Reed11b writes:

I am a huge decentralization and combined arms fan, but my efforts to crunch the numbers on air-power and arty distributed to Batt. and lower formations has convinced me that this is a BAD idea.
When I was working the Counterinsurgency Targeting and ISR study for the Joint Center for Operational Analysis (JCOA) here in Joint Forces Command, we looked at much the same cost-benefit analysis and the solutions are varied. Pick your poison. There is certainly an awareness that overhead may not be worth the coast of bringing the asset down. If you aren't going to do that, then you need to find a way to shorten the "observe" cycle time since requesting the asset eats up precious moments. That's mostly what we're working on for the Enhanced Company Operations concept.

Certainly the problem of "penny-packeting" or "peanut butter spread" of resources/assets is germane, but we expect the higher level commander to set the rules on that, based on the situation. If the scenario requires the ability to quickly mass such assets, then the C2 rig must allow it. If not, then it's not a problem. Currently we're doing COIN and not feeling any ill effects in this realm.

Soviets had that wonderful C2 machinery for taking ownership of assets at a stroke--a Division-level Chief of Rocket Troops and Artillery (CRTA) on the Division staff could, with just a call on the Division Fires net, get control of every artillery and mortar tube in the Division to fire on a particular target within range. Not something they did very often, but they could. They also were able to put disparate, dispersed, and discrete elements of various penetrating forces onto one comm net...and put everyone under a single Operational Maneuver Group commander when required so that these forces could congeal in the depth of the NATO defenses and attack vulnerable targets in the rear in a concerted way. Great theory--and I'm glad to say we never had to see how good they were at doing this in practice!

As Marines, we're somewhat luckier than the U.S. Army in getting responsive air support, be it UAVs/UASs or fixed wing aircraft. These are flown by Marines for Marines and there's a lot of professional pressure put on the aviators by the ground guys to provide good service. Reputations are made and broken in this very clubby Marine Corps through successes and failures in this. Our issues generally are on streamlining procedures--but we do "det out" rotary wing aviation packets based out of Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARPs) for days at a time...almost like decentralizing assets!