One thing that has always made our military so effective was
to move decision making down to the people actually there.
Not Soviet/Chinese/Democrat style central control.
I was a low level Senior NCO. I made some decisions that affected some international operations
I was cautioned that I might want to consult
higher ranks. But in a time frame that is very short at 3 AM I always felt empowered to do what the rule book said to do.
I grounded aircraft with a few hundred people in it.
Aircrew Officers did not argue with me.
I signed off on safety of flight. Aircrew could have ignored me. None ever did.
US Military backbone is the NCO’s
This works as long as there is synchrony between "our" national objectives and the Commander in Chief. "The people actually there", of which I have sometimes been, are just executing the directives if the Commander in Chief.
Yup.