Operational Control in Afghanistan

On Thursday, General David Petraeus announced that he was broadening General Stanley McChrystal’s authority over U.S. forces in Afghanistan to an extent unprecedented for commanders in that country. General McChrystal has now gained operational control over some forces that were previously outside his purview as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, including Marine elements and Special Operations forces.

Author Charles T. Berry, Jr., brings some clarity to the meaning of operational control and the derivation of its authority in relation to joint doctrine in his article “Understanding OPCON” in the April issue of Joint Force Quarterly.

Read his article here: http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/images/jfq-57/berry.pdf.