Unified Action: A Bridge Too Far?
Abstract
The debate on how to establish unity-of-action for a given military operation has been growing in importance over the last forty years. This debate becomes even more poignant in today's world where operational commanders have an increased responsibility outside of normal war fighting functions. Political ramifications from working with interagency and international partners have changed the traditional military command and control dynamic and forced introspection on the joint principles driving United States military operations. The establishment of an operational command structure based solely on the principle of unity-of-command falls short of guaranteeing unity-of-effort. The joint force commander must understand the other organizations working in the area of operations and successfully coordinate and synchronize actions. Operational commanders must clearly align the operational command structure with the objectives to preclude mutual interference, establish coordination bodies and a network of liaisons to synchronize the effects of different entities, and educate all partners on organizational capabilities and limitations, to ensure the United States Government achieves unified action in complex interagency and international operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 23, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA484479
Entities
People
- Adam E. Hyams
Organizations
- Naval War College