United States Northern Command

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United States Northern Command
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Founded1 October 2002
(23 years, 10 months ago)[1]
CountryFile:Flag of the United States.svg United States
TypeUnified combatant command
RoleGeographic combatant command
Part ofFile:US Department of Defense seal.svg United States Department of Defense
HeadquartersPeterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
MottoTemplate:Pluralize from text"We have the watch"[2]
DecorationsFile:Streamer JMUA.PNG
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Websitenorthcom.mil
Commanders
CommanderGeneral Gregory M. Guillot, USAF[3]
Deputy CommanderLieutenant General Joseph Jarrard USA
Senior Enlisted LeaderCMSgt John G. Storms, USAF[4]
Insignia
NATO Map Symbol[5][6]File:NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Region or Front.svg
File:Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- AA - Northern Command (FM 1-02, 2004 September 21).svg
US Northern Command Army Element SSIFile:US Northern Command Army SSI.gif

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Template:United States Armed Forces sidebar

The United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)[7] is one of the 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, Greenland (Denmark) and the air, land and sea approaches to these areas.[8] 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.

Creation

USNORTHCOM was established on 25 April 2002 when President George W. Bush approved a new Unified Command Plan,[9][10] and attained initial operating capability on 1 October 2002.[11]

Mission

According to the UCP, Northern Command's mission is to:[12]

  • 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

File:Map of the U.S. Northern Command Area of Responsibility (USNORTHCOM AOR).png
NORTHCOM Area of Responsibility (in green)

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 (United Kingdom), Bermuda (United Kingdom), and the Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom).[13] The commander of USNORTHCOM is responsible for theater security cooperation with Canada, Mexico, and The Bahamas.[14] In May 2011, NORTHCOM was mobilized in the wake of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico[15] to provide air, ground, and logistical support.[16] In October 2014, NORTHCOM took administrative control of Alaskan Command.[17] In June 2025, the area of responsibility of Greenland (Denmark) was shifted from USEUCOM to USNORTHCOM.[18]

Organizational structure

Headquarters

File:210114-D-BN624-0138 (50836841477).jpg
NORAD-USNORTHCOM headquarters at the Eberhart-Findley Building on Peterson Space Force Base

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.[19] General Ralph Eberhart was the first CDRUSNORTHCOM.[20]

USNORTHCOM headquarters has approximately 1,200 uniformed and civilian staff.[21] 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.[22]

Component commands

Emblem Command Acronym Commander Established Headquarters Subordinate Commands
File:United States Army North CSIB.svg
United States Army North
Joint Force Land Component Command[23]
 ARNORTH Lt General Allan Pepin Template:Dts JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, Texas
File:Marine Corps Forces Northern Command.jpg
Marine Corps Forces North[24][25]
 MARFORNORTH Lt General Roberta L. Shea Template:Dts Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia
File:Seal of the Commander of the United States Fleet Forces Command.svg
United States Naval Forces Northern Command
Joint Force Maritime Component Command[26]
 NAVNORTH Admiral Karl O. Thomas Template:Dts Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Virginia
File:1st Air Force.png File:ConrAfnorthAfspace.jpg
First Air Force / Air Forces Northern
Joint Force Air Component Command[27]
 1 AF (AFNORTH) Lt Gen M. Luke Ahmann Template:Dts Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida
File:US Space Forces Northern.png
United States Space Forces Northern
Theater Joint Force Space Component Command[28]
 SPACEFOR-NORTH Brig Gen Robert Schreiner Template:Dts Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado

Subordinate unified commands

Emblem Command Acronym Commander Established Headquarters Subordinate Commands
File:Alaskan Command Logo.svg Alaskan Command[29] ALCOM Lt General Robert D. Davis, USAF Template:Dts Joint 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.

