
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document affected by Public Law 107-107 Section 1512(b)]
[CITE: 10USC161]

 
                         TITLE 10--ARMED FORCES
 
                    Subtitle A--General Military Law
 
            PART I--ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL MILITARY POWERS
 
                      CHAPTER 6--COMBATANT COMMANDS
 
Sec. 161. Combatant commands: establishment

    (a) Unified and Specified Combatant Commands.--With the advice and 
assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the President, 
through the Secretary of Defense, shall--
        (1) establish unified combatant commands and specified combatant 
    commands to perform military missions; and
        (2) prescribe the force structure of those commands.

    (b) Periodic Review.--(1) The Chairman periodically (and not less 
often than every two years) shall--
        (A) review the missions, responsibilities (including geographic 
    boundaries), and force structure of each combatant command; and
        (B) recommend to the President, through the Secretary of 
    Defense, any changes to such missions, responsibilities, and force 
    structures as may be necessary.

    (2) Except during time of hostilities or imminent threat of 
hostilities, the President shall notify Congress not more than 60 days 
after--
        (A) establishing a new combatant command; or
        (B) significantly revising the missions, responsibilities, or 
    force structure of an existing combatant command.

    (c) Definitions.--In this chapter:
        (1) The term ``unified combatant command'' means a military 
    command which has broad, continuing missions and which is composed 
    of forces from two or more military departments.
        (2) The term ``specified combatant command'' means a military 
    command which has broad, continuing missions and which is normally 
    composed of forces from a single military department.
        (3) The term ``combatant command'' means a unified combatant 
    command or a specified combatant command.

(Added Pub. L. 99-433, title II, Sec. 211(a), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 
1012.)


    Matters To Be Considered in Next Assessment of Current Missions, 
   Responsibilities, and Force Structure of Unified Combatant Commands

    Pub. L. 104-201, div. A, title IX, Sec. 905, Sept. 23, 1996, 110 
Stat. 2619, provided that: ``The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
shall consider, as part of the next periodic review by the Chairman of 
the missions, responsibilities, and force structure of the unified 
combatant commands pursuant to section 161(b) of title 10, United States 
Code, the following matters:
        ``(1) Whether there exists an adequate distribution of threats, 
    mission requirements, and responsibilities for geographic areas 
    among the regional unified combatant commands.
        ``(2) Whether reductions in the overall force structure of the 
    Armed Forces permit the United States to better execute its 
    warfighting plans through fewer or differently configured unified 
    combatant commands, including--
            ``(A) a total of five or fewer commands, all of which are 
        regional;
            ``(B) a total of three commands consisting of an eastward-
        oriented command, a westward-oriented command, and a central 
        command;
            ``(C) a purely functional command structure, involving (for 
        example) a first theater command, a second theater command, a 
        logistics command, a special contingencies command, and a 
        strategic command; or
            ``(D) any other command structure or configuration the 
        Chairman finds appropriate.
        ``(3) Whether any missions, staff, facilities, equipment, 
    training programs, or other assets or activities of the unified 
    combatant commands are redundant.
        ``(4) Whether warfighting requirements are adequate to justify 
    the current functional commands.
        ``(5) Whether the exclusion of certain nations from the Areas of 
    Responsibility of the unified combatant commands presents 
    difficulties with respect to the achievement of United States 
    national security objectives in those areas.
        ``(6) Whether the current geographic boundary between the United 
    States Central Command and the United States European Command 
    through the Middle East could create command conflicts in the 
    context of a major regional conflict in the Middle East region.''


                  Initial Review of Combatant Commands

    Section 212 of Pub. L. 99-433 set out 10 areas to be covered in 
first review of missions, responsibilities, and force structure of 
unified combatant commands under subsec. (b) of this section, and 
directed that first report to President be made not later than Oct. 1, 
1987.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 153, 167, 1051 of this 
title.
