United States Southern Command

United States Southern Command
Founded	11 June 1963 (60 years, 10 months ago)
Country	United States
Type	Unified combatant command
Role	Geographic combatant command
Size	1,200 personnel[1]
Part of	United States Department of Defense
Headquarters	Doral, Florida, U.S.
Engagements	Invasion of Panama Operation New Horizons Operation Unified Response Operation Continuing Promise United States invasion of Grenada Operation Uphold Democracy Operation Secure Tomorrow
Decorations	Order of San Carlos[2]
Website	www.southcom.mil
Commanders
Commander	General Laura J. Richardson, USA[3]
Military Deputy Commander	Vice Admiral Alvin Holsey, USN[4]
Civilian Deputy to the Commander	Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, DOS[5]
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia
NATO Map Symbol[6][7]
Unit Flag

United States Armed Forces
Executive departments
Department of Defense Department of Homeland Security
Staff
Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff
Military departments
Department of the Army Department of the Navy Department of the Air Force
Military services
United States Army United States Marine Corps United States Navy United States Air Force United States Space Force United States Coast Guard
Command structure
Unified combatant commands Africa Command Central Command European Command Indo-Pacific Command Northern Command Southern Command Cyber Command Space Command Special Operations Command Strategic Command Transportation Command
Combat support agencies Defense Contract Management Agency Defense Health Agency Defense Information Systems Agency Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Logistics Agency Defense Threat Reduction Agency National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Security Agency Central Security Service
v t e

The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral in Greater Miami, Florida, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation for Central and South America, the Caribbean (except U.S. commonwealths, territories, and possessions), their territorial waters, and for the force protection of U.S. military resources at these locations. USSOUTHCOM is also responsible for ensuring the defense of the Panama Canal and the canal area.^[8]

Under the leadership of a four-star Commander, USSOUTHCOM is organized into a headquarters with six main directorates, component commands and military groups that represent SOUTHCOM in the region. USSOUTHCOM is a joint command^[9] of more than 1,201 military and civilian personnel representing the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and several other federal agencies. Civilians working at USSOUTHCOM are, for the most part, civilian employees of the Army, as the Army is USSOUTHCOM's Combatant Command Support Agent. The Services provide USSOUTHCOM with component commands which, along with their Joint Special Operations component, two Joint Task Forces, one Joint Interagency Task Force, and Security Cooperation Offices, perform USSOUTHCOM missions and security cooperation activities. USSOUTHCOM exercises its authority through the commanders of its components, Joint Task Forces/Joint Interagency Task Force, and Security Cooperation Organizations.