at Stuttgart instead of CENTCOM in Tampa.

The U.S. armed forces use a variable number of base locations depending on its level of operations. With warfare ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003, the United States Air Force used 35 bases, while in 2006 it used 14, including four in Iraq. The United States Navy maintains one major base and one smaller installation, with extensive deployments afloat and ashore by U.S. Navy, U.S Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard ships, aviation units and ground units.

List of CENTCOM commanders

No. Image Name Service Start End Time in office
1. GEN Robert Kingston United States Army 1 January 1983 27 November 1985 1061 days
2. Gen George B. Crist United States Marine Corps 27 November 1985 23 November 1988 1092 days
3. GEN H. Norman Schwarzkopf United States Army 23 November 1988 9 August 1991 989 days
4. Gen Joseph P. Hoar United States Marine Corps 9 August 1991 5 August 1994 1092 days
5. GEN J. H. Binford Peay III United States Army 5 August 1994 13 August 1997 1104 days
6. Gen Anthony Zinni United States Marine Corps 13 August 1997 6 July 2000 1058 days
7. GEN Tommy Franks United States Army 6 July 2000 7 July 2003 1096 days
8. GEN John Abizaid United States Army 7 July 2003 16 March 2007 1348 days
9. ADM William J. Fallon United States Navy 16 March 2007 28 March 2008 378 days
(Acting) LTG Martin E. Dempsey United States Army 28 March 2008 31 October 2008 217 days
10. GEN David H. Petraeus United States Army 31 October 2008 30 June 2010 607 days
(Acting) LtGen John R. Allen United States Marine Corps 30 June 2010 11 August 2010 42 days
11. Gen James Mattis United States Marine Corps 11 August 2010 22 March 2013 954 days
12. GEN Lloyd Austin United States Army 22 March 2013 Incumbent Template:Seniority days

Unit decorations

The unit awards depicted below are for Headquarters, US Central Command at MacDill AFB. Award for unit decorations do not apply to any subordinate organization such as the service component commands or any other activities unless the orders specifically address them.

Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 2 August 1990 – 21 April 1991 Department of the Army General Order (DAGO) 1991-22 & 1992-34[12]
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 1 August 1992 – 4 May 1993 DAGO 1994-12 & 1996-01
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 8 October 1994 – 16 March 1995 DAGO 2001–25
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 1 September 1996 – 6 January 1997 Joint Staff Permanent Order (JSPO) J-ISO-0012-97
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 1 October 1997 – 15 July 1998 JSPO J-ISO-0241-98
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 16 July 1998 – 1 November 1999 JSPO J-ISO-0330-99 / DAGO 2001–25
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 2 November 1999 – 15 March 2001
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 11 September 2001 – 1 May 2003 DAGO 2005–09
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 2 May 2003 – 31 December 2005
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 1 January 2006 – 1 March 2008 JSPO J-ISO-0061-08
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 2 March 2008 – 1 July 2010
Joint Meritorious Unit Award 2 July 2010 – 31 July 2012

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.centcom.mil/en/about-centcom/leadership/
  2. ^ "Mattis takes over Central Command, vows to work with Mideast allies in Afghanistan, Iraq". Fox News. Associated Press. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  3. ^ Mitchell, Robbyn (12 August 2010). "Mattis takes over as CentCom chief". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Mattis assumes command of CENTCOM". U.S. Central Command. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  5. ^ "Lt. Gen. Allen named CENTCOM acting commander" (Press release). U.S. Central Command. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  6. ^ Norman Schwarzkopf, It Doesn't Take a Hero, Bantam Books paperback edition, 1993, p.331–2, 335–6. ISBN 0-553-56338-6. Harold Coyle's novel Sword Point gives an impression of what such planning envisaged, by a U.S. Army officer who would have had some idea of the general planning approach.
  7. ^ Gordon, Michael R.; Trainor, Bernard E. (2012). The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama. New York: Pantheon Books. p. 6-7. ISBN 978-0-307-37722-7.
  8. ^ Arkin, Code Names, 404.
  9. ^ globalsecurity.org, Central Command
  10. ^ Department of Defense: Unified Command
  11. ^ Schwarzkopf, It Doesn't Take a Hero, Bantam Books paperback edition, 1993, p.318
  12. ^ "Department of the Army General Orders". United States Army Publications Directorate. Retrieved 30 April 2011. (Army Knowledge Online account may be required.)

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Central_Command&diff=642032482&oldid=631511159

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