Organization of the US Armed Forces

General

The ultimate authority and responsibility for the national defense rests with the President of the USA, who is, under the US Constitution, Commander-in-Chief (CINC) of the Armed Forces. In general, authority and direction flow from the President as the C-in-C to the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF), the Department of Defense (DOD), three military departments, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) and Unified Combatant Commands (UCCs).

TheNational Command Authorities (NCA) are the Presidentand Sec­retary of Defense or their duly deputized alternates or successors. The term NCA is used to signify constitutional authority to direct the US Armed Forces in their ex­ecution of military action.

The National Security Council (NSC)was established by the National Security Act of 1947 as the principal forum to consider national security issues that require presidential decision.

The US Armed Forces consist of five armed services: the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. The armed services are further subdivided into arms/branches and services.

The four main armed services are subordinate to their military departments: the Army – to the DA, the Air Force – to the DAF, the Navy and the Marine Corps – to the DN. The fifth armed service – the US Coast Guard – reports to the Department of Transportation in peacetime and to the DN in wartime. The military departments are responsible for recruiting, training and equipping their forces.

The US Armed Forces may also be subdivided into the following defense components: the Land Forces, Maritime Forces, Aviation Forces, Mobility Forces, Special Operations Forces, Space Forces, Strategic Nuclear Forces, National Guard and Reserves.

US Armed Services

The United States Army (USA) is the main armed service of the U.S. Armed Forces under the Department of the Army (DA). The Army is organized, trained, and equipped mainly for land combat. Other functions include civil defense, military assistance to federal, state, and local government agencies, disaster relief assistance, emergency medical air transportation etc. The Army administers the civil works of the Army Corps of Engineers. The DA consists of a Secretary of the Army (SA), who is responsible for all affairs of the department, the Under Secretary, and five Assistant Secretaries – all civilians appointed by the U.S. President. The Army staff, controlled by the Chief of Staff, United States Army (CSUSA), provides professional assistance to the SA.

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the separate military force under the Department of the Air Force (DAF). It is responsible for air warfare, air defense, and the development of military space research. The Secretary of the U.S. Air Force (SAF) is a civilian appointed by the President. He controls and directs the Air Force except for combat operations. The DAF’s staff includes Under Secretary and Assistant Secretaries of the USAF for readiness support, manpower and reserve affairs, and acquisition. The USAF staff, headed by the Chief of Staff, United States Air Force (CSUSAF), assists the SAF and is responsible for direction and control of the Air Force.

The U.S. Navy (USN) is headed by the Secretary of the Navy (SN) and operates under the SECDEF. The mission of the U.S. Navy is to protect the nation's coastline and merchant shipping, attack enemy coasts and commerce, reinforce allies, land amphibious forces on hostile shores. In addition to the SN, the administrative structure includes an Under Secretary and Assistant Secretaries. The professional staff is headed by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). He is the principal naval adviser to the President and is responsible to the SN for the readiness of all naval forces.

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the armed service of the U.S. Armed Forces within the DN under the direct control of the SECNAV. Marines are trained and equipped primarily to carry out integrated land, sea, and air operations. The Corps is headed by a Commandant, who holds the rank of General and is appointed to a 4-year term by the President with the advice of the U.S. Senate. The Commandant has coequal status with the other JCS members.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the fifth military service of the US Armed Forces. Its primary missions are enforcement of maritime law and the protection of life and property at sea. In time of war or national emergency by direction of the President, the USCG serves as part of the USN. The Coast Guard is headed by a Commandant (a full admiral). The USCG command structure also includes a Vice-Commandant (a vice-admiral), a Chief of Staff, and two area commanders (Atlantic and Pacific). The area commanders coordinate the activities of 12 administrative district offices in the CONUS and the Pacific, each headed by a rear admiral.