A general term applied to a combatant commander, subunified commander, or joint task force commander authorised to exercise combatant command (command authority) or operational control over a joint force.

According to Joint Publication 0-2, Unified Action Armed Forces, Chapter III, Paragraph 3, Page III-3, COCOM is the command authority over assigned forces vested only in the commanders of combatant commands by title 10, USC, section 164 (or as directed by the President in the UCP) and cannot be delegated or transferred.