Remembering the Future of Centralized Control-Decentralized Execution

The advent of technological advancements in computers and communications capability has resulted in a frightening tendency to centralize execution of military operations. This thesis will focus on command and control (C2) as an operation and show that the USAF command and control tenet of "centralized control-decentralized execution," is vital to the success of current and future command and control employment concepts which should drive system development. To realize the significance of the USAF C2 tenet of "centralized control-decentralized execution," one must understand how C2 is executed, in contingency theaters of operation. The best way to view the execution of C2 is to start with the effect desired within the battlespace and work backwards. As you read this thesis, it is important to focus on this distinction. Visualizing command and control of aerospace power this way, will highlight the importance of tactics, techniques and procedures, and their relationship to decentralized execution resulting from centralized control. The historic success of air and space power, since its first use as a militarily tool, has centered on the evolution of "centralized control and decentralized execution."