Task force A task force ( TF ) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity . Originally introduced by the United States Navy , the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology . Many non - military organizations now create " task forces " or task groups for temporary activities that might have once been performed by ad hoc committees . Naval . The concept of a naval task force is as old as navies , but the term came into extensive use originally by the United States Navy around the beginning of 1941 , as a way to increase operational flexibility . Prior to that time the assembly of ships for naval operations was referred to as fleets , division s , or on the smaller scale , squadron s , and flotilla s . Before World War II ships were collected into divisions derived from the Royal Navy ' s " division " of the line of battle in which one squadron usually remained under the direct command of the Admiral of the Fleet , one squadron was commanded by a Vice Admiral , and one by a Rear Admiral , each of the three squadrons flying different coloured flags , hence the terms flagship and flag officer . The flag of the Fleet Admiral ' s squadron was red , the Vice Admiral ' s was white and the Rear Admiral ' s blue . ( The names " Vice " ( possibly from advanced ) and " Rear " might have derived from sailing positions within the line at the moment of engagement . ) In the late 19th century ships were collected in numbered squadrons , which were assigned to named ( such as the Asiatic Fleet ) and later numbered fleet s . A task force can be assembled using ships from different divisions and squadrons , without requiring a formal and permanent fleet reorganization , and can be easily dissolved following completion of the operational task . The task force concept worked very well , and by the end of World War II about 100 task forces had been created in the U . S . Navy alone . United States Navy . These are temporary organisations composed of particular ships , aircraft , submarines , military land forces , or shore service units , assigned to fulfill certain missions . The emphasis is placed on the individual commander of the unit , and references to “ CTF ” are common . CTF is an abbreviation for “ Commander , Task Force ” . In the U . S . Navy , task forces as part of numbered fleets have been assigned a two - digit number . " In March of 1943 , Cominch [ Commander - in - Chief , United States Fleet , Admiral Ernest J . King ] instituted the system of numbering all fleets , assigning the even numbers to the Atlantic and the odd to the Pacific . This resulted in adding fleet designations to the titles of the various forces in the theater : Naval Forces , Europe , became the Twelfth Fleet ; South Atlantic Force the Fourth Fleet ; and Naval Forces , Northwest African Waters , the Eight Fleet . The Atlantic Fleet , itself , was designated the Second Fleet . The standardization of fleet designation led to a definite system in task force designation . A force was numbered with two digits - the first being that of the fleet from which the force was taken and the second indicating the sequence in that fleet . Task group within a force were numbered by an additional digit separated from the TF number by a decimal point . To indicate a task unit within a group , another decimal point and digit were added . Thus , the third task unit of the fifth task group of the second task force of the Sixth Fleet would be numbered 62 . 5 . 3 . " This arrangement was typically abbreviated , so references like TF 11 are commonly seen . Likewise the force is broken down as following : task force , task group , task unit , and task element . In addition , a task force could be broken into several task groups , identified by decimal points , as in TG 11 . 2 , and finally task units , as in TU 11 . 2 . 1 . Individual ships are task elements , for example TE 11 . 2 . 1 . 2 would be the second ship in TU 11 . 2 . 1 . Note that there is no requirement for uniqueness over time . The United States Seventh Fleet used TF 76 in World War II , and off Vietnam , and continued to use TF70 - 79 numberings throughout the rest of the twentieth century , and up to 2012 . Some US Navy task forces during the Second World War : The U . S . Navy has used numbered task forces in the same way since 1945 . The U . S . Department of Defense often forms a Joint Task Force if the force includes units from other services . Joint Task Force 1 was the atomic bomb test force during the post - World War II Operation Crossroads . In naval terms , the multinational Australian / US / UK / Canadian / NZ Combined Communications Electronics Board mandates through Allied Communications Publication 113 ( ACP 113 ) the present system , which allocated numbers from TF 1 to apparently TF 999 . For example , the Royal Navy ' s " Illustrious " battle group in 2000 for Exercise Linked Seas , subsequently deployed to Operation Palliser , was Task Group 342 . 1 . The French Navy is allocated the series TF 470 – 474 , and Task Force 473 has been used recently for an Enduring Freedom task force deployment built around the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle ( R91 ) . Task Force 142 is the U . S . Navy ' s Operational Test and Evaluation Force . Royal Navy . Earlier in the Second World War , the British Royal Navy had devised its own similar system of " Forces , " which were assigned a letter rather than a number . For example , the force stationed at Gibraltar was known as Force H , the force stationed at Malta was known as Force K , and the force stationed at Singapore in December 1941 was known as Force Z . During the Falklands War in 1982 Royal Navy assembled a Task Force to achieve sea and air supremacy in the Total Exclusion Zone , before the amphibious forces arrived . The Argentine Navy formed three lesser Task Groups ( " Grupo de Tareas " ) for pincer movements . Army . In the U . S . Army , a task force is a battalion - sized ( usually , although there are variations in size ) " ad hoc " unit formed by attaching smaller elements of other units . A company - sized unit with an armored or mechanized infantry unit attached is called a " company team " . A similar unit at the brigade level is called a " brigade combat team " ( BCT ) , and there is also a similar " Regimental combat team " ( RCT ) . In the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth countries , such units are known as battlegroup s . Government . In government or business a task force is a temporary organization created to solve a particular problem . It is considered to be a more formal ad hoc committee . A taskforce , or more - commonly task force , is a special committee , usually of experts , formed expressly for the purpose of studying a particular problem . The task force usually performs some sort of an audit to assess the current situation , then draws up a list of all the current problems present and evaluates which ones merit fixing and which ones are actually fixable . The task force would then formulate a set of solutions to the problems and pick the " best " solution to each problem , as determined by some set of standards . For example , a task force set up to eliminate excessive government spending might consider a " best " solution to be one that saves the most money . Normally , the task force then presents its findings and proposed solutions to the institution that called for its formation ; it is then up to the institution itself to actually act upon the task force ' s recommendations .