DOD Organization /Missions of USA, USAF,
USCG, Merchant Marines
Learning Objectives
• Understand the Basic DOD Organization
• Recognize the missions of the USAF / USA / USCG / MM
Problems Before/During WWII
• Not enough civilian involvement
• Too much overlap and too much bickering
So, We Needed Something New
– Increase civilian control of the Armed Forces
– Eliminate unnecessary duplication– Provide a unified strategic direction of the
Armed Forces
National Security Act (1947)
• National Security Act of 1947 - Created Dept of Air Force from USAAF
- Created the National Military Establishment (NME)
(Merger of DOW/DON) - DOD is the successor agency to the NME
• National Security Act Amendments of 1949
– DOD established as an executive department– Headed by Secretary of Defense– Three main provisions of amendments:
• Establishment of Army, Navy, Air Force• Organization of each military dept under its own
secretary• Establishment of unified and specific commands
Department of Defense
Secretary of Defense (SECDEF)
• Created by NSA of 1947
• Successor to the Secretary of War
• Defense policy advisor to the President
• Formulates general defense policy and policy related to DOD
• Member of the President’s Cabinet and National Security Council Chuck Hagel
Mission of DOD
• Support and defend the Constitution against all enemies
• Protect the U.S., its possessions, and areas vital to its interests
• Advance the policies and interests of the U.S.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS)
• Established informally in WWII, modeled after the British Chiefs of Staff
• NSA of 1947 made JCS a permanent agency• Chairman of the JCS
– Appointed by the President, must be from Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force
– Principal military advisor to the President, NSC, and SECDEF.
– Senior military advisor in the country, but has no command
• JCS breakdown– Chairman– Vice-Chairman– The Chiefs of Staff of Army and Air Force, Chief of
Naval Operations (CNO), Commandant of the Marine Corps
Chairman / Vice Chairman
General Martin E. Dempsey (USA), CJCS
Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr. (USN),
VCJCS
Service Chiefs of Staff
Admiral Jonathan Greenert (USN),
CNO
General James Amos (USMC),
CMC
Service Chiefs of Staff
General Mark A. Welsh III (USAF), CSAF
Gen. Raymond T. Odierno (ARMY),
CSA
Who “Commands” Forces???
• Today, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have no executive authority to command combatant forces. The issue of executive authority was clearly resolved by the Goldwater-Nichols DOD Reorganization Act of 1986: "The Secretaries of the Military Departments shall assign all forces under their jurisdiction to unified and specified combatant commands to perform missions assigned to those commands..."; the chain of command "runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense; and from the Secretary of Defense to the commander of the combatant command."
Unified Commands
Other Unified Commands
• US Special Operations Command (SOCOM)
• US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM)
• Strategic Command (STRATCOM)• Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) …
disestablished as of 31 August 2011
The Bottom Line
• Unified Commands are Joint– Fight– AKA (also known as) Combatant
Commands– Responsibility primarily split by
geography • Services Chiefs
– Man– Train– Equip
So…It Works Kinda Like This…
• Unified Commander needs forces• Supported/supporting Commander• OPORD/OPLAN, RFF, TPFDD, DEPORD• Each Service ensures that its
man/train/equip policies meet operational necessities
• Units deploy
Chains of Command- Administrative
(always the same)
- Operational (changes based on deployed location)
Break
Mission of the U.S. Army• To prepare land forces for war; to fight our
country’s wars and win
Other Things the US Army Does
In lieu of war- Special Operations (DELTA Force, Rangers, etc)
In training for war- Coordinate for joint amphibious ops with other services (minor)- Develop plans in conjunction with airborne ops from other services
Other Things the US Army Does
• In the aftermath of war– Provide air defense for
friendly territories
– Train/provide occupational
forces, military
government
• Operations-Other-Than-War (OOTW)
– Humanitarian relief
– Assist civilian communities
