Is Centralized Control and Decentralized Execution Still Valid? Yes, but It Needs Revitalized

There is a strong debate among many airmen today over the interpretation of the Air Force's centralized control and decentralized execution tenant. This debate was highlighted recently at three separate Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) lectures.1 Lt Gen (ret) Walter E. Buchanan's lecture to the student class detailed his experiences as an air component commander. He briefly mentioned the concerns over centralized control and decentralized execution.2 This led to numerous student questions addressing the application (or misapplication) of the tenant during recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Next, Gen (ret) Gregory S. "Speedy" Martin stated during his lecture to the ACSC class the tenant should be considered more as "centralized distribution".3 Finally, during a lecture from Lt Col Brian Searcy detailing his experiences as Director of Combat Operations during Afghanistan air operations in 2005, he declared that Phase IV operations are inherently more centralized and that this now "is a fact of life".4 He went on to point out that future data link technology will allow operational levels of leadership to have very detailed information from tactical level assets. This will include such items as "fuel readings". Overall, these lectures provided excellent examples why there is confusion among airmen today over centralized control and decentralized execution.