Origin of Centralized Control and Decentralized Execution

By Ren F Romero

Air Force Doctrine Document 1 states, "Air forces must be controlled by an airman who maintains a broad perspective in prioritizing limited assets across the range of operations." Hence, "centralized control by an airman" becomes the essence of airpower's basic tenet, centralized control and decentralized execution. This study concentrates on the origin of U.S. airpower's core tenet, especially with regard to its essence. The search ultimately evolves into an analysis of the doctrinal evolution of centralized control by an airman from World War I through early World War II.

The search begins with the American military experience in the Allies' North African campaign in late 1942, the turning point for the adoption of airpower's core tenet. After an ineffective application of airpower culminating in the Allies' defeat at Kasserine Pass, centralized control of air forces by an airman became codified into official doctrine. This study attempts to find the origin by examining the events surrounding the American Air Service's first combat experience in World War I, the Battle of St. Mihiel. Next, it examines what the classical airpower theorists concluded about centralized control by an airman as a means to determine what shaped the interwar doctrine with which Army Air Forces entered World War II.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1249284147
• ISBN13: 9781249284147
• Release Date: August 2012
• Publisher: Biblioscholar
• Length: 118 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.4" x 9.7"