U.S. European Command is a unified combatant command, a command structure distinct from the military services--Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands exercise command authority over the military forces provided by the services and assigned to them by the Secretary of Defense.
The operational chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense to the Commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff functions within the chain of command by transmitting to the Commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands the orders of the President or the Secretary of Defense.
There are nine unified combatant commands. Five have regional responsibilities, and four have functional responsibilities. EUCOM is considered a regional combatant command, with responsibility for all of Europe, most of Africa, and parts of the Middle East. European Command plans for regional contingencies, and when ordered, employs military forces within the region, either as a Standing Joint Force Headquarters, or through specialized Joint Task Forces.
EUCOM is the only regional combatant command with a headquarters forward deployed outside the United States. Other Unified Combatant Commands include Pacific Command (PACOM), Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Central Command (CENTCOM), Northern Command (NORTHCOM), Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), Transportation Command, (TRANSCOM).
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