Military Review English Edition May-June 2016 | Page 122

The final section discusses specific factors needed to
support implementation.

How Global Force Management
Works
GFM addresses allocation, apportionment, and
assignment. It is also important to understand how
ADCON relates to GFM, especially to assignment.
Allocation: distributing forces and resources for specified missions. Allocation is a familiar
construct to many service members who have supported Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring
Freedom. According to the Global Force Management
Implementation Guidance, allocation is the temporary
transfer of control of a force (normally, operational
control [OPCON]) for a specific mission.2 Since about
2003, the DOD has distributed forces to support
worldwide operations by filling requests for forces
through allocation as published in the Global Force
Management Allocation Plan.3
Apportionment: estimated availability of forces for planning. Apportionment does not represent a
command relationship. Apportionment estimates the
availability of forces and capabilities for planning purposes to help combatant commanders know their resource
constraints when writing or evaluating contingency plans.
Apportionment tables provide details about force capabilities and timelines showing when units will be available
for deployment. Apportionment tables have evolved
recently to provide more details on capabilities and better
estimates of when forces will be available for deployment.
Assignment: distributing forces through enduring command relationships. The focus of this article is
assignment of forces to CCMDs. Service secretaries are
directed to assign all operating forces to specified and
unified commands.4 Combatant commanders direct operations through combatant command (command authority), a term often shorted to “COCOM” or “COCOM
authority.” According to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff Manual (CJCSM) 3122.01A, COCOM authority
is the “nontransferable command authority established
by title 10 (Armed Forces), United States Code, section
164, exercised only by commanders of unified or specified
combatant commands unless otherwise directed by the
President or the Secretary of Defense.”5 COCOM authority includes all aspects of OPCON (controlling military
operations). In addition, it includes certain daily support
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associated with an assigned force, including authority to
assign or reassign subordinate commanders or officers,
reassign forces, conduct internal discipline and training,
and direct logistics.6 Assignment decisions are made
in support of Unified Command Plan (UCP) missions,
which are approved by the president of the United States.
Assignment of a unit represents an enduring relationship,
documented in the Forces for Unified Commands.7 As of
2016, many U.S. forces are not assigned to CCMDs.
Before Operation Iraqi Freedom, all operating forces
were assigned to CCMDs. Most forces based in the
continental United States were assigned to U.S. Joint
Forces Command (USJFCOM). When USJFCOM was
disestablished in 2011, forces and service components
assigned to USJFCOM reverted to their respective
military departments.8 They became known as “service-retained forces.” This decision allowed the DOD to
continue operations as usual while providing rotational
forces to U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) for
operations abroad.
May-June 2016  MILITARY REVIEW