Andrew Cunningham commanded Mediterranean operations ashore when even a beloved capital ship could not house the facilities and staff he needed. Modern communications can extend that logic across the globe when the headquarters ashore offers a wider picture than a deployed flagship. During Operation Corporate, Sandy Woodward commanded the carrier battle group, while John Fieldhouse directed the wider Falklands task force from Northwood in Britain. Fieldhouse's headquarters gave him the broad intelligence, allied, Soviet, staff, and operational picture required for task-force command. The distinction also illustrates widening command scope: a battle-group commander follows one formation, a task-force commander coordinates multiple groups, and a fleet commander may have to visualize operations spanning the world. These examples show that physical presence with the striking force can be less valuable than access to the information and command capacity needed to coordinate the whole operation.
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Cunningham and Fieldhouse show why admirals may command ashore
Examples from the Mediterranean and Falklands show senior admirals leaving the flagship - or never deploying - when headquarters provides the staff, communications, and global picture the command requires.