// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did United States Army Forces Command say to the pizza? "Forces" you to try the toppings.

United States Army Forces Command
FORSCOM shoulder sleeve insignia
Founded	1 July 1973
Disbanded	5 December 2025
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Army Command
Role	Provide combat-ready army forces to unified combatant commands
Garrison/HQ	Fort Bragg
Motto	Freedom's Guardian
Website	Army Forces Command
Commanders
Commanding General	General Andrew P. Poppas
Deputy Commanding General	Lieutenant General Stephen G. Smith
Deputy Commanding General - ARNG	Major General Richard F. Johnson
Command Sergeant Major	Command Sergeant Major Nema Mobarakzadeh
Notable commanders	Bernard W. Rogers Richard E. Cavazos Colin L. Powell
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
US Army Forces Command Flag

The United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) was the largest command of the United States Army. It provided land forces to the Department of Defense's unified combatant commands. FORSCOM was headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and consisted of more than 750,000 active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National Guard soldiers. It was created on 1 July 1973 from the former Continental Army Command (CONARC), which in turn supplanted Army Field Forces and Army Ground Forces.

FORSCOM was disestablished on 5 December 2025, the same time as the Army stood up U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command (USAWHC).

History

In 1942, the Army was divided between Army Ground Forces; Army Service Forces; and the Services of Supply.

On 30 August 1945, Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall created a board headed by Lieutenant General Alexander M. Patch to review the organization of the War Department. The board submitted its recommendations to the Chief of Staff on 18 October of the same year. These were that the technical services be continued, with the Transportation Corps made permanent, and that the Finance Department becoming an eighth technical service. The service commands would be abolished, and their functions transferred to the Armies. The Army Service Forces would also be abolished, and its staff sections transferred to the War Department General Staff.

In accordance with these recommendations, on 11 June 1946, Army Service Forces and the nine service commands areas were abolished. The service commands were replaced by six field armies. These six army areas, though similar in name, operated on a functional rather than geographic basis but roughly followed along the old corps area boundaries. Army Ground Forces moved from Washington, D.C. to Fort Monroe.

• First Army, headquartered at Fort Jay in New York, New York included ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NJ, NY and DE.
• Second Army, headquartered at Baltimore, Maryland included PA, MD, VA, WV, OH, IN and KY.
• Third Army, headquartered variously in rented office space in downtown Atlanta and in 1946 at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Georgia included NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, TN and MS
• Fourth Army, headquartered at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas included TX, AR, LA, OK, and NM.
• Fifth Army, headquartered at Fort Sheridan near Chicago, Illinois included IL, MI, WI, MN, IA, MO, KS, NE, ND, SD, WY and CO.
• Sixth Army, headquartered at Presidio of San Francisco, California included WA, OR, ID, MT, UT, NV and CA.

In March 1948, a large-scale reorganization of the Department of the Army created the Office of the Chief of Army Field Forces (OCAFF) at Fort Monroe and placed the armies and installations in the continental United States directly under departmental control. Seven years later, the recommendations of the Davis Committee were implemented, establishing U.S. Continental Army Command (CONARC) to carry out both training and operations.

In 1973, forces in the United States were split between two new commands, U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) and U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). FORSCOM assumed CONARC's responsibility for the command and collective training of all divisions and corps in the continental U.S. and for the installations where they were based. To do this it had the help of various regional numbered army headquarters, First Army, Third Army (until 1974) Fourth Army, Fifth Army, and Sixth Army, at various times.

In 1987, FORSCOM was given the status of a "specified command", or almost equal to a unified combatant command, with a broad and continuing mission, but composed solely of Army forces. Like the unified commands, the specified commands reported directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, instead of their respective service chiefs. Fourth Army cased its colors and was inactivated for the last time in 1991. FORSCOM lost its specified status in 1993.

In October 1994, the United States Army Aviation Center asked the United States Army Force Integration Support Agency (USAFISA) to review the U.S. Army Air Traffic Control Activity. The Army Aviation Center wanted to make sure that its limited air traffic control (ATC) resources were being properly used. USAFISA concluded that the planning of ATC in the mid-1980s, part of creating the then-new Aviation Branch, had never been properly incorporated. ATC skills and services were eroding to the point of endangering aviation safety. As a result, General Eric Shinseki, then the Vice Chief of Staff, approved the concept of a separate command for air traffic services (ATS). On August 28, 2003, Army Traffic Services Command (ATSC) was formally activated and relocated from Fort McPherson to Fort Rucker.

