Maybe what we need is a Soldier friendly virus that shuts down our information architecture for an extended period. Of course we would initially be paralyzed, but out of desparation Commander's would contact their subordinates on radio and tell them to do the best they can without his micromanagement.

A whole generation of junior leaders who had the "Dad may I" way of doing business ground into them, would all the sudden be empowered. Sort of like releasing a wild beast into the wilderness after years of capitivity. It would be very uncomfortable for the beast at first, but after a few months he would never voluntarily go back into the cage.

Then we could do real network operations, with independent cells at the Platoon level operating on their own within the Commander's intent, getting to the point where they could actually out manuever our nimble enemy because they would be allowed to adjust to ground truth without asking higher.

Someone recently published a book on the end of man and what the world would be like without man, I would like to see a book on what the Army would look like without the excessive micromanagement we endure at the operational level. It might lead to a needed paradigm shift in our community, or as GS stated it might lead to parting the Red Sea.

There is a lot of good that comes out of our C4I architecture, so we need to take care not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

The reality is that leadership is decisive, and if we get leadership in place that encourages individual initiative and underwrites subordinate mistakes we could create a new cultural norm. Without leadership firmly directing the change it won't happen.