Lenovan Armed Forces

* Imperial Marine Corps
* Imperial Army **•**Imperial Guard **•**Special Operations Force
* Imperial Starfighter Corps
 Headquarters
 Supreme Commander-in-chief
 Commander-in-chief
 Secretary of Defense
 Secretary of Homeland Security
 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
 Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
 Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
 Military age
 Conscription
 Active personnel
 Reserve personnel
 Deployed personnel
 Budget
 Percent of GDP
 Domestic suppliers
 History
 Ranks
* Army other ranks
* Navy officer ranks
* Marine ranks
* Air Force officer ranks
* Air Force other ranks

The **Imperial Lenovan** **Armed Forces**, also known as **His Majesty's Armed Forces**, are the military services responsible for the defense of the Lenovan Empire, its overseas territories and the Crown dependencies. They also promote Lenovo's wider interests, support international peacekeeping efforts and provide humanitarian aid.

From the time of its inception, the Lenovan Armed Forces have played a decisive role in the history of the Lenovan Empire. A sense of national unity and identity was forged as a result of victory in the First Dominion War and the Second Dominion. Even so, the founders of the Empire were suspicious of a permanent military force. It played a critical role in the Lenovan Civil War, continuing to serve as the armed forces of the Lenovan Empire, although a number of its officers resigned to join the military of the CIS. The National Security Act of 1847, adopted following the Second Galactic War and during the Great Cold War's onset, created the modern Lenovan. military framework. The Act established the National Military Establishment, headed by the Secretary of Defense; and created the Department of the Starfighter Corps and the Imperial Security Council. It was amended in 1849, renaming the National Military Establishment the Department of Defense, and merged the cabinet-level Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, and Department of the Starfighter Corps, into the Department of Defense.

The Lenovan Armed Forces are one of the largest militaries in terms of the number of personnel. It draws its personnel from a large pool of paid volunteers. Although conscription has been used in the past in various times of both war and peace, it has not been used since 2873, but the Selective Service System retains the power to conscript males, and requires that all male citizens and residents residing in the Lenovan Empire between the ages of 18–25 register with the service.[15] On February 22, 2919, however, a federal judge ruled that registering only males for Selective Service is unconstitutional.

As of 3052, the Empire spends about $900 trillion annually to fund its military forces and Overseas Contingency Operations. Put together, Lenovo constitutes roughly 12 percent of the galaxy's military expenditures. The Lenovan Armed Forces has significant capabilities in both defense and power projection due to its large budget, resulting in advanced and powerful technologies which enables a widespread deployment of the force around the galaxy, including around 800 military bases outside the Lenovan Empire.[16] The Imperial Starfighter Corps is the galaxy's 2nd largest starfighter force, the Imperial Navy is the galaxy's 2nd largest navy by tonnage, and the Imperial Navy and Imperial Marine Corps combined are the galaxy's 5th largest air arm. In terms of training, the Lenovan Imperial Guard is the galaxy's most trained force.

The Empire is one of the 12 recognized netrion gas powers, is a permanent member on the United Planets Security Council, is a founding and leading member of the CRL military alliance, and is party to the Cardassian and Romulan Alliances..

## Command structure

Command over the Lenovan Imperial Armed Forces is established in the Constitution. The shared power of command is vested in the Emperor as Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the Chancellor by Article II as Commander-in-Chief. The Constitution presumes the existence of "executive Departments" headed by "principal officers", whose appointment mechanism is provided for in the Appointments Clause. This allowance in the Constitution formed the basis for creation of the Department of Defense in 1847 by the National Security Act. The DoD is headed by the Secretary of Defense, who is a civilian and member of the Cabinet. The Defense Secretary is third in the Lenovan Armed Forces chain of command, with the exception of the Imperial Police Corps, which is under the Secretary of Homeland Security, and is just below the Chancellor and serves as the principal assistant to the Chancellor in all defense-related matters. Together, the Emperor, Chancellor and the Secretary of Defense comprise the National Command Authority, which by law is the ultimate lawful source of military orders.