Sixth Army was headquartered at the Presidio of San Francisco. It was eventually inactivated in June 1995.

In 2004, Fifth Army transferred its Reserve Component preparation obligations to First Army, and became responsible for homeland defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) as United States Army North, the Army Service Component Command of United States Northern Command.

Following the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, FORSCOM Headquarters moved from Fort McPherson, Georgia to a building at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in June 2011. The Command hosted a "Casing of the Colors" ceremony on 24 June 2011 at Fort McPherson, and an "Uncasing of Colors" on 1 August 2011 at Fort Bragg.

In late April and early May 2025, the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of the Army announced the establishment of the United States Army Western Hemisphere Command (USAWHC) as part of the Army’s Continuous Transformation initiative. Effective late 2025, USAWHC will consolidate United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), United States Army North (ARNORTH), and United States Army South (ARSOUTH) into a single four-star command.

USAWHC will serve as the Army Service Component Command (ASCC) for both United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), assuming all Title X (10) responsibilities previously divided among the three U.S. Army commands for U.S. Army operations, homeland defense and security cooperation throughout North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. The merger better aligns U.S. Army forces with regional partnership priorities.

Active Army and Army Reserve

Before it was disbanded, FORSCOM commanded the United States Army Reserve Command; First Army, and three Active Army corps. With the reformation of V Corps at Fort Know, KY, with the Russian threat building up in Europe, I Corps at Fort Lewis was transferred to United States Army Pacific.

The United States Army Reserve Command was a major subordinate command of FORSCOM. It was headquartered in the same building as FORSCOM at Fort Bragg, N.C. It commanded all United States Army Reserve units in the continental United States, except those assigned to United States Special Operations Command.

First United States Army at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, was responsible for training, mobilization and deployment support to Army Reserve and National Guard units in FORSCOM. This mission covers both the Continental United States and Puerto Rico.

FORSCOM commanded three Army corps. Just before the command was disestablished, they were V Corps at Fort Knox; III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas; and XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Together the three corps included nine divisions, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 37 support brigades of various types, and a range of other corps combat, combat support and combat service support units.

Army National Guard

The Army National Guard provides Forces Command eight National Guard combat divisions, 15 brigades, and extensive combat support and combat service support units.

The current FORSCOM Army National Guard strength is approximately 351,000 soldiers. Mobilizing the Army National Guard into active federal service would bring the total strength of FORSCOM to nearly two-thirds of the Army's combat ground forces.

