§161. Combatant commands: establishment

(a) Unified and Specified Combatant Commands.-With the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the President, through the Secretary of Defense, shall-

(1) establish unified combatant commands and specified combatant commands to perform military missions; and

(2) prescribe the force structure of those commands.

(b) Periodic Review.-(1) The Chairman periodically (and not less often than every two years) shall-

(A) review the missions, responsibilities (including geographic boundaries), and force structure of each combatant command; and

(B) recommend to the President, through the Secretary of Defense, any changes to such missions, responsibilities, and force structures as may be necessary.

(2) Except during time of hostilities or imminent threat of hostilities, the President shall notify Congress not more than 60 days after-

(A) establishing a new combatant command; or

(B) significantly revising the missions, responsibilities, or force structure of an existing combatant command.

(c) Definitions.-In this chapter:

(1) The term "unified combatant command" means a military command which has broad, continuing missions and which is composed of forces from two or more military departments.

(2) The term "specified combatant command" means a military command which has broad, continuing missions and which is normally composed of forces from a single military department.

(3) The term "combatant command" means a unified combatant command or a specified combatant command.

(Added Pub. L. 99–433, title II, §211(a), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 1012 .)

Matters To Be Considered in Next Assessment of Current Missions, Responsibilities, and Force Structure of Unified Combatant Commands

Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title IX, §905, Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2619 , provided that: "The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff shall consider, as part of the next periodic review by the Chairman of the missions, responsibilities, and force structure of the unified combatant commands pursuant to section 161(b) of title 10, United States Code, the following matters:

"(1) Whether there exists an adequate distribution of threats, mission requirements, and responsibilities for geographic areas among the regional unified combatant commands.

"(2) Whether reductions in the overall force structure of the Armed Forces permit the United States to better execute its warfighting plans through fewer or differently configured unified combatant commands, including-

"(A) a total of five or fewer commands, all of which are regional;

"(B) a total of three commands consisting of an eastward-oriented command, a westward-oriented command, and a central command;

"(C) a purely functional command structure, involving (for example) a first theater command, a second theater command, a logistics command, a special contingencies command, and a strategic command; or

"(D) any other command structure or configuration the Chairman finds appropriate.

"(3) Whether any missions, staff, facilities, equipment, training programs, or other assets or activities of the unified combatant commands are redundant.

"(4) Whether warfighting requirements are adequate to justify the current functional commands.

"(5) Whether the exclusion of certain nations from the Areas of Responsibility of the unified combatant commands presents difficulties with respect to the achievement of United States national security objectives in those areas.

"(6) Whether the current geographic boundary between the United States Central Command and the United States European Command through the Middle East could create command conflicts in the context of a major regional conflict in the Middle East region."

Initial Review of Combatant Commands

Section 212 of Pub. L. 99–433 set out 10 areas to be covered in first review of missions, responsibilities, and force structure of unified combatant commands under subsec. (b) of this section, and directed that first report to President be made not later than Oct. 1, 1987.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 153, 167, 1051 of this title.