Army Service Component Command

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Army Service Component Commands (ASCCs) are U.S. Army commands responsible for recommendations to the Joint Force Commander on the allocation and employment of U.S. Army forces within a unified combatant command (CCMD) or further assigned to a subordinate unified command.

The concept of unified combatant commands grew out of the World War II formation of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHEAF), coordinating the strategy and operation of multiple service branches. As of 2024, the United States Department of Defense has established 11 of these CCMDs, composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces, and conducts broad and continuing missions. For any such CCMDs that include units of the U.S. Army, an ASCC is attached.

In addition, in the event that the overall combatant commander creates a subordinate unified command within their CCMD, the Department of the Army will form a matching Army component headquarters.^[1]

In matching, the Secretary of the Army also has the authority to redirect service responsibilities outside of Army Service Command Component channels (to one of the other service branches attached to the subordinate CCMD). The Command itself may also redirect administrative responsibility outside Army forces. ASCCs also server administrative control for some of its functions, this is also typically true among Reserve Component forces. Shared administrative control also applies to direct reporting units of the Army that typically perform single or unique functions.^[1]

Four types of command authority can be distinguished:^[2]

1. COCOM - combatant command: unitary control (not further delegatable by the combatant commander CCDR)
2. ADCON - administrative control of the command function of "obtaining resources, direction for training, methods of morale and discipline"^[2]
3. OPCON - operational control of say, sustainment, a command function, in this case, embodied in an Army Field Support Brigade (AFSB)
4. TACON - tactical control of say, sustainment, as embodied in a Contracting Support Brigade