Subordinate units

• United States Army Reserve Command, Fort Bragg, NC
• First United States Army, Rock Island Arsenal, IL
  • First Army Division East, Fort Knox, KY
    • 4th Cavalry Brigade, Fort Knox, KY
    • 72nd Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Dix, NJ
    • 87th Army Reserve Support Command, Horace B. Hanson United States Army Reserve Center, AL
    • 157th Infantry Brigade, Camp Atterbury, IN
    • 158th Infantry Brigade, Camp Shelby, MS
    • 174th Infantry Brigade, Fort Drum, NY
    • 177th Armored Brigade, Camp Shelby, MS
    • 188th Infantry Brigade, Fort Stewart, GA
  • First Army Division West, Fort Hood, TX
    • 5th Armored Brigade, Fort Bliss, TX
    • 85th Army Reserve Support Command, COL Paul G. Schulstad United States Army Reserve Center, IL
    • 120th Infantry Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
    • 166th Aviation Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
    • 181st Infantry Brigade, Fort McCoy, WI
    • 189th Infantry Brigade, Fort Lewis, WA
    • 402nd Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Bliss, TX
• III Armored Corps, Fort Hood, TX
  • 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, KS
    • 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 1st Infantry Division Artillery
    • Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division
    • 1st Sustainment Brigade
  • 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX
    • 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 1st Cavalry Division Artillery
    • Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
    • 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade
  • 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, TX
    • 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 1st Armored Division Artillery
    • Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division
    • 15th Sustainment Brigade
  • 11th Signal Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
  • 75th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Sill, OK
  • 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
  • 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, TX
  • 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
  • 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
  • 1st Medical Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
  • 13th Sustainment Command, Fort Hood, TX
• V Corps (United States), Poznań (Poland)
  • 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany
    • Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Troop "Vipers"
    • 1st Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "War Eagles"
    • 2nd Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Cougars"
    • 3rd Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Wolfpack"
    • 4th Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Saber" (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition Squadron)
    • Regimental Engineer Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Pioneers"
    • Field Artillery Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Artillery Hell"
    • Regimental Support Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Muleskinners"
  • 41st Field Artillery Brigade, Grafenwöhr (Germany)
  • 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Ansbach (Germany)
  • Atlantic Resolve rotational units
    • Rotational Heavy Division in Bolesławiec (Poland)
      • 2 × Rotational Armored Brigade Combat Teams
      • 1 × Rotational Division Artillery
      • 1 × Rotational Combat Aviation Brigade
      • 1 × Rotational Sustainment Brigade
• XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, NC
  • 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA
    • 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
    • 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Georgia Army National Guard)
    • 3rd Infantry Division Artillery
    • Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division
    • 3rd Sustainment Brigade
  • 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY
    • 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team
    • 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team
    • 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Fort Polk, LA
    • 10th Mountain Division Artillery
    • Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division
    • 10th Sustainment Brigade
  • 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC
    • 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne)
    • 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne)
    • 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne)
    • 82nd Airborne Division Artillery
    • Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division
    • 82nd Sustainment Brigade
  • 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY
    • 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Air Assault)
    • 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Air Assault)
    • 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Air Assault)
    • 101st Airborne Division Artillery
    • Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
    • 101st Sustainment Brigade
  • 18th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC
  • 20th Engineer Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC
  • 16th Military Police Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC
  • 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Fort Bragg, NC
  • 7th Transportation Brigade, Fort Eustis, VA
  • 525th Military Intelligence Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC
  • 35th Signal Brigade, Fort Gordon, GA
  • 44th Medical Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC
• Security Force Assistance Command, Fort Bragg, NC
  • 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, Fort Benning, GA
  • 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC
  • 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
  • 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade, Fort Carson, CO
  • 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
  • 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade (National Guard)
• 20th CBRNE Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
  • 48th Chemical Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
  • 52nd Ordnance Group (EOD), Fort Campbell, KY
  • 71st Ordnance Group (EOD), Fort Carson, CO
• 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command Fort Bliss, TX
  • 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bliss, TX
  • 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Sill, OK
  • 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Hood, TX
  • 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC
• Air Traffic Services Command, Fort Rucker, AL
• 6th Medical Logistics Management Center, Fort Bragg, NC (direct reporting unit)

Commanders

The Commanding General of Forces Command (CG FORSCOM) was the head of Forces Command.

General Andrew P. Poppas was the final commanding general.

The Deputy Commanding General is Lieutenant General Stephen G. Smith (since April 2024) and the Command Sergeant Major CSM Nema Mobarakzadeh (Mobar) (since May 2024).

Continental Army Command

• John E. Dahlquist 1955 - 1956
• Willard G. Wyman March 1956 - September 1958
• Bruce C. Clarke August 1958 - September 1960
• Herbert B. Powell October 1960 - February 1963
• John K. Waters March 1963 - April 1964
• Hugh P. Harris March 1964 - 1965
• Paul L. Freeman Jr. 1965 - June 1967
• James K. Woolnough July 1967 - October 1970
• Ralph E. Haines Jr. November 1970 - January 1973
• Walter T. Kerwin Jr. February 1973

