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    WELCOME GUIDE  Home
  ABOUT US
  HISTORY
 History Overview US Central Command was born in war. In 1983, the Tampa, Florida-based military command was formed amidst a low-grade maritime war with Iran – the Tanker War, part of the broader, grueling Iran-Iraq War. In the four decades since, CENTCOM has served at the knife’s edge of war in the Middle East, the Levant region, and Central Asia. The Battle of Mogadishu (“Black Hawk Down”), Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm, Operation Southern Watch, the Global War on Terror, Operation New Dawn...CENTCOM has become the Nation’s premier warfighting headquarters. Throughout 2023, the 40th anniversary of the formation of CENTCOM, we will tell the stories of this command’s history, describe the battles that forged CENTCOM’s warfighting culture, and speak with the giant figures from this command. CENTCOM history over the past 40 years is American military history. CENTCOM’s story is one big personalities, valorous actions by American troops in combat’s critical moments, high stakes stand-offs at sea, and the adjudication of a war on a vile ideology. Check here on and on our official Twitter page (@CENTCOM) throughout the year for podcasts, interviews, personality profiles, and analysis of critical moments. In the meantime, this six-part video details the birth, life and future of CENTCOM.
 CENTCOM History Videos CENTCOM History Part 1 - 6
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                                        CENTCOM History Part 1 "Birth"
                                    CENTCOM History Part 1 "Birth"
 CENTCOM History Part 2 "Tanker War"Play Button5:02
                                    CENTCOM History Part 2 "Tanker War"
 CENTCOM History Part 3 "Desert Storm"Play Button4:37
                                    CENTCOM History Part 3 "Desert Storm"
 CENTCOM History Part 4 "Mogadishu - 9/11"Play Button4:09
                                    CENTCOM History Part 4 "Mogadishu - 9/11"
 CENTCOM History Part 5 "CENTCOM at War"Play Button4:44
                                    CENTCOM History Part 5 "CENTCOM at War"
 CENTCOM History Part 6 "Into the Future"Play Button5:22
                                    CENTCOM History Part 6 "Into the Future"
 CENTCOM History Articles Jan. 10, 2023 This Day in CENTCOM History – 28 years ago, CENTCOM announced Operation United Shield. TAMPA, Fla. —
                
                This Day in CENTCOM History – 28 years ago, CENTCOM announced Operation United Shield. The mission: conduct operations to assist in the final withdrawal of UN peacekeeping troops from Somalia. The decision came in response to a UN request for American protection of its peacekeeping forces serving in the war-torn African nation.
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