The United States Central Command is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force. As of 2015, CENTCOM forces are deployed primarily in Afghanistan under the auspices of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, and in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
About United States Central Command in brief
The United States Central Command is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force. Its Area of Responsibility includes the Middle East, including Egypt in Africa, and Central Asia and parts of South Asia. As of 2015, CENTCOM forces are deployed primarily in Afghanistan under the auspices of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, and in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve since 2014. The command has been the main American presence in many military operations, including the Persian Gulf War’s Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War from 2003 to 2011. Of all seven American regional unifiedcombatant commands, CENT COM is among three that are headquartered outside their area of operations. The main headquarters is located at MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa, Florida. A forward headquarters was established in 2002 at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar, which in 2009 transitioned to a forward headquarters at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The commander of CENTCOM is General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., U. S. Marine Corps. As of 28 March 2019,CENTCOM’s commander is GeneralKenneth F. McKenzie Jr., U. s. Marine Corps, based in Tampa,. The command covers the central area of the globe located between the African, European and Indo-Pacific Commands. It also includes Central Asia, South Asia, and Africa. It is the only command in the United States that is based outside of the continental United States.
CENTCOM was established on 1 January 1983. It took time to overcome skeptical perceptions that the command was still an RDJTF in all but name, designed to support a Cold War strategy, took time. The Iran–Iraq War clearly underlined the growing tensions in the region, and developments such as Iranian mining operations in the Persian gulf led to CENTCOM’s first combat operations. By late 1988, the regional strategy still largely focused on the potential threat of a massive Soviet invasion of Iran. After 1990, General Norman Schwarzkopf reoriented CENTCOM’s planning to fend off a threat from Iraq, and Internal Look moved to a biennial schedule. The buildup of forces began to focus on the liberation of Kuwait by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 678, which called for Iraqi forces to leave Kuwait on January 17, 1991. The end of formal hostilities did not bring the end of difficulties with Iraq, but a ceasefire was declared just one hundred hours after the commencement of the ground campaign. The primary objective was achieved on February 27, 1991, when the liberation was declared and the next morning a ceasefire declared. The U.N. Security Council resolution 678 called for a coalition to provide humanitarian assistance to the Kurds, enforce a no-fly zone in north Iraq and enforce a cease-fire in the north of the country. In autumn 1989, the main CENTCOM contingency plan, OPLAN 1002-88, assumed a Soviet attack through Iran.
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