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United States Northern Command
Unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protecting the territory and national interests of the United States within the continental United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, The Bahamas, and the air, land and sea approaches to these areas. It is the U.S. military command which, if applicable, would be the primary defender against an invasion of the U.S.

USNORTHCOM was created on 25 April 2002 when President George W. Bush approved a new Unified Command Plan, following the September 11 attacks. USNORTHCOM went operational on 1 October 2002.

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Creation

USNORTHCOM was established on 25 April 2002 when President George W. Bush approved a new Unified Command Plan,34 and attained initial operating capability on 1 October 2002.5

Mission

According to the UCP, Northern Command's mission is to:6

  • Conduct operations to deter, prevent, and defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories, and interests within the assigned area of responsibility and,
  • As directed by the President or Secretary of Defense provide military assistance to non-military authorities including consequence management operations

Area of responsibility

USNORTHCOM's Area of Responsibility (AOR) includes air, land and sea approaches and encompasses the continental United States, Canada, Mexico and the surrounding water out to approximately 500 nautical miles (930 km). It also includes the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, portions of the Caribbean region to include The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.7 The commander of USNORTHCOM is responsible for theater security cooperation with Canada, Mexico, and The Bahamas.8 In May 2011, NORTHCOM was mobilized in the wake of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico9 to provide air, ground, and logistical support.10 In October 2014, NORTHCOM took administrative control of Alaskan Command.11

Organizational structure

Headquarters

Commander, U.S. Northern Command is concurrently Commander of the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The two are co-located at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.12 General Ralph Eberhart was the first CDRUSNORTHCOM.13

USNORTHCOM headquarters has approximately 1,200 uniformed and civilian staff.14 In its first period of organising in 2002–03, one priority was to hire civilian staff which could help respond to a Weapons of Mass Destruction attack and to coordinate disaster recovery.15

Component commands

EmblemCommandAcronymCommanderEstablishedHeadquartersSubordinate Commands
United States Army NorthJoint Force Land Component Command16ARNORTHLt General Allan Pepin11 June 1946JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Texas
Marine Corps Forces North1718MARFORNORTHLt General Roberta L. Shea16 December 1946Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia
United States Naval Forces Northern CommandJoint Force Maritime Component Command19NAVNORTHAdmiral Daryl L. Caudle1 January 1906Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Virginia
First Air Force / Air Forces NorthernJoint Force Air Component Command201 AF (AFNORTH)Lt Gen M. Luke Ahmann1 November 2007Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida

Subordinate unified commands

EmblemCommandAcronymCommanderEstablishedHeadquartersSubordinate Commands
Alaskan Command21ALCOMLt General Case Cunningham, USAF15 November 1945Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska

There is no U.S. Navy component of ALCOM. The United States Coast Guard's 17th District works closely with ALCOM and de facto acts as its maritime component.

Special Operations Command North22SOCNORTHColonel Matthew P. Tucker, USA5 November 2013Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado

Standing joint task force

EmblemCommandAcronymCommanderEstablishedHeadquarters
Joint Force Headquarters National Capital RegionJFHQ-NCRMajor General Trevor J. Bredenkamp, USA22 September 2004Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington D.C.
Joint Task Force – Civil SupportJTF-CSColonel Tanya S. McGonegal, ARNGOctober 1999Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia
Joint Task Force NorthJTF-NorthMajor General Henry S. Dixon, ARNGNovember 1989Fort Bliss, Texas
Joint Task Force 51JTF-51Major General Scott M Sherman2005Joint Base San Antonio

Commanders

Main article: Leadership of the United States Northern Command

The commander of United States Northern Command is a four-star general or admiral in the United States Armed Forces who serves as the head of all U.S. military forces within the command's geographical area of responsibility. The commander of U.S. Northern Command concurrently serves as the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and is the head of all United States and Canadian joint aerospace military operational forces, stationed within the Northern American territories. The commander of U.S. Northern Command is nominated for appointment by the President of the United States and must be confirmed by the United States Senate. The commander of U.S. Northern Command typically serves for two years.

Note: The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 stipulates that at least one deputy commander of USNORTHCOM be a National Guard general officer unless the commander is already such an officer.2324

