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1 [1] (December 8, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/govesxo0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Defense Primer: Department of the Army and Army Command Structure Overview Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution stipulates, The Congress shall have power ... to raise and support Armies ... make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces ... for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel invasions. The Department of the Army (DA) is one of three military departments, along with the Navy and Air Force, reporting to the Department of Defense (DOD), which is using a secondary Department of War (DOW) designation, under Executive Order 14347, dated September 5, 2025. The Army's primary mission is to fight and win the nation's ground wars. The Army is composed of four distinct components: the regular Active Component (AC), the reserve components of the United States Army Reserve (USAR), the Army National Guard (ARNG), and Department of the Army civilians (DAC). See Table 1. * The Regular Army is the full-time, federal force of AC soldiers. * USAR is a federal reserve force that provides specialized units and capabilities, as well as individual soldiers when mobilized. * ARNG is a dual-status force that normally remains under the command of state governors and can respond to domestic emergencies, unless its units are mobilized for a federal mission. * DAC are federal government workers who fill a variety of support roles. Table I. Army Components Total Location Component Number (CONUSIOCONUS) AC 448,276 396,586 / 51,690 USAR 170,601 163,262 / 7,339 ARNG 328,084 316,742 / 11,342 DAC 223,386 212,364 / 11,018 Source: Defense Manpower Data Center, as of June 30, 2025. Note: CONUS = Continental United States and OCONUS = Outside of the Continental United States (overseas). Army Sen or Leadership The Department of the Army is led by a civilian Secretary of the Army appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Secretary of the Army reports to the Secretary of Defense, who is using Secretary of War as a secondary title under Executive Order 14347, dated Updated December 8, 2025 September 5, 2025, and serves as civilian oversight for the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA). The CSA is an administrative position held by a four-star Army general and is a statutory office (10 U.S.C. §7033). The CSA is the chief military advisor and deputy to the Secretary of the Army and, by statute (10 U.S.C. §151), serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The JCS is composed of DOD's (DOW's) senior uniformed leaders who advise the President, Secretary of Defense (War), and Cabinet officials on military issues. Command Authority The Secretary of the Army's and the Chief of Staff of the Army's authorities are prescribed by law: 10 U.S.C. §7013 for the Secretary of the Army and 10 U.S.C. §7033 for the Chief of Staff of the Army. The CSA does not have operational command authority over deployed Army units. Under 10 U.S.C. §162, the operational chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense (War) and then to the commanders of the unified combatant commands, with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) serving as the principal military advisor rather than a commander of forces. The CSA does, however, exercise supervision of Army units and organizations as designated by of the Secretary of the Army. Operational and nstitutona Missions The operational Army-known as the Operational Force- conducts or directly supports military operations and consists of numbered armies, corps, divisions, brigades and battalions. The majority of the Army is based in the continental United States (CONUS) relying on forward- stationed and rotational units outside the continental United States (OCONUS) to deter potential enemies, train allies, and defend against aggression if needed. The institutional Army supports the operational Army by providing the training, education, and logistics necessary to raise, train, equip, deploy, and ensure the readiness of all Army forces. Army organizations whose primary mission is to generate and sustain the Operating Forces, such as the Army Materiel Command (AMC), for example, are part of what is known as the Generating Force. Army Command Structure There are three types of commands: Army Commands, Army Service Components Commands (ASCCs), and Direct Reporting Units (DRUs). Proposed Army Command Structure Changes: 2025 Army Transformation Injtative (AT!) In May 2025, Army leadership announced the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI), with one of its initiatives to optimize force structure. Included in ATI's plans is a