JFCOM Reassignments

The Pentagon released a statement this afternoon outlining "the approved reassignment" of organizations and functions related to the soon-to-be-defunct U.S. Joint Forces Command "to designated combatant commands, military services and the Joint Staff." Specifically:

These organizational reporting reassignments ensure the most critical functions and expertise are maintained for the joint warfighter.  This reassignment plan was developed in coordination with the Office of Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, combatant commands, and the Services.  This organizational transfer of authority for critical functions includes such reassignments as the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command to U.S. Transportation Command, the Joint Warfare Analysis Center to U.S. Strategic Command, the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency to the Air Force, and the NATO School to U.S. European Command.

"Our goal is to transfer streamlined, relevant joint functions to appropriate Department of Defense entities," said Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command.  "We will ensure we sustain the momentum and gains in jointness while maintaining critical interaction with NATO and other multi-national partners."

When the transition is complete, nearly 50 percent of USJFCOM personnel and budget will remain in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia along with core missions, such as joint training, joint force provider, joint concept and doctrine development, and joint integration.  These functions will be aligned under the Joint Staff for leadership and direction.

The formal transfer of these organizations and functions to designated commands will be completed by late summer.  Under the current timeline, USJFCOM will be disestablished as a four-star combatant command by the end of August 2011.  The physical moves of all USJFCOM activities will be completed by March 2012.

Last month, Inside the Pentagon reported that JFCOM had recently completed its "most complex modeling simulation" exercise -- the kind of joint exercise that will fall under the purview of the Joint Staff J-7 directorate as JFCOM prepares to disestablish, according to JFCOM Chief Gen. Raymond Odierno. Further:

The exercise, known as the Unified Endeavor Afghanistan mission rehearsal exercise, was conducted Jan. 18 through Feb. 4, said JFCOM spokeswoman Kathleen Jabs.

Odierno mentioned the exercise in his testimony on Capitol Hill last week as he tried to assure Congress that JFCOM's disestablishment plans would streamline, rather than hamper, the military's commitment to jointness.

Unified Endeavor was, "the most complex modeling simulation exercise that we've done where we incorporated and exercised preparing units from Afghanistan," Odierno told the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee March 31.

"It was completely joint -- joint and multinational in every way," Odierno said.

Participants included U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division, the Marine Corps' II Marine Expeditionary Force and the 1st German Armored Division, Jabs said.