The Unified Command Plan and Combatant Commands: Background and Issues for Congress

The Unified Command Plan UCP and associated Combatant Commands COCOMs provide operational instructions and command and control to the Armed Forces and have a significant impact on how they are organized, trained, and resourced areas over which Congress has constitutional authority. The UCP is a classified executive branch document prepared by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CJCS and reviewed and updated every two years that assigns missions planning, training, and operational responsibilities and geographic areas of responsibilities to COCOMs. Functional COCOMs operate world-wide across geographic boundaries and provide unique capabilities to geographic combatant commands and the Services while Geographic COCOMs operate in clearly delineated areas of operation and have a distinctive regional military focus. There are currently nine COCOMs USSOCOM U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL. USSTRATCOM U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, NE. USTRANSCOM U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, IL. USAFRICOM U.S. Africa Command, Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. USCENTCOM U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL. USEUCOM U.S. European Command, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. USNORTHCOM U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, CO. USPACOM U.S. Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, HI. USSOUTHCOM U.S. Southern Command, Miami, FL. This report provides information on the history, mission, and operational considerations for each of these organizations as well as a brief discussion of current issues associated with the UCP and these commands.