Significant Overhaul Proposed for U.S. Combatant Command Structure

This Newsweek report describes what could become one of the most significant proposed shifts in U.S. military organization since the Goldwater–Nichols Act: Pentagon officials are reportedly drafting a sweeping reorganization of combatant command structures aimed at speeding decision-making and reversing “decay” in command-and-control.

As outlined in the reporting, the plan would cut combatant commands from 11 to 8, merge NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM into a new U.S. Americas Command (“Americom”), and consolidate CENTCOM, EUCOM, and AFRICOM under a new “U.S. International Command,” while retaining Indo-Pacific, Cyber, Space, Strategic, Transportation, and Special Operations as separate commands.

The Pentagon told Newsweek it won’t comment on leaked, unauthenticated, pre-decisional documents, and Congress is already demanding a detailed cost-and-risk assessment (including alliance implications) before releasing implementation funding.

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