File:SOCNORTH Emblem.jpg
File:USAE Special Operations Command North SSI 2014-04-25.png
 Special Operations Command North[30] SOCNORTH Colonel Matthew P. Tucker, USA Template:Dts Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado

Standing joint task force

Emblem Command Acronym Commander Established Headquarters
File:JointForceHeadquartersNationalCapitalRegionLogo.jpg Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region JFHQ-NCR Major General Antoinette Gant, USA Template:Dts Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington D.C.
File:Joint Task Force Civil Support emblem.jpg Joint Task Force – Civil Support JTF-CS Brigadier General Tanya S. McGonegal, ARNG Template:Dts Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia
File:Joint Task Force North.jpg Joint Task Force North JTF-North Major General Henry S. Dixon, ARNG Template:Dts Fort Bliss, Texas
File:Emblem of the Joint Task Force – Southern Border.png Joint Task Force - Southern Border JTF-SB Major General David W. Gardner, USA Template:Dts Fort Huachuca, Arizona
Joint Task Force - Gold JTF-Gold Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USA Template:Dts Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado
Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel JIATF-CC Brigadier General Maurizio Calabrese, USAF Template:Dts Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona

Commanders

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File:NORAD & USNORTHCOM Change of Command 2018 180524-F-SD165-1055.jpg
Attendees pay respects during the playing of the American national anthem at the NORAD-USNORTHCOM change of command ceremony on 23 May 2018.

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.[31][32] {{#section:Leadership of the United States Northern Command|Commanders}}

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.[33]

However, in 2012, the GAO found that the national strategy to defend the United States is several years out of date.[34]

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.[35][36]

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.[37] The total of 14 agencies with representatives at NORTHCOM in December 2002 included the State Department, NASA, and the Federal Aviation Administration.[38]

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).[39]

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".[39]

In January 2025 the Northern Command activated military police and combat engineer units from the Army and Marine Corps to support Customs and Border Protection on the U.S. southern border.[40] 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.[41]

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 Act[42] 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.[43]

See also

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."NORTHCOM History" (PDF). NORTHCOM. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2022.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."USNORTHCOM Vision". Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command". U.S. Northern Command. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Command Senior Enlisted Leader, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command". U.S. Northern Command. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.FM 1-02 Operational Terms and Graphics (PDF). US Army. 21 September 2004. pp. 5–37.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.ADP 1-02 Terms and Military Symbols (PDF). US Army. 14 August 2018. pp. 4–8.
  7. ^ Informally known simply as "NORTHCOM" or "Northern Command")
  8. ^ USNORTHCOM
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."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.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jacoby, Charles. "2014 NC Posture Statement" (PDF). northcom.mil. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."USNORTHCOM responds to Deepwater Horizon oil spill". Northcom.mil. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Deepwater Horizon airspace activity now coordinated at 601st AOC". Northcom.mil. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."NORTHCOM assumes oversight of Alaskan Command - Stripes". Stars and Stripes.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnell on the Unified Command Plan". United States Department of Defense. US Department of Defence. 17 June 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cutler, Thomas (2011). Navcivguide. Naval Institute Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-61251-019-4.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."U.S. Northern Command History". Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."U.S. Northern Command". Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."New military command seeks civilian managers". 15 August 2002.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."ARNORTH Organization".
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."MARFORCOM Units".
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, Marine Forces Command, Marine Forces Northern Command". marforcom.marines.mil.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."US Navy Fleet Forces Command".
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."1st Air Force Units".
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SPACEFOR-NORTH".
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson > Units > Alaskan Command". Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH)".
  31. ^ http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=main&bill=h110-4986 Script error: No such module "webarchive". Pub.L. 110-181: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
  32. ^ http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-4986 Script error: No such module "webarchive". Pub.L. 110-181: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 full text
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
  34. ^ "DOD Needs to Address Gaps in Homeland Defense and Civil Support Guidance GAO-13-128, Oct 24, 2012."
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Obis, Anastasia (22 January 2025). "Trump's executive order directs NORTHOM to 'seal' the border". Federal News Network.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Roque, Ashley; Hitchens, Theresa (21 January 2025). "Trump's Pentagon to begin task of crafting NORTHCOM plan to 'seal' US borders". Breaking Defense.
  37. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
  38. ^ Shenon and Schmitt NYT 2002.
  39. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
  40. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Active-duty forces to bolster security at U.S. southern border". U.S. Northern Command. USNORTHCOM. 24 January 2025.
  41. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hicks, Samarion (25 March 2025). "Joint Task Force-Southern Border assumes authority of Southern Border Mission". army.mil. U.S. Army.
  42. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Bush Moves Towards Martial Law, 26 October 2006". Towardfreedom.com. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  43. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Brigade homeland tours start 1 Oct". Army Times. 30 September 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2011.

Further reading

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