Which organization has operational control of military forces?

• A. Office of the Secretary of Defense
• B. Military Departments
• C. Presidential Directives
• D. Combatant Command

Answer: (D)

Operational control is the authority to deploy and direct military forces in pursuit of a mission, including assigning tasks and directing actions to accomplish objectives. Combatant Commands hold this authority over forces that are assigned to them, though those forces are provided by the Military Departments. In practice, the Military Departments (Army, Navy, etc.) handle administrative control—personnel, funding, training, and support—while the Combatant Commands have the actual authority to plan and execute operations with the forces assigned to them. The Office of the Secretary of Defense focuses on policy and oversight rather than directing field operations, and presidential directives are orders from the President, not an organization that wields OPCON.