Geographic Combatant Command

Central Command

CENTCOM

CENTCOM · United States Central Command oversees military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia.

Area of Responsibility: Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, Egypt

View Alerts Current Level All Commands

CENTCOM Alert Flash

LIVE
View All CENTCOM Alerts →

Essential Preparedness Supplies

Start your emergency preparedness journey

📦 Emergency Kit 🥫 Survival Food 💧 Water Filter 🩹 First Aid
View All Preparedness Supplies → Affiliate links support our mission

Central Command Mission Overview

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) directs and enables military operations and activities with allies and partners across the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia to increase regional security and stability in support of enduring U.S. interests. The area of responsibility spans 21 nations and includes critical maritime chokepoints, most notably the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb, that carry a large share of global oil and gas shipping. Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, the command oversees planning and coordination for joint and coalition forces.

CENTCOM is a geographic combatant command situated between the European, Africa, and Indo-Pacific commands. The command's 2026 priorities are to defend the homeland, deter conflict with Iran and its proxies, and compete with China across the region. Operations in 2026 include Project Freedom, launched in May to support freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and mine-clearance activity in the same waterway. Counter-terrorism operations and partner-nation security cooperation remain ongoing lines of effort.

  • Joint operations and regional contingency planning.
  • Coalition coordination and security cooperation.
  • Operational readiness across the central region.

United States Central Command oversees military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia.

Source: CENTCOM mission statement (centcom.mil).

Headquarters

MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida

Area of Responsibility

Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, Egypt

CENTCOM area of responsibility map

Latest CENTCOM Alerts

Recent intelligence updates for Central Command.

View All CENTCOM Alerts →

Other Geographic Commands

Explore other geographic combatant commands with similar mission areas.

View All Commands

Get CENTCOM Alerts

Subscribe to receive instant notifications when significant events occur in this command's area of responsibility.

Subscribe on Substack Join Patreon

Explore More

Regional Alert Feeds

AFRICOM Africa CENTCOM Middle East EUCOM Europe USPACOM Asia-Pacific NORTHCOM North America SOUTHCOM South America CYBERCOM Cyber SPACECOM Space
View CENTCOM Alerts All Commands Current Level Conflict Map All Alerts