Joint Operations

Combined services operations conducted in support of national security objectives. Joint operations synchronize the complementary capabilities of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

Following the major combined combat efforts of the armed forces during World War I and World War II, the U.S. defense establishment began to push for greater unity of effort among the different services. Beginning with the formalization of joint defense planning in the mid-1940s, the structure for how the U.S. military would jointly conduct operations was laid. The employment of joint operations for military missions unifies the efforts of the various services.

Joint operations are conducted under the joint force command structure. Joint force commanders take orders and planning guidance from the National Command Authority, headed by the president and secretary of defense, who authorize the constitutional authority to employ the armed forces.

During the last half-century, the United States has increasingly employed joint operations in major combat and peacekeeping missions. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States and the emerging threat of nonstate terrorist organizations, the conduct of military operations has relied heavily on special-operations units. In Afghanistan in late 2001 and early 2002, the United States employed joint special-operations teams to provide specific capabilities to that mission.