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Teaos wrote:You'd think that trained military officers would be slightly better than that.

Yes - because the follow th chain of command. If you take that away the confusion that Enkidu describes springs up.

Also I was only saying to use it in situations were there is a clear advantage. Most of the time rank wins but when someone has an obvious tactical advantage people should deffer to them.

If someone has extensive knowledge of a particular situation then they should be appointed to advise the fleet commander, not replace him.

Insedently what would happen if a fleet assembeled and it only had like 12 Captains. Who would command it?

You'd base it on seniority.

Most of the time rank wins but when someone has an obvious tactical advantage people should deffer to them.

Well, you can't make military regulations that are in place 80% of the time. Who gets to decide when a particular rule applies to them or not? You're talking about creating chaos during a situation that demands order. As far as defering to people who have an 'obvious tactical advantage,' that is the option of the ranking officer. If you consistently educate your people correctly, promote the right people, and assign them according to their strengths and weaknesses, then you will end up with admirals who WILL defer decision or accept advice when necessary.

Look at the fleet fighting the Borg in First Contact. I can't remember if a Admiral or anyone was in control of that fleet but when Picard arrived he didn't have time to ass around giving advise. He took comand because he knew what was best for the situation and everyone deffered to him because they knew he knew best.

I thought it had been established that the flagship was incapacitated/destroyed byt the time the E-E arrived?

IIRC, it was. Picard probably had seniority over the other captains there, or whoever was in charge decided to let the hero call the shots.

Even if it had someone else would have assumed command. And being that close to Earth someone in starfleet HQ could be commanding the fllet from the ground just as well as anyone on the ships. Maybe better since they wouldn't have been getting shot at. Picard still dived right into command and everyone listened.

Asw we mentioned, everyone listened because he was the most senior officer present and able to command. If there were and admiral still present and able, you can bet your sweet patootie that Picard would have issued fleet-wide orders IF AND ONLY IF requested to by, or receiving permission from, that admiral.

Well, if the Admiralty was calling the shots, its likely they knew Picard had experience against the brog, and simply gave the other ships orders to ddo what he said.

Granted we didn't see everything but it was made clear they didnt even want him there so I doubt they gave him command. It seems as if he just burst onto the scene and everyone knowing his reputation deffered to him.

Perhaps the captains collectively decided 'screw the admirals, this guy knows what he's doing' and followed him instead.

Perhaps the captains collectively decided 'screw the admirals, this guy knows what he's doing' and followed him instead.

It seems as if he just burst onto the scene and everyone knowing his reputation deffered to him.

I don't think that his reputation would have made other skippers follow his orders if an admiral were still around giving his own orders...

I never get things like that. They always seem to be one admiral controlling everything. Not even a full admiral or fleet admiral. I mean, surely the leader of starfleet should be controlling things like the inevitable destruction of earth? Not one of many vice admirals? Always irked me.

Delegation is the cornerstone of command.

Surely, the chief of Starfleet would have to have someone in charge of the fleet ops, while at the same time coordinate contingency evac procedures, emergency services placement, incoming battle groups, etc.; PLUS the operations outstanding in the field.

Vice Admiral Hansen seemed to be the one co-ordinating the entire thing. Maybe in the invasion of 001 a vice admiral would be in sole charge of assembling ships, but in something like the Dominion War, only Vice Admiral Ross seemed to be the one there! In a war the chief of the military (General/General of the Army) would not hand out the entire war effort to a Major General. What is he doing? Sitting there and doing paperwork?