§165 Combatant Commands: Administration and Support

Summary

The Secretary of Defense, with advice and help from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, must provide the administration and support for forces assigned to each combatant command. The head of a military department must handle administration and support for the forces they assign to a combatant command, but they do this under the Secretary of Defense and under the combatant commanders’ authority in section 164(c). After talking with the military department heads, the Secretary of Defense may give some or all of that support work to other parts of the Department of Defense (including Defense Agencies and combatant commands), and those parts must carry it out under the Secretary of Defense and under the combatant commanders’ authority in section 164(c).