The idea here is to expand the management roles of a fleet and to allow better delegation to different members from the Fleet Boss (FB, for the record, FB will be replacing the usual term FC in order to avoid confusion with the actual fleet position). The only way that currently exists to delegate authority over fleet functions is to make a pilot the Fleet Commander (FC), a Wing Commander (WC), or a Squad Commander (SC). Unfortunately, these roles are also limited in the scope of what they have the power to do. It mostly comes down to inviting pilots into their sections, moving them between subordinate sections, and creating/naming subordinate sections. This still leaves a lot of tasks that only the Fleet Boss can perform. This situation leaves most of the management work on a single person, who may already have numerous other unimplied tasks to deal with when running a fleet.
The proposal is relatively simple: Allow the Fleet Boss to assign an executive role to specific members that gives those members management privelages equal to that of the original Boss. This role would be to fleets as Directors are to Corporations. All the same powers as the CEO with few exceptions.
Allowing more people to take responsibility over certain tasks with greater flexibility, would ultimately make the large task of fleet organization faster, and less dependent on a single individual. If more people can keep the Fleet organized, you could see more organized fleets happening with less time wasted.
For an example scenario:
An FB is preparing for a large operation to will work with a couple allied fleets to assault an objective. The FB will need to set up their fleet, create/modify/update the MOTD, organize the members into different wings and squads, communicate with recon, coordinate info with allied FBs, make and adjust a plan, etc, etc. Making sure all the ducks are in a row and everything is where it needs to be can be a very daunting task, especially when commanding fleet numbering in the hundreds. This can contribute to some of the tedious delays many of us experience during form ups.
Now let’s assume the FB can delegate his own authority to a few other members.
One pilot could be tasked with writing and updating the MOTD with proper info, while also maintains the Fleet advert and inviting any extra pilots.
Another pilot could be tasked with supervising the Fleet composition and moving pilots into specific squads or wings as needed. Something that WCs and SCs can’t really do outside of their own sections.
This leaves the FB with time to focus on his operational tasks and no longer forces them to be the single point of control to address the issues of any individual pilots one at a time. The whole fleet runs smoother and the setup is completed faster with less time spent waiting for the single person in charge to fix things.
A few side benefits:
- Longer duration fleets (standing fleets) can be much more easily managed as people leave or go inactive for a time. Constantly tossing around FB or having the FB role given to the wrong person (someone who may not even be awake) would be less of an issue since there is a more direct pool of pilots to choose from.
- More opportunities for espionage or subterfuge. If a spy were to gain access to he same roles as the FB, they could easily cause intentional disorganization of a fleet, feed fleet compositions to the enemy, or invite/kick members during critical moments.
- Pilots who are newer to leading fleets could easily be shown ropes by a more experinced FB without having to swap roles constantly. This is also helpful if your fleet isn’t composed in large part by newer pilots, since there are more people available to help individuals out.
- Allows better control of segmented fleets. Groups can choose to work as multiple wings/squads indecently of each other, while ensuring each section leader has the powers they need to manage the different aspects of fleet structure.
- Pilots with executive roles no longer have to occupy positions that may need to be delegated to pilots performing a certain function (for example a prober giving fleet warps, or a target broadcaster for a certain section).
Delegation of tasks and authority is one of the key responsibilities of Commanders everywhere. The Fleet roles and mechanics should be updated to reflect this.