U.S. Central Command

Subordinate Commands

USCENTCOM has five subordinate component commands: Army Forces Central (ARCENT), [Page 1516]Navy Forces Central (NAVCENT), Air Forces Central (AFCENT), Marine Forces Central (MARCENT), and Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT). The Commanding General of the Third Army serves as ARCENT commander; Commander of the Fifth Fleet serves as NAVCENT commander. The Commander of the Ninth Air Force served as AFCENT commander until 2009, when the commands were split and AFCENT was established as a separate command. ARCENT, NAVCENT, AFCENT, and SOCCENT also serve as functional component commands: Coalition Forces Land Component (CFLCC), Maritime Component (CFMCC), Air Component (CFACC), and Special Operations Component (CFSOCC), respectively.

USCENTCOM has also relied on a number of subordinate Joint Task Forces (JTFs) to conduct operations. The most notable have been JTF Southern Watch (1994–2003), Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA; 2002, passed to U.S. Africa Command in 2008), Combined Joint Task Force 7 (CJTF-7; Iraq, 2003–2004), Combined Forces Command–Afghanistan (2003–2007), Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNF-I; 2004–2010), U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A; 2008 to the present), and U.S. Forces Iraq (USF-I; 2010–2011).

Origins of USCENTCOM

After World War II, the United States and Britain agreed that the British would be primarily responsible for security in the Middle East. When the British announced in 1967 that they would withdraw from “East of Aden,” the United States faced a potential security vacuum in the region. Following a policy of reliance on regional partners epitomized by “Vietnamization,” the U.S. government began to provide extensive security assistance to Saudi Arabia and Iran as a way to protect U.S. interests and counter Soviet influence in the region.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to look into the feasibility of creating a multidivision rapid deployment force for the Middle East. This suggestion lay dormant until January 1979, when the Iranian Revolution toppled the Shah and with him the main pillar of the American security position in the region. On October 22, 1979, the secretary of defense directed the Joint Chiefs of Staff to look into creating a multidivision force earmarked for rapid deployment to the Middle East.This mission took on a new urgency when students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on November 4, and it became even more pressing when the Soviet Union moved into Afghanistan on Christmas Eve.

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