JMA - I'm beginning to understand where you're coming from.

The British follow 10 principles of war, closely related to the US's 9 but distinctly different. Your "selection and maintenance of the aim" is closely related to our "objective."

I think what you're saying is that by setting the aim or objective and following the principle of "mission command" methodology becomes less material than by dictating the methods used.

The mission command concept, being about trust in subordinates, intitiative, flexibility, and ingenuity, seems to be what you're really talking about.

I think mission command has a place in tactics, but less in national security strategy - I think there is still a necessity to get specific.