Combat Leadership: To Fly or Not to Fly?

Abstract

Senior rated officers in command billets face many mutually exclusive obligations on a daily basis. The most complex dichotomy may be that of their roles as an air leader, leading their combat forces into battle, and as a unit commander, responsible for the leadership of a large, complex organization preparing for or fighting a war. This study will analyze the tension from these competing demands on wing commanders and their senior staff members and define what should be considered their role in modern air combat. Looking at it from a neutral position, there appears to be, at least in this study, more arguments against than for senior leaders flying in combat. However, this does not imply that senior leaders should NOT fly in combat, THEY WILL. It does, however, lead to the requirement for an analytical and objective, unbiased decision process.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1990
Accession Number
ADA230372

Entities

People

  • Bradford S. Crandall
  • Franklin G. Baehre Jr.
  • Freneau B. Surguine Iii
  • James M. Deaver
  • William A. Mcloughlin
  • William D. Orcutt

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Combat Forces
  • Combat Operations
  • Combat Readiness
  • Employment
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Fighter Bombers
  • Instructors
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Students
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation
  • Systems Analysis and Design