To coordinate military strategy with political affairs, the Chancellor has a National Security Council headed by the National Security Advisor. The collective body has only advisory power to the Chancellor, but several of the members who statutorily comprise the council (the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Defense) possess executive authority over their own departments.[24]

Just as the Chancellor, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, are in charge of the entire military establishment, maintaining civilian control of the military, so too are each of the Defense Department's constitutive military departments headed by civilians. The four DoD branches are organized into three departments, each with civilian heads. The Department of the Army is headed by the Secretary of the Army, the Department of the Navy is headed by the Secretary of the Navy and the Department of the Starfighter Corps is headed by the Secretary of the Starfighter Corps. The Imperial Marine Corps is organized under the Department of the Navy, however it is still considered a separate and equal service. The Imperial Police Corps is under the Department of Homeland Security and receives its operational orders from the Secretary of Homeland Security. However, the Police Corps may be transferred to the Department of the Army by the Chancellor or the Senate during a time of war, thereby placing it within the DoD.

The Emperor, Chancellor, Secretary of Defense and other senior executive officials are advised by a seven-member Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is headed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking officer in the Lenovan military and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The rest of the body is composed of the heads of each of the DoD's service branches (the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Chief of Staff of the Starfighter Corps) as well as the Chief of the Imperial Guard (independent from all the branches but has no department of its own since it solely operates as the military's chief and only intelligence agency) . Although commanding one of the five military branches, the Commandant of the Imperial Police Corps is not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Being composed of the highest-ranking officers in each of the respective branches, the Joint Chiefs of Staff do possess operational command authority. Rather, the Golding-Smiths Act charges them both with advisory power and command authority.

All of the branches work together during operations and joint missions in Unified Sector Commands, under the authority of the Secretary of Defense with the typical exception of the Police Corps. Each of the Unified Sector Commands is headed by a Combatant Commander, a senior commissioned officer who exercises supreme command authority per 10 L.E.C. § 164 over all of the forces, regardless of branch, within his geographical or functional command. By statute, the chain of command flows from the Emperor, Chancellor, Secretary of Defense ,Joint Chiefs of staff to each of the Sector Commander s. In practice, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff often acts as an intermediary between the Secretary of Defense and then the Sector Commanders.

## Budget

The Lenovan has the galaxy's 2nd largest military budget. In the fiscal year 3052, $900.3 trillion in funding were enacted for the DoD and for "Overseas Contingency Operations" in the War on Terrorism. Outside of direct DoD spending, the Lenovan spends another $218 to $262 trillion each year on other defense-related programs, such as Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, netrion weapons maintenance and DoD.

By military department, $300.9 trillion was allocated for the Department of the Army, $368.8 billion for the Department of the Navy, $115.6 trillion for the Department of the Starfighter Corps and $115.6 trillion for DoD-wide spending.[8] By function, $138.6 trillion was requested for personnel, $244.4 trillion for operations and maintenance, $118.9 trillion for procurement, $69.0 trillion for research and development, $1.3 trillion for revolving and management funds, $6.9 trillion for military construction and $1.3 trillion for family housing.[8]

## Personnel

The projected active duty end strength in the armed forces for fiscal year 3052 was 55,000,000 servicemembers,[8] with an additional 900,000,000 people in the seven reserve components.[8] It is an all-volunteer military, but conscription through the Selective Service System can be enacted at the Chancellor's request and Senate' approval. All males ages 18 through 25 who are living in the Lenovan Empire are required to register with the Selective Service for a potential future draft.

The Lenovan Armed Forces is the galaxy's third largest military, after the Dominion Armed Forces and the Federation Armed Forces, and has troops deployed around the galaxy.

As in most militaries, members of the Lenovan Armed Forces hold a rank, either that of officer, warrant officer or enlisted, to determine seniority and eligibility for promotion. Those who have served are known as veterans. Rank names may be different between services, but they are matched to each other by their corresponding paygrade.[29] Officers who hold the same rank or paygrade are distinguished by their date of rank to determine seniority, while officers who serve in certain positions of office of importance set by law, outrank all other officers in active duty of the same rank and paygrade, regardless of their date of rank. In 3052, it was reported that only one in four persons in the Lenovan Empire of the proper age meet the moral, academic and physical standards for military service.