No.CommanderTermService branch
PortraitNameTook officeLeft officeTerm length
1Eberhart, Ralph E.GeneralRalph E. Eberhart(born 1946)22 October 20025 November 20042 years, 14 daysU.S. Air Force
2Keating, Timothy J.AdmiralTimothy J. Keating(born 1948)5 November 200423 March 20072 years, 138 daysU.S. Navy
3Renuart, Victor E. Jr.GeneralVictor E. Renuart Jr.(born 1949)23 March 200719 May 20103 years, 57 daysU.S. Air Force
4Winnefeld, James A. Jr.AdmiralJames A. Winnefeld Jr.(born 1956)19 May 20103 August 20111 year, 76 daysU.S. Navy
5Jacoby, Charles H. Jr.GeneralCharles H. Jacoby Jr.(born 1954)3 August 20115 December 20143 years, 124 daysU.S. Army
6Gortney, William E.AdmiralWilliam E. Gortney(born 1955)5 December 201413 May 20161 year, 160 daysU.S. Navy
7Robinson, Lori J.GeneralLori J. Robinson(born 1958/1959)13 May 201624 May 20182 years, 11 daysU.S. Air Force
8O'Shaughnessy, Terrence J.GeneralTerrence J. O'Shaughnessy(born 1964/1965)24 May 201820 August 20202 years, 73 daysU.S. Air Force
9VanHerck, Glen D.GeneralGlen D. VanHerck(born 1962)20 August 20205 February 20243 years, 169 daysU.S. Air Force
10Guillot, GregoryGeneralGregory M. Guillot5 February 2024Incumbent1 year, 127 daysU.S. Air Force

Planning and strategy

Northern Command has created several classified "concept plans" (e.g. "Defense Support of Civil Authorities") that are intended to address the 15 National Planning Scenarios that NORTHCOM must be prepared to respond to.25

However, in 2012, the GAO found that the national strategy to defend the United States is several years out of date.26

On 20 January 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the Secretary of Defense to give Northern Command the mission to "seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States," requiring the secretary to revise the Unified Command Plan within 10 days in accordance with the order, and the commander of Northern Command to present a plan within 30 days on how NORTHCOM will achieve this mission.2728

Domestic operations and training

NORTHCOM operates extensive domestic intelligence operations which both share and receive information from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and other agencies maintain offices at NORTHCOM and receive daily intelligence briefings.29 The total of 14 agencies with representatives at NORTHCOM in December 2002 included the State Department, NASA, and the Federal Aviation Administration.30

Northern Command has completed several joint training exercises with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).31

In Exercise Vigilant Shield 2008, Northern Command, Pacific Command, the Department of Homeland Security, and numerous law enforcement agencies across the U.S. conducted exercises to test their "response abilities against a variety of potential threats".32

In January 2025 the Northern Command activated military police and combat engineer units from the Army and Marine Corps to support Customs and Border Patrol on the U.S. southern border.33 In March 2025, the newly formed Joint Task Force-Southern Border, from the headquarters of the 10th Mountain Division, took over control of the operation along the Mexico–United States border, to oversee joint forces and serve as the NORTHCOM land component command for the mission, which involves about 10,000 service members.34

The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 and subsequent Department of Defense policy constrains any member of the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, or Marine Corps, and the National Guard under federal authority from domestically intervening in a law enforcement capacity on United States soil. Several exceptions to the law have been used in the past, including protecting the citizens' constitutional rights in the absence of state and/or local assistance, such as protecting the Little Rock Nine students in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957, and using the Insurrection Act to quell civil disorders, such as the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

The Military Commissions Act of 2006 lifted many restrictions placed on the military to support non-military authorities by the Posse Comitatus Act, however the United States Supreme Court ruled in June 2008 that significant portions of the MCA were unconstitutional. The "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007" H.R. 5122 (2006) effectively nullified the limits of the Insurrection Act35 when it was passed; however, the bill was amended in 2008.

On 1 October 2008, the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team was assigned to U.S. Northern Command, marking the first time an active unit had been given a dedicated assignment to Northern Command. The force will be known for the first year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, and will serve as an on-call federal response force for terrorist attacks and other natural or manmade emergencies and disasters.36

See also

Further reading

References

  1. Informally known simply as "NORTHCOM" or "Northern Command") ↩

  2. USNORTHCOM https://www.northcom.mil/HomelandDefense ↩

  3. Whitley, Joe D.; et al., eds. (2009). "Unified Combatant Commands and USNORTHCOM". Homeland security: legal and policy issues. American Bar Association. ISBN 978-1-60442-462-1. 978-1-60442-462-1 ↩

  4. Bolkcom, Christopher; et al. (2005). "Homeland Security: Establishment and Implementation of Northern Command". In Thaler, William M.; Bea, Keith (eds.). Emerging issues in homeland security. Nova Publishers. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-59454-139-1. 978-1-59454-139-1 ↩

  5. Cecchine, Gary, ed. (2004). Triage for civil support: using military medical assets to respond to terrorist attacks. RAND Corporation. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-8330-3661-2. 978-0-8330-3661-2 ↩

  6. "The Beginning" (PDF). U.S. Northern Command. 31 December 2012. p. 4. U.S. Northern Command's mission is to deter, prevent and defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories, and interests. Additionally, the command is charged with providing defense support for civil authorities when approved by the President or Secretary of Defense. U.S. Northern Command also provides military resources and support to federal, state and local authorities. https://www.northcom.mil/Portals/28/Documents/Supporting%20documents/Historical/NORTHCOM%20History.pdf ↩

