JP 1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States - Defense ...

CHAPTER V
JOINT COMMAND AND CONTROL
“[My job is] to give the President and the Secretary of Defense military advice
before they know they need it.”
1. General Principles
General John W. Vessey, Jr., US Army
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
(18 June 1982–30 September 1985)
SECTION A. COMMAND RELATIONSHIPS
a. Command. Command is central to all military action, and unity of command is
central to unity of effort. Inherent in command is the authority that a military commander
lawfully exercises over subordinates including authority to assign missions and
accountability for their successful completion. Although commanders may delegate
authority to accomplish missions, they may not absolve themselves of the responsibility
for the attainment of these missions. Authority is never absolute; the extent of authority is
specified by the establishing authority, directives, and law.
b. Unity of Command and Unity of Effort. Unity of command means all forces
operate under a single commander with the requisite authority to direct all forces employed
in pursuit of a common purpose. Unity of effort, however, requires coordination and
cooperation among all forces toward a commonly recognized objective, although they are not
necessarily part of the same command structure. During multinational operations and
interagency coordination, unity of command may not be possible, but the requirement for
unity of effort becomes paramount. Unity of effort—coordination through cooperation and
common interests—is an essential complement to unity of command. Unity of command
requires that two commanders may not exercise the same command relationship over
the same force at any one time.
c. Command and Staff. JFCs are provided staffs to assist them in the decision-making
and execution process. The staff is an extension of the JFC; its function is command support
and its authority is delegated by the JFC. A properly trained and directed staff will free the
JFC to devote more attention to directing subordinate commanders and maintaining a picture
of the overall situation.
(1) Chain of command is the succession of commanding officers from a superior to
a subordinate through which command is exercised.
(2) Staffing is the term used to describe the coordination between staffs at higher,
adjacent, and subordinate headquarters. Higher headquarters staff officers exercise no
independent authority over subordinate headquarters staffs, although staff officers normally
respond to requests for information.
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