![handle is hein.crs/govegqs0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service
Informing the legislitive debate since 1914
Defense Primer: Department of the Army and
Army Command Structure
Overview
Article I, Section 8, Clause 12 of the Constitution stipulates,
The Congress shall have power ... to raise and support
Armies ... make rules for the government and regulation of
the land and naval forces ... for calling forth the militia to
execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and
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military departments reporting to the Department of
Defense (DOD). The Army's primary mission is to fight
and win the nation's ground wars. The Army's mission is
both operational and institutional, and it is composed of
four distinct components: the regular Active Component
(AC), the reserve components of the United States Army
Reserve (USAR), the Army National Guard (ARNG), and
Department of the Army civilians (DAC). See Figure 1.
* The Regular Army is the full-time, federal force of AC
soldiers.
* USAR is a federal reserve force that provides specialized
units and capabilities, as well as individual soldiers when
mobilized.
* ARNG is a dual-status force that normally remains under
the command of state governors and can respond to
domestic emergencies, unless its units are mobilized for a
federal mission.
* DAC are federal government workers who fill a variety of
support roles.
Table I. Army Components
Total Location
Component Number (CONUS/OCONUS)
AC 482,007 432,769/49,238
USAR 184,358 178,250/6,108
ARNG 337,525 329,709/7,816
DAC 250,317 238,174/12,143
Updated November 22, 2021
Source: Defense Military Manpower Center (DMDC), Military and
Civilian Personnel by Service/Agency by State/Country as of
September 30, 2021.
Seinor Leadership
The DA is headed by a civilian Secretary of the Army
(SECARMY) who is appointed by the President with the
advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. The SECARMY
reports to the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and serves as
civilian oversight for the U.S. Army and Chief of Staff of
the Army. The Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) is an
administrative position at the Pentagon held by a four-star
general in the U.S. Army and is a statutory office (10
U.S.C. §3033). The CSA is the chief military advisor and
deputy to the SECARMY and serves as a member of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), also a statutory office (10
U.S.C. §151). The JCS is composed of the DOD's senior
uniformed leaders who advise the President, SECDEF, and
Cabinet officials as needed on military issues.
Operational and Institutional Missions
The operational Army-known as the Operational Force-
conducts or directly supports the full spectrum of military
operations and consists of numbered armies, corps,
divisions, brigades and battalions (e.g., Brigade Combat
Teams [BCTs], Aviation Brigades, Medical Brigades). The
majority of the Army is currently based in the continental
United States (CONUS) relying on forward-stationed and
rotational units outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS) to
deter potential enemies, defend against aggression if
needed, and train allies.
The institutional Army supports the operational Army by
providing the training, education, and logistics necessary
to raise, train, equip, deploy, and ensure the readiness of
all Army forces. Army organizations whose primary
mission is to generate and sustain the Operating Forces
(e.g., U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
[TRADOC], U.S. Army Materiel Command [AMC], U.S.
Army Intelligence and Security Command [INSCOM]) are
also known as the Generating Force. According to the
Army's website, Without the institutional Army, the
operational Army cannot function. Without the operational
Army, the institutional Army has no purpose.
Army Command Structure
There are three types of commands: Army Commands,
Army Service Components Commands (ASCCs), and
Direct Reporting Units (DRUs).
Army Commands. Army commands perform many Title
10 functions across multiple disciplines. They include U.S.
Army Forces Command, U.S. Army Futures Command,](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govegqs0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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