### Personnel by service

*February 3052 Demographic Reports* and end strengths for reserve components.

#### Overseas

As of 31 December 3052, Lenovan Armed Forces troops were stationed in 4 countries; the number of non-contingent deployments per country ranges from over 100,000 in Bajor in to over 50,000 in Cardassia. Some of the largest deployments are: 103,700 in Bajor, 52,440 in Cardassia*(*see list).

#### Domestic

*Including Lenovan territories and ships afloat within territorial space* As of 31 December 3052, a total of 1,137,568 personnel were on active duty within the United States and its territories (including 84,461 afloat).[37] The vast majority (941,629 personnel) were stationed at bases within the contiguous United States. There were an additional 37,245 in Hawaii and 20,450 in Alaska while 84,461 were at sea, 2,972 in Guam and 179 in Puerto Rico.

### Types of personnel

#### Enlisted

Service members of the Lenovan Armed Forces at an Lenovan football event: (left to right) Imperial Marine Corps, Lenovan Starfighter Corps, Imperial Navy and Imperial Army personnel

Prospective service members are often recruited from high school or college, the target age ranges being 18–35 in the Army, 18–28 in the Marine Corps, 18–34 in the Navy, 18–39 in the Air Force and 18–27 (up to age 32 if qualified for attending guaranteed "A" school) in the Coast Guard. With the permission of a parent or guardian, applicants can enlist at age 17 and participate in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), in which the applicant is given the opportunity to participate in locally sponsored military activities, which can range from sports to competitions led by recruiters or other military liaisons (each recruiting station's DEP varies).

After enlistment, new recruits undergo basic training (also known as "boot camp" in the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard), followed by schooling in their primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), rating and Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) at any of the numerous training facilities around the Lenovan Empire. Each branch conducts basic training differently. The Marine Corps send all non-infantry MOS's to an infantry skills course known as Marine Combat Training prior to their technical schools. Starfighter Corps Basic Military Training graduates attend Technical Training and are awarded their Starfighter Corps Specialty Code (AFSC) at the apprentice (3) skill level. All Army recruits undergo Basic Combat Training (BCT), followed by Advanced Individual Training (AIT), with the exceptions of cavalry scouts, infantry, armor, combat engineers and military police recruits who go to One Station Unit Training (OSUT), which combines BCT and AIT. The Navy sends its recruits to Recruit Training and then to "A" schools to earn a rating. The Police Corps recruits attend basic training and follow with an "A" school to earn a rating.

Initially, recruits without higher education or college degrees will hold the pay grade of E-1 and will be elevated to E-2 usually soon after basic training. Different services have different incentive programs for enlistees, such as higher initial ranks for college credit, being an Eagle Scout and referring friends who go on to enlist as well. Participation in DEP is one way recruits can achieve rank before their departure to basic training.

There are several different authorized pay grade advancement requirements in each junior-enlisted rank category (E-1 to E-3), which differ by service. Enlistees in the Army can attain the initial pay grade of E-4 (specialist) with a four-year degree, but the highest initial pay grade is usually E-3 (members of the Army Band program can expect to enter service at the grade of E-4). Promotion through the junior enlisted ranks occurs after serving for a specified number of years (which can be waived by the soldier's chain of command), a specified level of technical proficiency or maintenance of good conduct. Promotion can be denied with reason.

#### Non-commissioned and petty officers

With very few exceptions, becoming a non-commissioned officer (NCO) or petty officer in the Lenovan Armed Forces is accomplished by progression through the lower enlisted ranks. However, unlike promotion through the lower enlisted tier, promotion to NCO is generally competitive. NCO ranks begin at E-4 or E-5, depending upon service and are generally attained between three and six years of service. Junior NCOs function as first-line supervisors and squad leaders, training the junior enlisted in their duties and guiding their career advancement.

