Joint task force

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Ad hoc military formation

title: "Joint task force" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["joint-task-forces-(armed-forces)"] description: "Ad hoc military formation" topic_path: "general/joint-task-forces-armed-forces" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_task_force" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Ad hoc military formation ::

A joint task force is a "joint" (multi-service) ad hoc military formation. The task force concept originated with the United States Navy in the 1920s and 1930s.

"Combined" is the British-American military term for multi-national formations.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/NATO_Task_Group_100.1_ships_during_BALTOPS_1985.jpeg" caption="Ships of Task Group 100.1 during Exercise [[BALTOPS]], 1985"] ::

There are two ways in which a U.S. or U.S.-allied task force may be assigned a number. The first is the originally naval scheme promulgated and governed by the Military Command, Control, Communications, and Computers Executive Board (MC4EB), chaired by the Joint Staff J6. Task force numbers allocated under this scheme form the majority of the listings below.

The second is a by-product of the U.S. Army's procedure for forming task-organised forces for combat, differing from strictly doctrinally assigned table of organization and equipment organizations. A battalion, company or brigade commander has very wide latitude in selecting a task force name, though often the name of the commander is used (e.g. Task Force Faith; Task Force Smith was named for the commander of the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment). This has often resulted in derivations from the originator unit's numerical designation being used. For example, when a special operations aviation unit was being formed in the late 1970s, the original unit drew heavily on personnel from the 158th Aviation. The designation chosen was Task Force 158, which later grew to become the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Another example comes from 2004 in Afghanistan. On 15 April 2004 the headquarters of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division arrived in Afghanistan and took command of CJTF-180 from the 10th Mountain Division. Lieutenant General David Barno, commanding then decided to rename CJTF 180 because the “180” designation had traditionally been given to Joint task forces led by the Army's XVIII Airborne Corps. Barno chose Combined Joint Task Force 76 as the new name to evoke America's history and the democratic spirit of 1776. The CFC-A commander intended this new designation to highlight the change in command at the operational level at a time when Afghanistan appeared to be moving closer to democracy. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Operation_Corporate_command_structure_1982.png" caption="An example of a changing naval task force structure, promulgated by signal: the Royal Navy in the Falklands War"] ::

No coordination appears to occur between U.S. Army task forces designated in this way, and the USMCEB scheme. This has resulted in simultaneous designations being used at the same time. For example, Combined Joint Task Force 76, was in use in Afghanistan in 2004, but doubling up on the Task Force 76 designation used for decades by Amphibious Force, United States Seventh Fleet, in north Asia.

Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) is designed to test a strike group's ability to operate in hostile and complex environments with other U.S. and coalition forces. The integrated exercise combines specific warfare areas with the purpose of making preparations for the strike group's upcoming deployment. An example of such an exercise includes The John F. Kennedy (CV-67) Carrier Battle Group which participated in Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 02–1, in the waters off the East Coast as well as on training ranges in North Carolina and Florida during Operation Enduring Freedom January 19, 2002

Numbered USMCEB joint task forces

Allied Communications Publication 113: Call Signs Book for Ships in its Annex B lists allocations of task force numbers from 1 to approximately 1000, allocated by the United States Military Communications-Electronic Board in blocks for use by the United States Department of Defense and allies.

Norman Polmar noted in Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, 2005, that the task forces under the commanders of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet are mainly for contingency purposes. They are employed for specific operations and exercises.

Combined Task Force (CTF) 13 conducted a simulated long range raid on Camp Hanson, Okinawa Japan, March 21, 2016. CTF-13 conducted the raid, which commenced in South Korea, to demonstrate air assault, multi-continent long-range raid capabilities, and the ability to strike and destroy. CTF 13 included 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines.

