| United States Northern Command | |
|---|---|
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| Founded | 1 October 2002 (23 years, 1 month ago)[1] |
| Country |  United States |
| Type | Unified combatant command |
| Role | Geographic combatant command |
| Part of | United States Department of Defense |
| Headquarters | Peterson Space Force Base,Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Motto | "We have the watch"[2] |
| Decorations |  Joint Meritorious Unit Award |
| Website | northcom.mil |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | GeneralGregory M. Guillot,USAF[3] |
| Deputy Commander | Lieutenant GeneralThomas Carden Jr.,USA[4] |
| Senior Enlisted Leader | CMSgt John G. Storms,USAF[5] |
| Insignia | |
| NATO Map Symbol[6][7] |  -_AA_-_Northern_Command_(FM_1-02%2c_2004_September_21).svg) |
| United States Armed Forces |
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| Executive departments |
| Staff |
| Military departments |
| Military services |
| Command structure |
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TheUnited States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)[8] is one of elevenunified combatant commands of theUnited States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support fornon-military authorities in the U.S., and protecting the territory andnational interests of the United States within thecontinental United States,Puerto Rico,Canada,Mexico,The Bahamas,Greenland (Denmark) and the air, land and sea approaches to these areas.[9] It is the U.S. military command which, if applicable, would be the primary defender against an invasion of the U.S.
USNORTHCOM was created on 25 April 2002 when PresidentGeorge W. Bush approved a newUnified Command Plan, following theSeptember 11 attacks. USNORTHCOM went operational on 1 October 2002.
USNORTHCOM was established on 25 April 2002 when President George W. Bush approved a newUnified Command Plan,[10][11] and attainedinitial operating capability on 1 October 2002.[12]
According to the UCP, Northern Command's mission is to:[13]
USNORTHCOM's Area of Responsibility (AOR) includes air, land and sea approaches and encompasses thecontinental United States,Canada,Mexico and the surrounding water out to approximately 500 nautical miles (930 km). It also includes theGulf of Mexico, theStraits of Florida, portions of the Caribbean region to includeThe Bahamas,Puerto Rico, theU.S. Virgin Islands, theBritish Virgin Islands,Bermuda, and theTurks and Caicos Islands.[14] The commander of USNORTHCOM is responsible for theater security cooperation with Canada, Mexico, and The Bahamas.[15] In May 2011, NORTHCOM was mobilized in the wake of theBP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico[16] to provide air, ground, and logistical support.[17] In October 2014, NORTHCOM took administrative control ofAlaskan Command.[18] In June 2025, the area of responsibility ofGreenland (Denmark) was shifted fromUSEUCOM to USNORTHCOM.[19]
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Commander, U.S. Northern Command is concurrently Commander of the U.S.-CanadianNorth American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The two are co-located atPeterson Space Force Base inColorado Springs,Colorado.[20] GeneralRalph Eberhart was the first CDRUSNORTHCOM.[21]
USNORTHCOM headquarters has approximately 1,200 uniformed and civilian staff.[22] In its first period of organising in 2002–03, one priority was to hire civilian staff which could help respond to aWeapons of Mass Destruction attack and to coordinate disaster recovery.[23]
| Emblem | Command | Acronym | Commander | Established | Headquarters | Subordinate Commands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ARNORTH | Lt GeneralAllan Pepin | 11 June 1946 | JBSA-Fort Sam Houston,Texas |
| |
 | MARFORNORTH | Lt GeneralRoberta L. Shea | 16 December 1946 | Naval Station Norfolk,Virginia |
| |
 | NAVNORTH | AdmiralDaryl L. Caudle | 1 January 1906 | Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads,Virginia | ||
  | 1 AF (AFNORTH) | Lt GenM. Luke Ahmann | 1 November 2007 | Tyndall Air Force Base,Florida |
| Emblem | Command | Acronym | Commander | Established | Headquarters | Subordinate Commands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Alaskan Command[29] | ALCOM | Lt GeneralCase Cunningham,USAF | 15 November 1945 | Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson,Alaska | There is no U.S. Navy component of ALCOM. TheUnited States Coast Guard's 17th District works closely with ALCOM and de facto acts as its maritime component. |
 | Special Operations Command North[30] | SOCNORTH | Colonel Matthew P. Tucker,USA | 5 November 2013 | Peterson Space Force Base,Colorado |
| Emblem | Command | Acronym | Commander | Established | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region | JFHQ-NCR | Major General Trevor J. Bredenkamp,USA | 22 September 2004 | Fort Lesley J. McNair,Washington D.C. |
 | Joint Task Force – Civil Support | JTF-CS | Colonel Tanya S. McGonegal,ARNG | October 1999 | Joint Base Langley-Eustis,Virginia |
 | Joint Task Force North | JTF-North | Major General Henry S. Dixon,ARNG | November 1989 | Fort Bliss,Texas |
| Joint Task Force 51 | JTF-51 | Major GeneralScott M. Sherman, ARNG | 2005 | Joint Base San Antonio |
The commander of United States Northern Command is afour-stargeneral oradmiral in theUnited States Armed Forces who serves as the head of all U.S. military forces within the command's geographicalarea of responsibility. The commander of U.S. Northern Command concurrently serves as thecommander ofNorth American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and is the head of allUnited States andCanadianjoint aerospace military operational forces, stationed within the Northern American territories. The commander of U.S. Northern Command is nominated for appointment by thePresident of the United States and must be confirmed by theUnited States Senate. The commander of U.S. Northern Command typically serves for two years.
