US Central Command Snapshot
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) -- one of five theater-level unified combatant command units in the US DoD -- oversees 20 countries in Central Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East, and is supported by over 200,000 military men and women, DoD civilians, and contractors. It keeps vigil over US activities in Afghanistan and Iraq, building those countries' national security forces; it maintains its campaign against al-Qaeda, especially in Yemen and Iran, and assists Pakistan in its counterinsurgency operations against the Taliban. CENTCOM uses the Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) to address community development needs in these regions. CENTCOM's foreign headquarters is in Qatar.