SOUTHERN COMMAND TODAY                                                                [p.1 of ]

SOUTHERN COMMAND TODAY

Southern Command headquarters in Miami, Florida  

[Photo from SOUTHCOM's website]

SOUTHERN COMMAND CHANGE OF COMMAND

October 19, 2006

PROFILE OF THE U.S. SOUTHERN COMMAND

The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) is the unified command responsible for all U.S. military activities on the land mass of Latin America south of Mexico; the waters adjacent to Central and South America; the Caribbean Sea, with its 13 island nations, and European and U.S. territories; the Gulf of Mexico; and a portion of the Atlantic Ocean. Since 26 September 1997, the command headquarters has been located at Miami, Florida. It is one of five geographically unified commands under the U.S. Department of Defense.* Southern Command's area of responsibility encompasses 32 countries (19 in Central and South America and 13 in the Caribbean) and covers about 14.5 million square miles (23.2 million square kilometers). The region represents about one-sixth of the landmass of the world assigned to regional unified commands.

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* The unified commands, which have operational control of U.S. military forces in their area of responsibility, are composed of forces from two or more services. They have a broad and comprehensive mission and, in the case of the regional unified commands, are normally organized on a geographical basis. These regional combatant commanders report directly to the Secretary of Defense and the President.

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William H. Ormsbee, Jr.  2005

SOUTHCOM TODAY