United States. Army Forces Command

U.S. Army Forces command (FORSCOM) was activated on July 1, 1973, pursuant to Department of the Army General Order 16 of May 18, 1973, as part of Operation Steadfast, a reorganization of the Army''s major commands. FORSCOM, along with the U.S. Army Training and Doctine Command (TRADOC) replaced the U.S. Continental Army Command (CONARC). FORSCOM headquarters moved to Fort McPherson, Georgia, where it displaced Third U.S. Army, which was inactivated on October 1, 1973.

The U.S. Army Forces Command was responsible for the training and combat readiness for all active Army and Army Reserve units in the continental United States, including Alaska, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. FORSCOM also advised and oversaw the training of Army National Guard units but had direct control of these units only when they were called to active duty. On July 1, 1987, as the result of the Department of Defense reorganization directed by the Goldwater-Nichols Act, FORSCOM became a specified command. Among the new missions imposed were the planning and conduct of joint exercises, providing a general reserve of deployable Army forces to reinforce other commands as directed, and conduct joint training and excercises as appropriate. The Command was also responsible for the defense of the Continental United States (CONUS) and planning common defense with Canada.

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