U.S. Navy type commands perform administrative, personnel, and operational training functions in the United States Navy for a "type" of weapon system (e.g., naval aviation, submarine warfare, surface warships) within a fleet organization.
Aircraft carriers, carrier airwings, aircraft squadrons, and naval air stations are under the administrative control of the appropriate Commander Naval Air Force. Ballistic missile submarines, attack submarines, and submarine tenders come under the administrative control of the appropriate Commander Submarine Force. All other surface warships (i.e., cruisers, destroyers, frigates, littoral combat ships, patrol vessels, and amphibious warfare vessels) fall under the administrative control of the appropriate Commander Naval Surface Force. This type command structure is mirrored in United States Fleet Forces Command and the United States Pacific Fleet. Normally, the type command controls the ship during its primary and intermediate training cycles, and then the warship moves under the operational control of the respective fleet command once it is ready for deployment.[1]
The two previous submarine type commands supervised Submarine Groups, Submarine Squadrons, and other units. The Commander of a Submarine Group is known, in official Navy communications, as COMSUBGRU (followed by a number), such as COMSUBGRU ONE.