
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 10USC162]

 
                         TITLE 10--ARMED FORCES
 
                    Subtitle A--General Military Law
 
            PART I--ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL MILITARY POWERS
 
                      CHAPTER 6--COMBATANT COMMANDS
 
Sec. 162. Combatant commands: assigned forces; chain of command

    (a) Assignment of Forces.--(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
the Secretaries of the military departments shall assign all forces 
under their jurisdiction to unified and specified combatant commands or 
to the United States element of the North American Aerospace Defense 
Command to perform missions assigned to those commands. Such assignments 
shall be made as directed by the Secretary of Defense, including 
direction as to the command to which forces are to be assigned. The 
Secretary of Defense shall ensure that such assignments are consistent 
with the force structure prescribed by the President for each combatant 
command.
    (2) Except as otherwise directed by the Secretary of Defense, forces 
to be assigned by the Secretaries of the military departments to the 
combatant commands or to the United States element of the North American 
Aerospace Defense Command under paragraph (1) do not include forces 
assigned to carry out functions of the Secretary of a military 
department listed in sections 3013(b), 5013(b), and 8013(b) of this 
title or forces assigned to multinational peacekeeping organizations.
    (3) A force assigned to a combatant command or to the United States 
element of the North American Aerospace Defense Command under this 
section may be transferred from the command to which it is assigned 
only--
        (A) by authority of the Secretary of Defense; and
        (B) under procedures prescribed by the Secretary and approved by 
    the President.

    (4) Except as otherwise directed by the Secretary of Defense, all 
forces operating within the geographic area assigned to a unified 
combatant command shall be assigned to, and under the command of, the 
commander of that command. The preceding sentence applies to forces 
assigned to a specified combatant command only as prescribed by the 
Secretary of Defense.
    (b) Chain of Command.--Unless otherwise directed by the President, 
the chain of command to a unified or specified combatant command runs--
        (1) from the President to the Secretary of Defense; and
        (2) from the Secretary of Defense to the commander of the 
    combatant command.

(Added Pub. L. 99-433, title II, Sec. 211(a), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 
1012; amended Pub. L. 100-180, div. A, title XIII, Sec. 1313, Dec. 4, 
1987, 101 Stat. 1175; Pub. L. 100-456, div. A, title VII, Sec. 711, 
Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 1997; Pub. L. 104-201, div. A, title X, 
Sec. 1073(a), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2657.)


                               Amendments

    1996--Subsec. (a)(1) to (3). Pub. L. 104-201 substituted ``North 
American Aerospace Defense Command'' for ``North American Air Defense 
Command''.
    1988--Subsec. (a)(1) to (3). Pub. L. 100-456 inserted ``or to the 
United States element of the North American Air Defense Command''.
    1987--Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 100-180 inserted before period at end 
``or forces assigned to multinational peacekeeping organizations''.


      Implementation of Assignment of Forces to Combatant Commands

    Section 214(a) of Pub. L. 99-433 provided that section 162(a) of 
this title shall be implemented not later than 90 days after Oct. 1, 
1986.