and conduct civic action
programs
• CONUS based, relies on Navy and Air Force transport for forward projection
U.S. Army Organizational Components
• Department of the Army Organizations– Secretary of the Army– Staffs
• Office of the Chief of Staff• General Staff• Special Staff
– Army Reserve– National Guard
U.S. Air Force Missions and Functions
• Missions: – Strategic aerospace offense– Strategic aerospace defense– Counter air– Air interdiction (AI)– Close-air support (CAS)– Special Operations– Airlift– Aerospace surveillance and
reconnaissance– Aerospace maritime operations
• Strategic aerospace offense– Neutralize or destroy enemy’s capabilities– Attack enemy’s key military, political and economic
power base
• Strategic aerospace defense– Protect our nations war-sustaining capabilities by
aerospace warning, control and interception– Provides warning and assessment of strategic
attack to the National Command Authority
U.S. Air Force Missions and Functions
U.S. Air Force Missions and Functions
• Counter Air– Offensive counter air (OCA)– Suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD)– Defensive counter air (DCA)
• Air Interdiction (AI)– Delay/destroy enemy’s military potential
• Close-air support (CAS)– Support ground operations– Requires coordination with ground forces
U.S. Air Force Missions and Functions
• Special Operations– Accomplish objectives in low visibility, covert or
clandestine military operations
• Airlift– Transportation of men, equipment and supplies to
sustain military forces– Combat missions
• Air drop• Extraction• Landing troops and supplies into combat
– Combat support missions (logistical)– Two perspectives of airlift
• Strategic: Inter-theater• Tactical: Intra-theater
U.S. Air Force Missions and Functions
• Aerospace surveillance and reconnaissance– Collect information from airborne, orbital, and surface-
based sensors– Surveillance operations
• continual collects from air, surface and subsurface sources
– Reconnaissance operations• Directed toward localized or specific targets
• Aerospace maritime operations– Neutralize or destroy enemy naval forces and to protect
friendly naval forces and shipping
U.S. Coast Guard Missions and Functions
• Headed by Commandant, Admiral Paul F. Zukunft – Top service official, responsible for all world-wide Coast Guard
activities, and oversees 42,000 active duty military and 8,000 civilian full-time employees; 8,000 reserve military part-time employees; and 30,000 civilian auxiliary volunteers.
• Dual role1. During Peacetime (Post 9/11)? -- Department of Homeland Security (2003) -- Reports to DHS 2. During Wartime/ Presidential Order -- Works under SECDEF/SECNAV
Doing Their Job EVERY Day
Everything Else the USCG Does
– Enforce maritime laws and treaties
– Search and rescue (SAR)– Boating safety for inland
lakes and waterways– Maritime Mobility
(commerce)– Installation, maintenance
and operations of navigational aids
– Ice-breaking operations– Scientific research– Environmental cleanup– Military reconnaissance
(wartime)– Safeguard ports and
harbors– Investigate maritime
disaster
U.S. Merchant Marine
• Importance/Mission:– Transports materials needed to support national
economies of the U.S. and allies– Augment overseas lifting capabilities for the Air Force,
Navy and Marine Corps
U.S. Merchant Marine
• Organization– The Maritime Administration (MARAD)– In time of war, MARAD is modified to staff the National
Shipping Authority– In time of war, ships needed by DOD for sealift are
obtained– Ships not under direct jurisdiction of DOD are still
subject to naval control of shipping– U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, administered by MARAD
Summary
• DOD:
– organization, mission
– relationship of armed forces
• Commands
• U.S. Army
• U.S. Air Force
• U.S. Coast Guard
• Merchant Marines
Review
• Who is the CINC US ARMED FORCES? CJCS? VCJCS? SECDEF?
• NSA of 1947 made JCS a permanent agency
• What is the role of the CJCS? JCS?• Who mans/equips/trains? Who are
the joint commanders that fight wars?
• Name the unified commands, their areas of responsibility by geography or function.
Review Cont’d
• CNO? Commandant? MCPON? SGTMAJ USMC?
• Chief of Naval Reserve?• SECNAV?• Missions/core capabilities of USN?• Missions/core capabilities of USMC?
Don’t Worry…Study!!!