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k , Congressional Research Service
Informing t egislative debat since 1914
Defense Primer: Department of the Army
December 13, 2016
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
repel invasions. The Department of the Army (DA) is one
of the three 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).
* 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 471,272 403,291 / 67,981
USAR 198,395 186,354 / 12,041
ARNG 341,589 327,128 / 14,461
DAC 248,810 235,279 / 13,531
Source: Defense Military Manpower Center (DMDC), Military and
Civilian Personnel by Service/Agency by State/Country as of
September 30, 2016.
Senior 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.
National Commission on the Future of the Army
(NCFA)
Title XVII of the Carl Levin and Howard P. Buck
McKeon National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for
Fiscal Year 2015 (P.L. 113-291) established the National
Commission on the Future of the Army (NCFA) to conduct
a comprehensive study of the structure of the Army. The
commission consisted of eight commissioners; four were
appointed by Congress and four by the President.
The NCFA reported its findings to Congress and the
Administration on January 28, 2016, and made 63
comprehensive recommendations that may or may not be
enacted. Among the recommendations were to stop further
end-strength cuts; forward-station an armored brigade
combat team (ABCT) permanently in Europe; retain an 1 th
Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) and station it in Korea;
examine identified shortfalls in air and missile defense,
chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense and
field artillery units; keep 24 manned AH-64 Apache attack
helicopter battalions (20 in the active Army and 4 in the
Army National Guard); streamline recruiting efforts for all
three components; use the Guard and Reserve more; and
create opportunities for soldiers to serve across the three
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