Ken, your observations about the process are correct, although I've never seen a battlepace owner playbook that describes the term and codifies the rules. Some BOs can be very effective within that construct, so staff and personality influences still have a significant impact,

My boss has owned two Regt/BDE-sized AOs in Iraq and Afg. He didn't care who got the credit, SOF, or GPF, but he preferred that the homegrown security forces were in on the kill as well. We had our challenges, but were not otherwise restricted.

As for your comments about Branch influence, even among like-pedigree commanders, their notions of command can differ significantly, along with their ability to execute FID and COIN. The provisional guys don't suffer too much from these matters when it comes to being employed, unless the respective staff cannot communicate their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses to the HHQ staff.