Combat Leadership: To Fly or Not to Fly?

摘要

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.