PROFILE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY • 2020 AUSA 1-214th Aviation Regiment and 1-3rd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, flying together and qualifying during Aerial Gunnery, Grafenwöhr Training Area on 20 July 2020 (U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Justin Ashaw). Developed by the Association of the United States Army RESEARCH, WRITING & EDITING GRAPHICS & DESIGN Ellen Toner Kevin Irwin COVER: A U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information with 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. (Airborne) loads a magazine during Integrated Training Exercise 3-19 at Marine Corps Air- ©2020 by the Association of the United States Army. All rights reserved. Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Association of the United States Army California, 2 May 2019 (U.S. Marine Corps photo 2425 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22201-3385 703-841-4300 • www.ausa.org by Lance Corporal William Chockey). | Contents F FOREWORD v 1 NATIONAL DEFENSE 1 2 LAND COMPONENT 9 3 ARMY ORGANIZATION 21 4 THE SOLDIER 31 5 THE UNIFORM 39 6 THE ARMY ON POINT 49 7 ARMY FAMILIES 63 8 ARMY COMMANDS 71 9 ARMY SERVICE COMPONENT COMMANDS 79 10 DIRECT REPORTING UNITS 95 M MAPS 103 Contents | iii The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is a non- profit educational and professional development association serving America’s Army and supporters of a strong national defense. AUSA provides a voice for the Army, supports the Sol- dier and honors those who have served in order to advance the security of the nation. As the Army’s premier, nonprofit, educational and professional association, we: • educate those we serve (Soldiers and their families, Army civilians, retired Soldiers and veterans, and the business- es and industries that support the Army) with programs, products, resources and events; • inform our members, Congress and the American public about issues affecting America’s Army—Regular Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve; and • connect America’s Total Army, its industry partners, like- minded associations and other supporters at the national, regional and chapter levels. Learn more and become a member at www.ausa.org. | Foreword Since its founding by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on 14 June 1775, America’s Army has been an integral part of our nation. Formed from the volunteer militias that were the prede- cessors of today’s National Guard, the Army has served the nation continuously through war and peace, through hard times and prosperity, at home and abroad. Quite simply, the history of the Army is wholly intertwined with the history of our country. This Profile of the United States Army is published by the Association of the U.S. Army as a user- friendly guide. It describes the structure and priorities of today’s Army, serving as a reference book for people familiar with America’s Army and an introduction for family members, civilian employ- ees, contractors and future Soldiers. This latest edition of Profile reflects an increased focus on the essential nature of the Army’s peo- ple and its families. It provides a comprehensive summary of Army operations around the world, contains pertinent information and helpful graphics on Soldiers and their uniforms, and describes the Army’s command structure and installations. It also features maps illustrating locations of cur- rent Army commands, corps and divisions, Army National Guard divisions and Army Reserve divi- sions and functional commands. AUSA fully supports the Total Army—Regular Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve and Army civilians. We advocate for and offer educational programs that support Army veterans and retirees and the families and communities who stand behind them. Profile of the United States Army, an integral part of this support, serves as a guide to the history and organization of the Army. We hope you find this to be a useful reference, and we welcome comments and suggestions on how to make future editions as useful and informative as possible. Please direct any feedback to [email protected]. In publishing this Profile, AUSA seeks to provide a greater understanding and appreciation of the people, families, institutions and organizations who strive to maintain the world’s greatest army. Carter F. Ham General, U.S. Army Retired President and CEO, Association of the United States Army 1 September 2020 Foreword | v U.S. Army Reserve Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Gilmer, 83rd Military Police Company, 200th Military Police Command, stands guard during a simulated angry mob during Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) 86-18-02 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, 16 August 2018. The CSTX exercise is a large-scale training event where units experience tactical training scenarios specifically designed to replicate real- world missions (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Specialist John Russell). | 1. National Defense /Civilian Control /Constitutional Authority America’s military has always been a product of The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility the American community, beginning with the town to provide for “the common defense and general militias of the 1700s. The Founding Fathers kept welfare of the United States” and, in regard to mili- this in mind when they formed the nation’s gov- tary matters, the following authority: ernment; although states were allowed to main- • to declare war; tain militias (the origin of today’s National Guard), the Constitution put “the common defense” of the • to raise and maintain armed forces; nation as the responsibility of the federal govern- • to make rules for the government and regulation ment, placing military authority under the civil- of the armed forces; ian control of the federal executive and legislative • to organize, arm and discipline the militia; and branches. • to “call forth the militia to execute the laws of Civilian oversight of the military was further es- the union, suppress insurrections and repel tablished in the chain of command, starting with invasions.” the president as the commander in chief of all U.S. military forces, with civilian oversight de- The Constitution gives the president the role of scending through the secretary of defense to the commander in chief of the armed forces, including secretaries of the individual services, their under- the militia “when called into the actual service of secretaries and assistant secretaries. These indi- the United States.” viduals, appointed by the president and approved by Congress, direct the armed forces’ nonopera- tional activities and establish policies for their de- /Department of Defense partments. The highest-ranking military members The military operational chain of command runs in the U.S. government—the Joint Chiefs of Staff from the president through the secretary of defense (JCS)—serve only in advisory capacities on matters to the commanders of the combatant commands of military policy. and down to unit commanders. Only the president and the secretary of defense have the constitution- In a departure from the way most nations have al authority to order military action and intertheater used their armies as internal enforcers of leaders’ troop movements. will, America’s founders created an armed force that serves the will of the people and so ensures The secretary of defense runs the Department of their security without sacrificing their freedoms. Defense (DoD), headquartered in the Pentagon This significant difference between the U.S. military (often “Pentagon” and “DoD” are used interchange- and the traditional role of armies is embodied in ably). DoD has the following components: the oath American servicemembers recite upon en- • office of the secretary of defense; listing or receiving their commissions (see chapter 4, “The Soldier”); rather than swearing to protect • the Army, the Navy (including the Marine Corps), and serve a person or a country, American service- the Air Force (including the Space Force) and members swear to support and defend a docu- the National Guard Bureau; ment—the U.S. Constitution. • the JCS; National Defense | 1 Department of Defense Department of Defense Secretary of Defense Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense Department of the Army Department of the Navy Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Army Secretary of the Navy Secretary of the Air Force Office of the Office of the Office of the Office of the Office of the The Army Headquarters, The Air Secretary of Chief of Naval Secretary of Secretary of Chief of Space Staff Marine Corps Staff the Army Operations the Navy the Air Force Operations The Marine The Air The Space The Army The Navy Corps Force Force • unified combatant commands; and it in times of war or when directed by the presi- • various defense agencies. dent. On an ongoing basis, the Coast Guard en- gages in maritime intercept operations and port and sea lane security. /Military Services The U.S. armed forces comprise the four military /Military Departments services—the Army, the Navy (including the Marine The Army, Navy and Air Force have their own civil- Corps), the Air Force (including the Space Force) ian service secretaries (e.g., secretary of the Army) and the Coast Guard. who direct the nonoperational activities of their mili- • The Army is the primary land force. Its purpose is tary departments. The chain of command runs from to employ dominant landpower to defeat an ad- the president through the secretary of defense to versary and to seize, occupy and defend terrain. the service secretary and then to the military chief of that service and down to that service’s major • The Navy’s mission is to gain and maintain con- commands and agencies. The military departments trol of vital sea areas and protect sea lanes from carry out these key functions: surface, subsurface and air threats. Naval forces support the Army by providing sealift and sur- • preparing forces and establishing reserves of face and air fire support.