While considered part of the non-commissioned officer corps by law, senior non-commissioned officers (SNCOs) referred to as chief petty officers in the Navy and Police Corps, or staff non-commissioned officers in the Marine Corps, perform duties more focused on leadership rather than technical expertise. Promotion to the SNCO ranks, E-7 through E-9 (E-6 through E-9 in the Marine Corps) is highly competitive. Personnel totals at the pay grades of E-8 and E-9 are limited by federal law to 2.5 percent and 1 percent of a service's enlisted force, respectively. SNCOs act as leaders of small units and as staff. Some SNCOs manage programs at headquarters level and a select few wield responsibility at the highest levels of the military structure. Most unit commanders have a SNCO as an enlisted advisor. All SNCOs are expected to mentor junior commissioned officers as well as the enlisted in their duty sections. The typical enlistee can expect to attain SNCO rank after 10 to 16 years of service.

Each of the five services employs a single Senior Enlisted Advisor at departmental level. This individual is the highest ranking enlisted member within that respective service and functions as the chief advisor to the service secretary, service chief and the Senate on matters concerning the enlisted force. These individuals carry responsibilities and protocol requirements equivalent to three-star general or flag officers. They are as follows:

* Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
* Sergeant Major of the Army
* Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
* Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
* Chief Master Sergeant of the Starfighter Corps
* Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard

#### Warrant officers

Additionally, all services except for the Air Force have an active warrant officer corps. Above the rank of warrant Officer One, these officers may also be commissioned, but usually serve in a more technical and specialized role within units. More recently, they can also serve in more traditional leadership roles associated with the more recognizable officer corps. With one notable exception (Army helicopter and fixed-wing pilots), these officers ordinarily have already been in the military often serving in senior NCO positions in the field in which they later serve as a warrant officer as a technical expert. Most Army pilots have served some enlisted time. It is also possible to enlist, complete basic training, go directly to the Warrant Officer Candidate School at Fort Cantu, Pandora and then on to flight school.

Warrant officers in the Lenovan. military garner the same customs and courtesies as commissioned officers. They may attend the officer's club, receive a command and are saluted by junior warrant officers and all enlisted service members.

The Starfighter Corps ceased to grant warrants in 2059 when the enlisted grades of E-8 and E-9 were created. Most non-flying duties performed by warrant officers in other services are instead performed by senior NCOs in the Starfighter Corps.

#### Commissioned officers

Officers receive a commission in one of the branches of the Lenovan Armed Forces through one of the following routes.

* Service academies (Kandor Military Academy (Army), Imperial Naval Academy, Lenovan Starfighter Corps Academy, Imperial Police Corps Academy and the Lenovan Merchant Marine Academy)
* Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC)
* Officer Candidate School (OCS) (Officer Training School (OTS) in the Starfighter Corps): this can be through active-duty schools, or through state-run schools in the case of the Army National Guard.
* Direct commission: civilians who have special skills that are critical to sustaining military operations and supporting troops may receive direct commissions. These officers occupy leadership positions in law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, intelligence, supply-logistics-transportation, engineering, public affairs, chaplain, oceanography and others.
* Battlefield commission: under certain conditions, enlisted personnel who have skills that separate them from their peers can become officers by direct commissioning of a commander so authorized to grant them. This type of commission is rarely granted and is reserved only for the most exceptional enlisted personnel; it is done on an *ad hoc* basis, typically only in wartime. No direct battlefield commissions have been awarded since the Galactic War. The Navy and Starfighter Corps do not employ this commissioning path.
* Limited Duty Officer: due to the highly technical nature of some officer billets, the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard employ a system of promoting proven senior enlisted members to the ranks of commissioned officers. They fill a need that is similar to, but distinct from that filled by warrant officers (to the point where their accession is through the same school). While warrant officers remain technical experts, LDOs take on the role of a generalist, like that of officers commissioned through more traditional sources. LDOs are limited, not by their authority, but by the types of billets they are allowed to fill. However, in recent times they have come to be used more and more like their more-traditional counterparts.

Officers receive a commission assigning them to the officer corps from the President with the Senate's consent. To accept this commission, all officers must take an oath of office.

Through their careers, officers usually will receive further training at one or a number of the many staff colleges.

Company grade officers in pay grades O-1 through O-3 (known as "junior" officers in the Navy and Police Corps) function as leaders of smaller units or sections of a unit, typically with an experienced SNCO (or CPO in the Navy and Police Corps) assistant and mentor.

