Central Defense Command (CDC) was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the U.S. Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Midwest region of the United States. A second major responsibility of CDC was the training of soldiers prior to their deployment overseas. The first Commanding General of CDC was Lieutenant General Ben Lear, who continued on in command of the Second U.S. Army. CDC headquarters was co-located with the existing Second Army headquarters in Memphis. CDC's operational region covered the states of Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.