Combatant Commander (COCOM)

The four-star officer holding combatant command (command authority), the highest US military command authority defined in 10 U.S.C. section 164. COCOM is nontransferable command over assigned forces, exercised only by combatant commanders, and includes authority to organize forces, assign tasks, and direct operations. It is distinct from the lesser delegated authorities operational control (OPCON) and tactical control (TACON). Eleven combatant commanders, geographic (such as INDOPACOM) and functional (such as TRANSCOM), report to the President through the Secretary of Defense, not through the service chiefs.