JP 1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States - Defense ...

Joint Command Organizations
(2) Provide timely information to other JFCs regarding one’s own intentions and
actions, as well as those of nonmilitary agencies or of the adversary, which may influence
other activity.
(3) Support other JFCs as required by the common aim and the situation.
(4) Coordinate the support provided and received.
d. Responsibilities of Deputy Commanders. Deputy JFCs in a joint force may be
designated as the JFC’s principal assistant available to replace the JFC, if needed. Normally,
the deputy commander is not a member of the same Service as the JFC. The deputy JFC’s
responsibilities may include the following:
(1) Performing special duties (e.g., chair the joint targeting coordination board,
cognizance of liaison personnel reporting to the joint force headquarters, interorganizational
coordination).
(2) Working with the components to keep the JFC updated.
(3) Recommending refinements in the relationship with and between the
components to provide the most efficient and effective command relationships.
(4) Tracking the JFC’s critical information requirements to ensure compliance.
7. Staff of a Joint Force
a. General. A joint staff should be established for commands composed of more than
one Military Department. The staff of the commander of a CCMD, subordinate unified
command, or JTF must be composed of Service members that constitute significant elements
of the joint force. Positions on the staff should be divided so that Service representation and
influence generally reflect the Service composition of the force.
(1) A JFC is authorized to organize the staff and assign responsibilities to
individual Service members assigned to the staff as deemed necessary to accomplish
assigned missions.
(2) A joint staff should be reasonably balanced as to numbers, experience,
influence of position, and rank of the Service members concerned. The composition of a
joint staff should be commensurate with the composition of forces and the character of the
contemplated operations to ensure that the staff understands the capabilities, needs, and
limitations of each element of the force. The number of personnel on a joint staff should be
kept to the minimum consistent with the task to be performed.
(3) Each person assigned to serve on a joint staff will be responsible to the JFC and
should have thorough knowledge of the JFC’s policies.
(4) Recommendations of any member of the staff receive appropriate
consideration.
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