SOUTHCOM Component Commands & Units

SOUTHCOM missions are carried out by its component commands.  There are four representing ‎each military service and one specializing in Special Operations missions:

 

U.S. Army South	12 AF (Air Forces Southern)	U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet
Located at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, ARSOUTH forces include aviation, intelligence, communication, and logistics units.  ARSOUTH supports regional disaster relief and counterdrug efforts. ARSOUTH  also exercises oversight, planning, and logistical support for humanitarian and civic assistance projects throughout the region in support of the USSOUTHCOM Theater Security Cooperation Strategy.  ARSOUTH provides Title X and Executive Agent responsibilities throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region.	Located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, AFSOUTH consists of a staff; an Air and Space Operations Center for command and control of air activity in the USSOUTHCOM area and an Air Force operations group responsible for Air Force forces in the area. AFSOUTH serves as the executive agent for forward operating locations; provides joint/combined radar surveillance architecture oversight; provides intra-theater airlift; and supports USSOUTHCOM’s Theater Security Cooperation Strategy through regional disaster relief exercises and counter-drug operations. AFSOUTH also provides oversight, planning, execution, and logistical support for humanitarian and civic assistance projects and hosts a number of Airmen-to-Airmen conferences.	Located at Mayport Naval Base, Florida, COMUSNAVSO / COMFOURTHFLT supports U.S. Southern Command joint and combined full-spectrum military operations by providing principally sea-based, forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.
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U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South	Special Operations Command South
Located in Miami, Florida, USMARFORSOUTH commands all United States Marine Corps Forces (MARFORs) assigned to USSOUTHCOM; advises USSOUTHCOM on the proper employment and support of MARFORs; conducts deployment/redeployment planning and execution of assigned/attached MARFORs; and accomplishes other operational missions as assigned.	Located at Homestead Air Reserve Base near Miami, Florida, USSOCSOUTH provides the primary theater contingency response force and plans, prepares for, and conducts special operations in support of USSOUTHCOM. USSOCSOUTH controls all Special Operations Forces in the region and also establishes and operates a Joint Special Operations Task Force when required.
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There are also three task forces with specific missions in the region that report to U.S. Southern Command:

Joint Task Force Bravo, Soto Cano Air Base	Joint Task Force Guantanamo	Joint Interagency Task Force South
Located at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, JTF-Bravo operates a forward, all-weather day/night C-5-capable airbase. JTF-Bravo organizes multilateral exercises and supports, in cooperation with our partner nations, humanitarian and civic assistance, counterdrug, contingency and disaster relief operations in Central America.	Located at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, JTF-Guantanamo conducts detention and interrogation operations in support of the War on Terrorism, coordinates and implements detainee screening operations, and supports law enforcement and war crimes investigations as well as Military Commissions for Detained Enemy Combatants. JTF-Guantanamo is also prepared to support mass migration operations at Naval Station GTMO.	Located in Key West, Florida, JIATF South is an interagency task force that serves as the catalyst for integrated and synchronized interagency counter-drug operations and is responsible for the detection and monitoring of suspect air and maritime drug activity in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific. JIATF-South also collects, processes, and disseminates counter-drug information for interagency operations.
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Direct Reporting Units:

​Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (CHDS)
Located in Washington D.C., the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies provides education, and conducts outreach, research and knowledge-sharing activities on defense and international security policy-making with military and civilian leaders of the Western Hemisphere.