It examines the unprecedented departure from the principle of unity of command in Afghanistan in 2006, when Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan passed control of the ground fight to the International Security Assistance Force, and operations became split between several unified or 'supreme' commanders in charge of US Central Command, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and US Special Operations Command.
This Carlisle Paper discusses the traditional importance of unity of command in American doctrine and practice from World War I until now, and how this principle has been forsaken in the evolution of military command for Afghanistan.
Unity of Command in Afghanistan: A Forsaken Principle of War - Colonel Ian Hope, Strategic Studies Institute