  7. Jacoby, Charles. "2014 NC Posture Statement" (PDF). northcom.mil. Retrieved 18 April 2015. http://www.northcom.mil/Portals/28/Documents/2014%20NC%20Posture%20Statement_Final_HASC.pdf ↩

  8. U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs (22 October 2009). "About USNORTHCOM". USNORTHCOM website. Peterson Air Force Base, CO: U.S. Northern Command. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20090816213648/http://www.northcom.mil/about/index.html ↩

  9. "USNORTHCOM responds to Deepwater Horizon oil spill". Northcom.mil. Retrieved 19 May 2011. http://www.northcom.mil/news/2010/050510.html ↩

  10. "Deepwater Horizon airspace activity now coordinated at 601st AOC". Northcom.mil. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2011. http://www.northcom.mil/news/2010/071310.html ↩

  11. "NORTHCOM assumes oversight of Alaskan Command - Stripes". Stars and Stripes. http://www.stripes.com/northcom-assumes-oversight-of-alaskan-command-1.311066 ↩

  12. Cutler, Thomas (2011). Navcivguide. Naval Institute Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-61251-019-4. 978-1-61251-019-4 ↩

  13. "U.S. Northern Command History". Retrieved 11 February 2013. http://www.northcom.mil/About/history_education/history.html ↩

  14. "U.S. Northern Command". Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20090816213648/http://www.northcom.mil/about/index.html ↩

  15. "New military command seeks civilian managers". 15 August 2002. https://www.govexec.com/defense/2002/08/new-military-command-seeks-civilian-managers/12325/ ↩

  16. "ARNORTH Organization". https://www.arnorth.army.mil/About/Organization/ ↩

  17. "MARFORCOM Units". https://www.marforcom.marines.mil/Home/Units/ ↩

  18. "Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, Marine Forces Command, Marine Forces Northern Command". marforcom.marines.mil. https://www.marforcom.marines.mil/ ↩

  19. "US Navy Fleet Forces Command". https://www.usff.navy.mil/ ↩

  20. "1st Air Force Units". https://www.1af.acc.af.mil/Units/ ↩

  21. "Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson > Units > Alaskan Command". https://www.jber.jb.mil/Units/Alaskan-Command/ ↩

  22. "Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH)". https://www.socom.mil/socnorth/Pages/default.aspx ↩

  23. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=main&bill=h110-4986 Pub.L. 110-181: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=main&bill=h110-4986 ↩

  24. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-4986 Pub.L. 110-181: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 full text https://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-4986 ↩

  25. Wormuth, Christine E. & Witkowsky, Anne (2008). Managing the next domestic catastrophe: ready (or not)? : a beyond Goldwater-Nichols phase 4 report. CSIS. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-89206-534-9. 978-0-89206-534-9 ↩

  26. "DOD Needs to Address Gaps in Homeland Defense and Civil Support Guidance GAO-13-128, Oct 24, 2012." http://gao.gov/products/GAO-13-128?source=ra ↩

  27. Obis, Anastasia (22 January 2025). "Trump's executive order directs NORTHOM to 'seal' the border". Federal News Network. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2025/01/trumps-executive-order-directs-northcom-to-seal-the-border/ ↩

  28. Roque, Ashley; Hitchens, Theresa (21 January 2025). "Trump's Pentagon to begin task of crafting NORTHCOM plan to 'seal' US borders". Breaking Defense. https://breakingdefense.com/2025/01/trumps-pentagon-to-begin-task-of-crafting-northcom-plan-to-seal-us-borders/ ↩

  29. Miller, Russell A. (2008). US national security, intelligence and democracy: from the Church Committee to the War on Terror. Taylor & Francis. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-415-44646-4. 978-0-415-44646-4 ↩

  30. Shenon and Schmitt NYT 2002. ↩

  31. Head, Michael & Mann, Scott (2009). Domestic deployment of the armed forces: military powers, law and human rights. Ashgate Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-7546-7346-0. 978-0-7546-7346-0 ↩

  32. Head, Michael & Mann, Scott (2009). Domestic deployment of the armed forces: military powers, law and human rights. Ashgate Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-7546-7346-0. 978-0-7546-7346-0 ↩

  33. "Active-duty forces to bolster security at U.S. southern border". U.S. Northern Command. USNORTHCOM. 24 January 2025. https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Article/4039987/active-duty-forces-to-bolster-security-at-us-southern-border/ ↩

  34. Hicks, Samarion (25 March 2025). "Joint Task Force-Southern Border assumes authority of Southern Border Mission". army.mil. U.S. Army. https://www.army.mil/article/284048/joint_task_force_southern_border_assumes_authority_of_southern_border_mission ↩

  35. "Bush Moves Towards Martial Law, 26 October 2006". Towardfreedom.com. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 19 May 2011. http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/911/ ↩

  36. "Brigade homeland tours start 1 Oct". Army Times. 30 September 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2011. http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/ ↩