A key requirement for responsible AI in the military is to ensure meaningful human control (MHC) in operational settings. However, MHC is not a binary concept; it could vary from one operational setting to another depending on context and the competencies of available humans and autonomous systems. We propose and discuss five patterns of MHC and highlight some of their key characteristics. We argue that control is only meaningful when humans have sufficient cognitive resources to perform control functions and when the behavior of autonomous systems in their operational context is sufficiently predictable. By anchoring the MHC patterns in human’ s cognition and situation uncertainty, we propose initial requirements for interaction design, testing and validation, and identify gaps in existing scientific understanding.