Cunningham preferred to give many forces simple tasks at the same time, creating a confusing operational picture without burdening subordinates with elaborate plans. The same command ethic set a limit on risk: an operation had to offer a legitimate benefit before it could justify risking lives. When higher authority ordered work he considered wasteful, he passed the order down formally but did not follow up if it was left undone. His subordinates understood the signal. High activity, simple execution, and resistance to useless sacrifice shaped his approach to command.
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Cunningham's command ethic and aversion to waste
Cunningham combined many simple simultaneous operations with a refusal to waste lives on missions that offered no legitimate benefit.