Unified Command in a Unipolar World

Abstract

This paper reviews defense legislation and the Unified Command Plan (UCP) to determine if current provisions for national defense remain appropriate for a new world order. A principal assumption is that of a multi-dimensional and interrelated yet unipolar world. The US remains the only nation capable of projecting global power in all three vital security areas: the economic, the political, and the military. Authors argue that the reduced chance of a world war presents the first real opportunity in nearly forty-five years to consider a major change in the combatant command structure. Fewer geographic unified commands covering larger areas offer many advantages. Nine recommendations for the UCP are proposed. Establish five unified commands (Strategic, Atlantic, Pacific, American, and Combat Support); Give Strategic Command the space war- fighting missions; Give Combat Support Command responsibility for transportation, space-based support systems, and joint logistics.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA245894

Entities

People

  • Lawrence J. Stewart
  • Phillip E. Oates

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of State
  • Geographic Regions
  • Geography
  • International Organizations
  • Military Force Levels
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Navy
  • Political Systems
  • Second World War
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.

Technology Areas

  • Space