United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is the geographic combatant command responsible for United States military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia, except for Israel, which is under United States European Command. Central Command is headquartered in MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida, with a forward headquarters at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Central Command was established on 1 January 1983, growing out of United States Readiness Command's Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force, which itself was established on 1 March 1980 . Prior to its establishment, military operations in the Middle East were the responsibility of United States European Command, and before that United States Strike Command.