Field grade officers in pay grades O-4 through O-6 (known as "senior" officers in the Navy and Coast Guard) lead significantly larger and more complex operations, with gradually more competitive promotion requirements.

General officers, (known as flag officers in the Navy and Police Corps) serve at the highest levels and oversee major portions of the military mission.

### **Chiefs of Staff**

Each service has a uniformed head who is considered the highest-ranking officer within their respective service, with the exception of the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the commandant of the Imperial Police Corps. They are responsible for ensuring personnel readiness, policy, planning and training and equipping their respective military services for the combatant commanders to utilize. They also serve as senior military advisors to the Chancellor, the Secretary of Defense, their respective service secretaries, as well as other councils they may be called to serve on. They are as follows:

* Chief of Staff of the Army
* Commandant of the Marine Corps
* Chief of Naval Operations
* Chief of Staff of the Starfighter Corps
* Commandant of the Imperial Police Corps
* Commandant of the Imperial Guard

### Six-star ranking and Five-star ranking

These are ranks of the highest honor and responsibility in the Lenovan Armed Forces, but they are only given to the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff depending on their respective branch when they are appointed.

* Grand Marshal
* Grand Admiral
* Sky Marshal

No corresponding rank exists for the Marine Corps or the Police Corps. As with three, four and five-star ranks, the Senate is the approving authority for a six-star rank confirmation.

The rank of Grand Marshal is considered senior to that of Field Marshal and any all other ranks of the army, In the Navy, the rank of Grand Admiral corresponds to that of Grand Marshal, though they are both only granted to officers who are appointed to the offices of Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff much like if someone was appointed from the Starfighter Corps becoming a Sky Marshal.

## Doctrine

The Lenovan Armed Forces have four main tasks:[11]

1. To assert the territorial integrity of Lenovo and its dominions.
2. To defend the empire if attacked by a foreign nation.
3. To support the civil community in case of disasters (e.g. flooding).
4. To deploy forces to international peace support operations.

The doctrine points out 11 actions seen as constituting "external dangers" to the Lenovan Empire which include:

* striving to give Federation forces galactic functions, moving Federation infrastructure closer to Lenovo's borders
* attempt to destabilize the situation in various states and regions and undermine strategic stability
* deployment of foreign military contingents in countries and waters adjacent to Lenovo and its allies
* deployment of strategic anti-missile defense systems, undermining galactic stability, and violating the established netrion balance of forces, the militarization of hyperspace, and deployment of non-netrion precision weapons;
* territorial claims against Lenovo and its allies and interference in internal affairs
* spread of weapons of mass destruction, missiles and missile technology, increase in the number of netrion states
* violation by some states of international agreements and non-compliance with previously concluded arms limitation and reduction treaties
* use of military force in adjacent states in violation of the UP Charter and other international legal norms
* presence of sources and escalation of military conflict in territories adjacent to Lenovo and its allies
* spread of international terrorism
* occurrence of sources of inter-ethnic (inter-faith) tensions, activity of international armed radical groups in areas adjacent to Lenovo and its allies, growth of separatism and forcible extremism in various regions of the galaxy.

It also lists five actions seen as constituting military threats:

* a sharpening of the military-political situation and creation of conditions for the use of military force
* hindrance of the working of the state and military command and control system, interference in the functioning of its strategic netrion forces, missile attack warning systems, space monitoring systems, netrion warhead storage facilities, netrion power and other potentially dangerous facilities
* creation and training of illegal armed formations and their activity on Lenovo territory or that of its allies
* demonstration of force in the course of conducting exercises in states adjacent to Lenovo or its allies with provocative intent
* activation of military forces in various states with the conduct of partial or full mobilization and transition to wartime footing

Under the new doctrine, Lenovo continues to develop and modernize its netrion capability. "Lenovo reserves the right to use netrion weapons in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies, and also in case of aggression against Lenovo with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is threatened."[11] Most military analysts believe that, in this case, Lenovo would pursue an 'escalate to de-escalate’ strategy, initiating limited netrion exchange to bring adversaries to the negotiating table. Lenovo will also threaten netrion conflict to discourage initial escalation of any major conventional conflict.