::data[format=table] | Joint task force || Abbrev. || State | Notes | |---|---| | Joint Task Force 1 | {{sortname | | Joint Task Force 2 | {{sortname | | Joint Task Force 3 | {{sortname | | Joint Task Force 4 | {{sortname | | Joint Task Force 5 | {{sortname | | Joint Task Force 6 | {{sortname | | Joint Task Force 7 | {{sortname | | Combined Joint Task Force 7 | {{sortname | | Joint Task Force 8 | {{sortname | | Joint Task Force 11 | {{sortname | | Task Force 12 | {{sortname | | Task Force 13 | {{sortname | | Task Force 14 | {{sortname | | Task Force 15 | {{sortname | | Task Force 16 | {{sortname | | Task Force 17 | {{sortname | | Task Force 18 | {{sortname | | Task Force 19 | {{sortname | | Task Force 20 | {{sortname | | Task Force 25 | {{sortname | | Task Forces 30-39 | {{sortname | | Task Force 31 | {{sortname | | Task Force 35 | {{sortname | | Task Force 38 | {{sortname | | Task Force 44 | {{sortname | | Task Forces 50-57 | {{sortname | | Task Force 57 | {{sortname | | Task Force 58 | {{sortname | | Task Force 60 | {{sortname | | Task Force 61 | {{sortname | | Task Force 64 | {{sortname | | Task Force 67 | {{sortname | | Task Force 73 | {{sortname | | Task Force 74 | {{sortname | | Task Force 76 | {{sortname | | Task Force 77 | {{sortname | | Task Force 80 | {{sortname | | Task Force 84 | {{sortname | | Task Force 88 | {{sortname | | Task Force 90 | {{sortname | | Task Force 91 | {{sortname | | Task Force 93 | {{sortname | | Task Force 95 | {{sortname | | Task Force 97 | {{sortname | | Task Force 98 | {{sortname | | Task Force 99 | {{sortname | | Task Force 100 | | | Task Force 101 | | | Task Forces 102-109 | | | Task Force 104 | | | Task Force 111 | | | Task Forces 111-119 | | | Task Force 113 | | | Task Force 115 | | | Task Force 116 | | | Task Force 117 | | | Joint Task Force 120 | | | Task Force 121 | | | Task Force 122 | | | Task Force 123 | | | Task Force 124 | | | Task Force 125 | | | Task Force 130 | | | Joint Task Force 132 | | | Task Force 134 | | | Task Force 136 | | | Task Force 140 | | | Task Force 144 | | | Task Force 151 | | | Task Force 157 | | | Joint Task Force 160 | | | Combined Joint Task Force-180 | | | Task Force 214 | | | Task Force 294 | | | Task Force 301 | | | Task Force 311 | | | Task Group 316.1 | | | Task Force 317 | | | Task Force 318 | | | Task Force 321 | | | Task Group 323.2 | | | Task Force 324 | | | Task Force 326 | | | Task Force 330 | | | Task Force 333 | | | Task Force 345 | | | Task Force 373 | | | Task Forces 401-410 | | | Joint Task Force 435 | | | Task Force 439 | | | Task Force 440 | | | Task Force 442 | | | Task Force 465 | | | Task Force 472 | | | Task Force 473 | | | Task Force 500 | | | Task Force 502 | | | Task Force 503 | | | Task Force 504 | | | Task Force 505 | | | Task Force 506 | | | Task Force 508 | | | Joint Task Force 510 | | | Joint Task Force 622 | | | Joint Task Force 627 | | | Joint Task Force 629 | | | Joint Task Force 630 | | | Joint Task Force 631 | | | Joint Task Force 632 | | | Joint Task Force 633 | | | Joint Task Force 634 | | | Combined Task Force 635 | | | Joint Task Force 636 | | | Joint Task Force 637 | | | Joint Task Force 638 | | | Joint Task Force 639 | | | Joint Task Force 641 | | | Joint Task Force 643 | | | Joint Task Force 644 | | | Joint Task Force 645 | | | Task Force 646 | | | Joint Task Force 658 | | | Joint Task Force 659 | | | Joint Task Force 661 | | | Joint Task Force 662 | | | Joint Task Force 663 | | | Joint Task Force 664 | | | Joint Task Force 665 | | | Combined Joint Task Force 667 | | | Task Force 714 | | | Joint Task Force 728 | | | Task Force 825 | | | Joint Task Force 950 | | | Task Force 976 | align-right| | | Task Force 1099 | | ::

Named joint task forces

Joint Task Force Shining Hope; Joint Task Force Eagle Vista (1998 Presidential African visit) ::data[format=table] | Joint task force || Abbrev. ||Who|| Notes | |---| | Joint Task Force-Alaska | | Joint Task Force-Armed Forces Inaugural Committee | | Joint Task Force Aztec Silence | | Joint Task Force Bravo | | Joint Task Force Caring Response | | Joint Task Force Central | | Joint Task Force-Civil Support | | Joint Task Force East | | Joint Task Force for Elimination | | Joint Task Force Empire Shield | | Joint Task Force Full Accounting | | Joint Task Force Gator | | Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations | | Joint Task Force Gold | | Joint Task Force Guantanamo | | Joint Task Force Haiti | | Joint Task Force-Homeland Defense | | Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa | | Joint Task Force Katrina | | Joint Task Force Lebanon | | Joint Task Force Liberia | | Joint Task Force National Capital Region/Medical | | Joint Task Force (North) | | Joint Task Force North | | Joint Task Force OMEGA | | Joint Task Force Southwest Asia | | Joint Task Force-Space Defense | | Joint Task Force Rita | | Joint Task Force Operation United Assistance | ::

United States Army and other non-USMCEB task forces

These included Combined Joint Task Force 76, Combined Joint Task Force 82, and Combined Joint Task Force 180.

::data[format=table] | Task force || Abbrev. ||Who|| Notes | |---| | Task Force 1-41 Infantry | | Task Force 77 | | Combined Joint Task Force 82 | | Special Operations Task Force 103 | | Task Force 118 | | Task Force 121 | | Task Force 145 | | Task Force ALBA | | Task Force Aegis | | Task Force Alpha | | Task Force Baum | | Task Force Bayonet | | Task Force Black | | Task Force Blue | | Task Force Danbi | | Task Force Eagle | | Task Force East | | Task Force Faith | | Task Force Falcon (US) | | Task Force Frigid | | Task Force Harvest | | Task Force Hawk | | Task Force Helmand | | Task Force K-Bar | | Task Force Kandahar | | Task Force Kean | | Task Force Leatherneck | | Task Force Libeccio | | Task Force Lightning | | Task Force Manchu | | Task Force Mustang | | Task Force ODIN | | Task Force Phoenix | | Task Force Ranger | | Task Force Scorpio | | Task Force Shield | | Task Force Sinai | | Task Force Smith | | Task Force Tarawa | | Task Force Taro | | Task Force Trinity | | Task Force Tripoli | | Task Force Uruzgan | | Task Force Viking | | Task Force White Eagle | ::

Others

References

Sources

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joint-task-forces-(armed-forces)