Note: The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 stipulates that at least one deputy commander of USNORTHCOM be a National Guard general officer unless the commander is already such an officer.[31][32]
| No. | Commander | Term | Service branch | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
| 1 |  | Eberhart, Ralph E.General Ralph E. Eberhart (born 1946) | 22 October 2002 | 5 November 2004 | 2 years, 14 days |  U.S. Air Force |
| 2 |  | Keating, Timothy J.Admiral Timothy J. Keating (born 1948) | 5 November 2004 | 23 March 2007 | 2 years, 138 days |  U.S. Navy |
| 3 |  | Renuart, Victor E. Jr.General Victor E. Renuart Jr. (born 1949) | 23 March 2007 | 19 May 2010 | 3 years, 57 days | U.S. Air Force |
| 4 |  | Winnefeld, James A. Jr.Admiral James A. Winnefeld Jr. (born 1956) | 19 May 2010 | 3 August 2011 | 1 year, 76 days | U.S. Navy |
| 5 |  | Jacoby, Charles H. Jr.General Charles H. Jacoby Jr. (born 1954) | 3 August 2011 | 5 December 2014 | 3 years, 124 days |  U.S. Army |
| 6 |  | Gortney, William E.Admiral William E. Gortney (born 1955) | 5 December 2014 | 13 May 2016 | 1 year, 160 days | U.S. Navy |
| 7 | .jpg) | Robinson, Lori J.General Lori J. Robinson (born 1958/1959) | 13 May 2016 | 24 May 2018 | 2 years, 11 days | U.S. Air Force |
| 8 |  | O'Shaughnessy, Terrence J.General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy (born 1964/1965) | 24 May 2018 | 20 August 2020 | 2 years, 73 days | U.S. Air Force |
| 9 |  | VanHerck, Glen D.General Glen D. VanHerck (born 1962) | 20 August 2020 | 5 February 2024 | 3 years, 169 days | U.S. Air Force |
| 10 | .jpg) | Guillot, GregoryGeneral Gregory M. Guillot | 5 February 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 290 days | U.S. Air Force |
Northern Command has created severalclassified "concept plans" (e.g. "Defense Support of Civil Authorities") that are intended to address the 15 National Planning Scenarios that NORTHCOM must be prepared to respond to.[33]
However, in 2012, the GAO found that the national strategy to defend the United States is several years out of date.[34]
On 20 January 2025, PresidentDonald Trump issued an executive order instructing the Secretary of Defense to give Northern Command the mission to "seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States," requiring the secretary to revise the Unified Command Plan within 10 days in accordance with the order, and the commander of Northern Command to present a plan within 30 days on how NORTHCOM will achieve this mission.[35][36]
NORTHCOM operates extensivedomestic intelligence operations which both share and receive information from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Employees of theFederal Bureau of Investigation,Central Intelligence Agency,National Security Agency,Defense Intelligence Agency,National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and other agencies maintain offices at NORTHCOM and receive daily intelligence briefings.[37] The total of 14 agencies with representatives at NORTHCOM in December 2002 included the State Department,NASA, and theFederal Aviation Administration.[38]
Northern Command has completed several joint training exercises with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, theDepartment of Homeland Security, and theFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).[39]
In Exercise Vigilant Shield 2008, Northern Command,Pacific Command, theDepartment of Homeland Security, and numerous law enforcement agencies across the U.S. conducted exercises to test their "response abilities against a variety of potential threats".[39]
In January 2025 the Northern Command activated military police and combat engineer units from the Army and Marine Corps to supportCustoms and Border Patrol on the U.S. southern border.[40] In March 2025, the newly formedJoint Task Force-Southern Border, from the headquarters of the10th Mountain Division, took over control of the operation along theMexico–United States border, to oversee joint forces and serve as the NORTHCOM land component command for the mission, which involves about 10,000 service members.[41]
ThePosse Comitatus Act of 1878 and subsequentDepartment of Defense policy constrains any member of theUnited States Army,Air Force,Navy, orMarine Corps, and theNational Guard under federal authority from domestically intervening in a law enforcement capacity on United States soil. Several exceptions to the law have been used in the past, including protecting the citizens' constitutional rights in the absence of state and/or local assistance, such as protecting theLittle Rock Nine students inLittle Rock, Arkansas in 1957, and using theInsurrection Act to quell civil disorders, such as the1992 Los Angeles riots.
TheMilitary Commissions Act of 2006 lifted many restrictions placed on the military to support non-military authorities by the Posse Comitatus Act, however the United States Supreme Court ruled in June 2008 that significant portions of the MCA were unconstitutional. The "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007"H.R. 5122 (2006) effectively nullified the limits of the Insurrection Act[42] when it was passed; however, the bill was amended in 2008.
On 1 October 2008, the3rd Infantry Division's 1stBrigade Combat Team was assigned to U.S. Northern Command, marking the first time an active unit had been given a dedicated assignment to Northern Command. The force will be known for the first year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, and will serve as an on-call federal response force for terrorist attacks and other natural or manmade emergencies and disasters.[43]
U.S. Northern Command's mission is to deter, prevent and defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories, and interests. Additionally, the command is charged with providing defense support for civil authorities when approved by the President or Secretary of Defense. U.S. Northern Command also provides military resources and support to federal, state and local authorities.
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