Establishment of a Permanent Joint Task Force Headquarters: An Analysis ofSourcing a Command and Control Structure Capable of Executing Forced Entry Contingency Operations

摘要

This demise of the former Soviet Union, while bringing about the end to the ColdWar, has not resulted in a concurrent decrease in regional military confrontations. In many respects, today's global environment is much more volatile and fragile than that of the bi-polar era. It is within this environment that the United States must remain poised and ready to rapidly project forced entry military capability. This study investigates and analyzes the current and projected capabilities of the U.S. military to establish and deploy a joint task force headquarters capable of planning and executing these complicated operations. Conclusions reached as a result of this study point to the need to permanently establish a single joint task force headquarters which can serve as a rapidly expanded nucleus for the designated JTF commander. This finding echoes that of Holloway Commission's 1980 report on the failure of the Iranian hostage rescue which found that an existing JTF organization, even if it were small and had few permanent members assigned, would provide an organization with the required expertise which could serve as the nucleus for a larger force upon activation. Joint operations, Contingency Operations, Forced entry, Joint task forces, Command and control, Crisis action planning.