8th US Army

On 10 January 1998, 8th Army became an Army Service Component Command (ASCC), an organization with multiple capabilities and increased flexibility. An ASCC is both a unit and a function designed to render operational support to army units as well as Title 10 logistics support to other services within the theater of operations. This move represents a general trend among theater armies, and more specifically, numbered armies, to reorganize and assume greater operational warfighting duties with fewer logistic and support responsibilities. This monograph answers the research question: Based on history, doctrine, and theory, can 8th Army execute the missions and increased duties of an ASCC? A secondary question is whether or not such a change is necessary or more effective. This monograph addresses these issues through the constructs of history, theory, and doctrine and concludes with a comparison of 8th Army with two of its counterpart organizations- US Army Europe (USAREUR) and 3d Army. Eighth Army has a unique and honorable history. During World War II, 8th Army fought as a field army; between wars, it was an occupation force in Japan; during the Korean War, 8th Army fought as both a field and theater army; and, throughout the Cold War, it remained primarily a theater army with operational logistic missions. Doctrine, from theater army to operational logistics, has evolved to allow area Commanders-in-Chief (CINC) tremendous flexibility in designing their ASCCs. These changes give greater power to the area CINC to configure the ASCC to meet the unique needs of a specific geographical area. These changes also allow the CINC to assign operational support as well as warfighting duties to the ASCC. These increased capabilities allow 8th Army to assume greater warfighting duties.