Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)

Headquartered in Miami, Fla.

| Official Web site

The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), a descendent of U.S. military units dispatched to Panama in the early 20th century, was activated as a unified command in 1963. SOUTHCOM is responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security cooperation for Central and South America, the Caribbean (except U.S. commonwealths, territories and possessions) and Cuba; as well as for the force protection of U.S. military resources at these locations.

Source: Adapted from U.S. government regulations, "U.S. Government Manual", and "An Overview of the U.S. Intelligence Community"
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Top Secret Work
Number of Work Locations

9

Number of Contracting Clients

29

Types of Work (19)  
Types of Work
The Post has divided Top Secret work into ten categories. Companies' work for the government falls under the type(s) shown. For a detailed description of a category, click on the function or type it into one of our searches.
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The reporters

Dana Priest

Investigative reporter Dana Priest has been The Washington Post's intelligence, Pentagon and health-care reporter. She has won numerous awards, including the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for public service for "The Other Walter Reed" and the 2006 Pulitzer for beat reporting for her work on CIA secret prisons and counterterrorism operations overseas. She is author of the 2003 book, "The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace With America's Military, (W.W. Norton).

William M. Arkin

William M. Arkin has been a columnist and reporter with The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com since 1998. He has worked on the subject of government secrecy and national security affairs for more than 30 years. He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books about the U.S. military and national security.

Project Credits

Stephanie Clark, Ben de la Cruz, Kat Downs, Dan Drinkard, Anne Ferguson-Rohrer, Justin Ferrell, David Finkel, Jennifer Jenkins, Robert Kaiser, Laris Karklis, Jacqueline Kazil, Lauren Keane, Todd Lindeman, Greg Manifold, Jennifer Morehead, Bonnie Jo Mount, Larry Nista, Ryan O’Neil, Sarah Sampsel, Whitney Shefte, Laura Stanton, Julie Tate, Doris Truong, Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso, Michael Williamson, Karen Yourish, Amanda Zamora.

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