It seems a rather odd term for a command in the military — an organization based around combat — to be specifically labeled as a “combatant” command. But that’s exactly what one of the highest levels of command in the military is called. What is a combatant command? How many are there? Where are they located? What do they do?

Well, I’m glad you asked…

Also known as a unified combatant command, or COCOM, these commands are the highest possible echelon of military command and are overseen by what’s called the Unified Command Plan, or UCP. The UCP defines and authorizes things like each COCOM’s area and/or scope of responsibility, as well as each command’s mission. The UCP exists to keep each COCOM aligned with overarching national policy objectives. And that authority extends down to the subordinate commands that fall under each COCOM, so that all U.S. military forces across all branches of service are likewise aligned.

Each of the 11 COCOMs is led by a four-star flag officer, who is known as the combatant commander, or CCDR. Each COCOM commander answers directly to the Secretary of Defense. Each COCOM commander can come from any branch of service, and all COCOMs are composed of two or more service branches. The missions set forth for each COCOM by the UCP are broad-scoped, broad-reaching, and of continuing duration. Each COCOM exists as the ultimate “in the field” (as in not the White House and not the Pentagon) provider of command and control for all units from all service branches, anywhere on the planet (or above it), during peace, war, and contingency operations.

In terms of that above-mentioned “area and/or scope of responsibility,” the 11 COCOMs are divided into two types: geographical and functional. There are seven geographical COCOMs and four functional ones. Geographical means they are responsible for all operations, etc., within a clearly defined actual location on or above the Earth — such as “Africa” or “Space.” Functional means they are responsible for a clearly defined specific type of operation, etc., but across all geographical and spatial lines — for example, “transport” or “special operations.”

Now let’s run through the commands. In this article, we’ll cover the seven geographical commands. We’ll go in order of appearance.

Geographic Combattant Commands

USINDOPACOM

Indo-Pacific Command, or USINDOPACOM, was established in January of 1947. If you reference the map in the feature image, you can see that this geographical command’s area of responsibility, or AOR, includes most of the Pacific Ocean, most of the Indian Ocean, and all of the Far East and South and Southeast Asia. That’s 36 nations total, more than half the world’s population, 3,200 different languages, and 5 out of the 7 total U.S. collective defense treaties. It is headquartered out of Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii.

USEUCOM

European Command, or USEUCOM, was established in August of 1952. If you reference the map in the feature image, you can see that this geographical command’s area of responsibility, or AOR, includes all of Europe, all of Russia, and Greenland. It stretches from the North Pole to Israel. That’s 51 countries and territories total. It is headquartered out of Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany.

USSOUTHCOM

Southern Command, or USSOUTHCOM, was established in June of 1963. If you reference the map in the feature image, you can see that this geographical command’s area of responsibility, or AOR, includes Central and South America, the Caribbean, and all their territorial waters — but excludes all U.S. territories, etc. That’s 19 Central and South American nations, and 13 Caribbean nations, for a grand total of 32 nations. The Panama Canal and the area around the canal also fall under this COCOM’s responsibility, when it comes to defense. It is headquartered out of Doral, Florida.

USCENTCOM

Central Command, or USCENTCOM, was established in January of 1983. If you reference the map in the feature image, you can see that this geographical command’s area of responsibility, or AOR, includes the Middle East, Egypt, Central Asia, and some countries in South Asia. That’s 20 nations total, 22 ethnic groups, 18 languages (with hundreds of regional dialects). It is headquartered out of MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

USNORTHCOM

Northern Command, or USNORTHCOM, was established in October of 2002. If you reference the map in the feature image, you can see that this geographical command’s area of responsibility, or AOR, includes the continental United States, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, The Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and all of the air, sea, and land approaches to this AOR. It is headquartered out of Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

USAFRICOM

Africa Command, or USAFRICOM, was established in October of 2008. If you reference the map in the feature image, you can see that this geographical command’s area of responsibility, or AOR, includes all of the African continent except for Egypt, as well as the islands of Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles. That’s 53 nations total. It is headquartered out of Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany.

USSPACECOM

Space Command, or USSPACECOM, was established in August of 2019. If you reference the map in the feature image, you can see that this geographical command’s area of responsibility, or AOR, includes… well, outer space. Specifically, all operations above 100km above mean sea level. So this COCOM is by far the largest in terms of AOR. It is headquartered out of Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

This concludes the COCOM introduction and geographical COCOMs primer. Keep an eye out for the follow-up functional COCOM primer!

This article first appeared on Sandboxx News.

Image: Reuters