Resdesignated United States Army Forces Command in 1973

FORSCOM

No.	Commanding General		Term
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Term length
1		Kerwin, Walter Thomas Jr.General Walter T. Kerwin Jr. (1917–2008)	1 July 1973	1974	~ 184 days
2		Rogers, Bernard WilliamGeneral Bernard W. Rogers (1921–2008)	1974	1976	~ 2 years, 0 days
3		Kroesen, Frederick James Jr.General Frederick J. Kroesen Jr. (1923–2020)	1976	1978	~ 2 years, 0 days
4		Shoemaker, Robert MorinGeneral Robert M. Shoemaker (1924–2017)	1978	1982	~ 4 years, 0 days
5		Cavazos, Richard EdwardGeneral Richard E. Cavazos (1929–2017)	1982	1984	~ 2 years, 0 days
6		Sennewald, Robert WilliamGeneral Robert W. Sennewald (1929–2023)	1984	1986	~ 2 years, 0 days
7		Palastra, Joseph Thomas Jr.General Joseph T. Palastra Jr. (1931–2015)	1986	1989	~ 3 years, 0 days
8		Powell, Colin LutherGeneral Colin L. Powell (1937–2021)	4 April 1989	27 September 1989	176 days
9		Burba, Edwin Hess Jr.General Edwin H. Burba Jr. (born 1936)	27 September 1989	1993	~ 3 years, 96 days
10		Reimer, Dennis JoeGeneral Dennis J. Reimer (born 1939)	1993	1995	~ 2 years, 0 days
11		Tilelli, John Harold Jr.General John H. Tilelli Jr. (born 1941)	1995	1996	~ 1 year, 0 days
12		Bramlett, David AnthonyGeneral David A. Bramlett (born 1941)	1 July 1996	31 July 1998	2 years, 30 days
13		Schwartz, Thomas AllenGeneral Thomas A. Schwartz (born 1945)	31 July 1998	23 November 1999	1 year, 115 days
14		Hendrix, John WalterGeneral John W. Hendrix (born 1942)	23 November 1999	19 November 2001	1 year, 361 days
15		Ellis, Larry RudellGeneral Larry R. Ellis (born 1946)	19 November 2001	6 May 2004	2 years, 169 days
16		McNeill, Dan KellyGeneral Dan K. McNeill (born 1946)	7 May 2004	8 January 2007	2 years, 246 days
17		Campbell, Charles ChristopherGeneral Charles C. Campbell (1948–2016)	9 January 2007	2 June 2010	3 years, 144 days
18		Thurman, James DavidGeneral James D. Thurman (born 1953)	3 June 2010	7 July 2011	1 year, 34 days
-		Bromberg, Howard B.Lieutenant General Howard B. Bromberg Acting	8 July 2011	11 September 2011	65 days
19		Rodriguez, David MitchellGeneral David M. Rodriguez (born 1954)	12 September 2011	15 March 2013	1 year, 184 days
20		Allyn, Daniel BartlettGeneral Daniel B. Allyn (born 1959)	10 May 2013	14 August 2014	1 year, 96 days
21		Milley, Mark AlexanderGeneral Mark A. Milley (born 1958)	15 August 2014	9 August 2015	359 days
22		Abrams, Robert BruceGeneral Robert B. Abrams (born 1960)	10 August 2015	16 October 2018	3 years, 67 days
-		Richardson, Laura JaneLieutenant General Laura J. Richardson (born 1963) Acting	17 October 2018	20 March 2019	154 days
23		Garrett, Michael XavierGeneral Michael X. Garrett (born 1961)	21 March 2019	8 July 2022	3 years, 109 days
24		Poppas, Andrew PeterGeneral Andrew P. Poppas (born c. 1966)	8 July 2022	5 December 2025	3 years, 150 days

See also

Equivalent operations commands in the U.S. Armed Forces

• United States Fleet Forces Command
• United States Marine Corps Forces Command
• Air Combat Command
• Space Operations Command

References

• U.S. Department of Defense (30 April 2025). "DoD Announces Major Army Command Reorganization". Retrieved 30 November 2025.
• Joint Chiefs of Staff (20 December 1977). "History of the Unified Command Plan, 1946–1977" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
• Manoeuvre and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades. Army Lineage Series. United States Army Center of Military History. 1998. 60-14. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012.
• Shalett, Sidney (14 May 1946). "Army is Revamped in Economy Drive". The New York Times.
• James Williams, "A history of Army aviation : from its beginnings to the War on Terror," New York, iUniverse, 2005
• "Secretary of the Army and CSA Letter to the Force". United States Army. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
• "Army to merge FORSCOM, ARNORTH, ARSOUTH into new Western Hemisphere Command". Army Times. 1 May 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
• "Army Transformation 2025 Fact Sheet" (PDF). Department of the Army. May 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.

External links

• U.S Army Forces Command Homepage