92nd Air Refueling Wing demonstrates strategic deterrence readiness for Titan Fury 24-2

A KC-135 Stratotanker takes off from the runway during exercise Titan Fury 24-2 at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, March 22, 2024. During the exercise, Airmen demonstrated how Fairchild AFB generates and provides, when directed, specially trained and equipped KC-135 Stratotanker crews to conduct critical air refueling of U.S. Strategic Command-assigned strategic bomber and command and control aircraft. For decades, the KC-135 has been the backbone of Air Mobility Command’s air refueling capabilities around the world because of its ability to extend global reach and project U.S. air power. This exercise demonstrated how the 92nd Air Refueling Wing is engaged, postured and ready with a credible force to assure, deter and defend in an increasingly complex security environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Megan Delaine)

JADO - Centralization vs Decentralization

Published May 1, 2026
By PACAF/CC

TOPIC SPONSOR: PACAF/CC

What impact will JADO have for decentralized execution/tactical initiative? How does the USAF move from centralized command and decentralized execution? How can we go about pushing down authority and responsibility to the lowest level?

Cassidy, Capt. Christopher, "Enabling Decentralized Execution in JADC2: Unit Level Intelligence Case Study," SOS AUAR, 2020, 11 pgs.
Corrado, Maj. Salvatore A., "Communicating in a Degraded Environment: Command and Control during Contested Operations," AFGC thesis, 2025, 49 pgs.
- Corrado emphasizes that Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO) fundamentally require decentralized execution so the joint force can converge effects across domains at a speed and scale that outpaces an adversary's decision cycle. To push authority down, he argues the Air Force must update its current doctrine, which was heavily shaped by uncontested counterterrorism operations and currently restricts the delegation of authority. To move away from centralized micromanagement, commanders must fully embrace the framework of "Mission Command"—building mutual trust, publishing clear intent, and accepting prudent risk—so tactical-level commanders are empowered to exercise disciplined initiative when communications are degraded by near-peer countermeasures.
Fogarty, Maj. Trennart M. Barillas, "Tilted ACE: Optimizing Mission-Ready Airmen for CV-22," AFGC thesis, 2025.
- Fogarty tackles the challenge of decentralized execution within Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO) by emphasizing that the ACE environment inherently necessitates a shift away from rigid, centralized control toward a robust model of mission command. To push authority to the lowest level, he argues that CV-22 formation and aircraft commanders must be explicitly trained and trusted to accept calculated risks and make rapid tactical decisions based on the commander's intent to exploit fleeting windows of opportunity. To enable this decentralized execution while isolated from larger command structures, Fogarty recommends equipping tactical elements with sophisticated, mobile communication kits managed by MRAs, which will provide the resilient connectivity and real-time data access needed for autonomous, integrated decision-making.
Hancock, Maj. Nicholas, "Marines: Maintaining the Modernization Momentum," AFGC thesis, 2025, 54 pgs.
- Hancock addresses this by contrasting the Marine Corps' tendency to hold authorities for new domains (like cyber, space, and information) at the general officer level with the Air Force's philosophical shift toward a modernized mission command. He explains that the Air Force pushes authority down to the lowest possible level through "centralized command, distributed control, and decentralized execution," explicitly utilizing mission-type orders to empower tactical subordinates to exploit fleeting opportunities. Hancock recommends the Marine Corps adopt this decentralized model rather than keeping capabilities heavily centralized, which will increase operational tempo and flexibility in communication-constrained, joint all-domain environments.