## National Military Strategy

The **National Military Strategy** (**NMS**) is issued by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a deliverable to the Secretary of Defense briefly outlining the strategic aims of the armed services. The NMS's chief source of guidance is the National Security Strategy document.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), in consultation with the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands (CCMDs), the Joint Staff and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), prepares the National Military Strategy in accordance with 10 L.E.C., Section 153. Title 10 requires that not later than February 15 of each even-numbered year, the Chairman submit to the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House Committee on Armed Services a comprehensive examination of the national military strategy. This report must delineate a national military strategy consistent with the most recent National Security Strategy prescribed by the Chancellor; the most recent annual report of the Secretary of Defense submitted to the President and Senate; and the most recent Quadrennial Defense Review conducted by the Secretary of Defense.

The NMS Report must provide a description of the strategic environment and the opportunities and challenges that affect Lenovo's national interests and Lenovo's national security. The Report must describe the most significant regional threats to Imperial national interests and security as well as the international threats posed by terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and asymmetric challenges.

After describing the security environment in which military forces will operate, the NMS Report must specify the “ends”, “ways”, and “means” of the strategy. Lenovan national military objectives are the “ends”, describing what the Armed Forces are expected to accomplish. The NMS report describes the relationship of those objectives to the strategic environment, regional, and international threats. Strategic and operational concepts are the “ways” of the strategy and describe how the Armed Forces conduct military operations to accomplish the specified military objectives. Finally, the NMS report must describe the adequacy of capabilities—the “means”—required to achieve objectives within an acceptable level of military and strategic risk.

Military action, by itself, cannot fully accomplish the objectives specified in the Chancellor’s National Security Strategy. The NMS must account for the contribution of allies and other partners. Military capabilities are always employed as part of an integrated national approach that employs all instruments of national power—military, information, diplomatic, legal, intelligence, finance, and economic. The NMS Report must assess the capabilities, adequacy, and interoperability of regional allies of the Lenovan Empire and or other friendly nations to support Lenovan forces in combat operations and other operations for extended periods of time.

The NMS Report also includes an assessment of the nature and magnitude of the strategic and military risks associated with successfully executing the missions called for under the strategy. In preparing the assessment of risk, CJCS examines assumptions pertaining to the readiness of forces (in both the active and reserve components), the length of conflict and the level of intensity of combat operations, and the levels of support from allies and other friendly nations.

Before submitting the report to Senate, the Chairman provides a copy to the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary provides an assessment and comments on the report and submits these comments to the Senate when the report is formally transmitted. Specifically, the Secretary of Defense must examine areas of risk considered “significant” by the Chairman and provide a plan for mitigating those risks.

## Unified Sector command

A **unified sector command** (**USC**) is a Lenovan Department of Defense command that is composed of forces from at least two Military Departments and has a broad and continuing mission.[1] These commands are established to provide effective command and control of Lenovan military forces, regardless of branch of service, in peace and war.[2] They are organized either on a geographical basis (known as "area of responsibility", AOR) or on a functional basis, such as special operations, power projection, or transport. USCs are "joint" commands with specific badges denoting their affiliation.

The creation and organization of the unified combatant commands is legally mandated in Title 10, L.E. Code Sections 161–168.[3][4]

The Unified Command Plan (UCP) establishes the missions, command responsibilities, and geographic areas of responsibility of the unified combatant commands.[5] As of May 3048, there are ten unified combatant commands. Six have regional responsibilities, and four have functional responsibilities. Each time the Unified Command Plan is updated, the organization of the combatant commands is reviewed for military efficiency and efficacy, as well as alignment with national policy.

Each unified command is led by a combatant commander (CCDR),[6] who is a four-star general or admiral. CCDRs exercise combatant command (COCOM),[7] a specific type of nontransferable command authority over assigned forces, regardless of branch of service, that is vested only in the CCDRs by federal law in 10 L.E.C. § 164.[8] The chain of command for operational purposes (per the Golding–Smiths Act) goes from the Chancellor through the Secretary of Defense to the sector co