Joint capability areas

The Joint Capability Areas (JCA) are a standardized set of definitions that cover the complete range of military activities. The system was initially established in May of 2005 by the Joint Staff with input from each of the services. It is designed to establish "a new framework that paves the way for side-by-side comparisons of service contributions to joint warfighting and a tool that will assist decision-makers in deciding whether to move resources between service budgets." [JCA_SecDef_Memo_2005.pdf]

The establishment of the JCA was primarily a result of an Operational Availability study from 2005 and from the "Joint Defense Capabilities Study" [http://www.acq.osd.mil/jctd/articles/JointDefenseCapabilitiesStudyFinalReport_January2004.pdf] of 2003 (which is almost universally referred to as the "Aldridge Study" after its primary author, Edward Aldridge.) The Aldridge study called for the establishment of a new joint lexicon that would allow leaders to clearly discuss mission areas and how to most responsibly manage resources.

Further information on JCAs can be found at the Joint Experimentation, Transformation and Concepts Division [http://www.dtic.mil/futurejointwarfare/cap_areas.htm] of the United States Joint Forces Command (JFCOM)

Current Joint Capability Areas

1) Force Application

2) Command and Control

3) Battlespace Awareness

4) Net-Centric

5) Building Partnerships

6) Protection

7) Logistics

8) Force Support

9) Corporate Management and Support

Initial Joint Capability Areas

Joint battlespace awareness

Joint command and control

Joint network operations

Joint interagency coordination

Joint public affairs operations

Joint information operations

Joint protection

Joint logistics

Joint force generation

Joint force management

Joint homeland defense

Joint strategic deterrence

Joint shaping and security cooperation

Joint stability operations

Joint civil support

Joint non-traditional operations

Joint access and access denial operations

Joint land control operations

Joint maritime/littoral control operations

Joint air control operations

Joint space control operations

References