UNSC High Command (Azure Dawn)

UNSC High Command (HIGHCOM) was a centralized strategic command of the UNSC Defense Force. It was responsible for high-level executive directives and also strategic orders, and had the authority to dispatch military forces into combat situations.
It answered only to the UNSC Defense Council and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who after the Human-Covenant War, began implementing high-level oversight over the working of the Defense Force, significantly interfering the the autonomy of HIGHCOM. While formerly it was the executive administration over the workings of the Defense Force and UNSC Strategic Command solely decided about how best to deploy forces, now, strategic orders about the deployment of forces were decided by the Defense Council and the Joint Chiefs, and HIGHCOM and UNSC Strategic Command jointly decided upon deployment details.