United States Northern Command
The United States Northern Command ( NORTHCOM; German Northern Command of the United States) is one of six regional command centers (Unified Combatant Command) of the U.S. armed forces.
Jurisdiction and order
NORTHCOM was established in 2002, during one of the biggest reforms of the U.S. military, created, on the one hand to take over the army internal competence for North America and the other hand to support military and civilian authorities in the home defense at all federal levels. It is this step, however, was criticized as a violation of the U.S. Constitution and Posse Comitatus Act against, which provides a strict separation of the police and military.
Currently working about 1,200 members of the military and civilians for NORTHCOM. By law, any unit or military authority may so long be placed under this regional command, as it is needed to fulfill its responsibilities.
At the moment, the commander of the Northern Command, a personal union with the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command ( NORAD, dt North American Air and Space Defense Command ) dar. Both commands are on the Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs (Colorado) stationed.
NORTHCOM is responsible for most of North America, specifically from the U.S. -Mexican border to the Canadian territories in the Arctic. Responsibility for Alaska by contrast, NORTHCOM and the United States Pacific Command ( PACOM ) share. The same procedure with Greenland in connection with the United States European Command ( EUCOM ). Hawaii, however, is subject to the PACOM.
In February 2007, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates Timothy J. Keating nominated as the new commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. He also nominated Lieutenant General Victor E. Renuart, Jr. to succeed Keating at the U.S. Northern Command. After the approval of the U.S. Senate Renuart took over on 23 March 2007, the command of Keating. In May 2010, Renuart retired; Was succeeded by Admiral James A. Winnefeld Jr..
Subordinate Commands
- Joint Forces Headquarters National Capital Region ( JFHQ - NCR), with headquarters at Fort McNair in Washington, DC is responsible for homeland defense of the metropolitan area of the capital, Maryland and Virginia, for cooperation with civil authorities and the national Krisenmangment in this region.
- Joint Task Force Alaska ( JTF - AK) with headquarters at Elmendorf Air Force Base in the U.S. state of Alaska Coordinates the national defense and civil defense in cooperation with relevant civil authorities, although part of the U.S. Pacific Command ( PACOM ) belonging to U.S. Alaskan Command ( ALCOM ) this association is also simultaneously the homeland defense component of NORTHCOM.
- Joint Task Force Civil Support ( JTF -CS) Fort Monroe ( Virginia) - coordinated cooperation with civil authorities in crisis management and counter-terrorism ( "Civil Support" ).
- Joint Task Force Northoint Task Force North ( JTF North ) with headquarters at the Biggs Army Airfield at Fort Bliss, Texas, is a unit of the military that national law enforcement agencies in CONUS to support military in their daily work and domestic threats.
- Standing Joint Force Headquarters North ( SJFHQ - N) ( Detached Headquarters United Forces Northern ) with headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, serves as a planning and evaluation rod of the commander of NORTHCOM ( Commander's assessment element ( CAE) ).
- Army North ( USARNORTH ) with headquarters at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is the Army component command of the NOPRTHCOM.
- Air Force North, with headquarters at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida, is the Air Force component command of NORTHCOM and the Einsatztkomponente of the common North American Aerospace Defense Command ( NORAD ) with Canada. It consists of the 1st Air Force ( Air Force 1 ) and belongs administratively and technically to the Air Combat Command.