The small wars fought by the French in Algeria and the United States in Vietnam provide lessons for the United States military to use today. Although neither France nor the United States met their strategic objectives, their command and control (C2) models show contrasting examples. The French model allowed air commanders to concentrate solely on the needs of ground commanders in their geographic area at the expense of the ability to mass airpower when needed. Commanders in Vietnam required a system that catered to the political environment in Southeast Asia and therefore the doctrine of centralized control and decentralized execution suffered. In order to strike a balance, the United States Air Force (USAF) developed the Air Component Coordination Element (ACCE) to allow centralized control of airpower while still addressing the needs of geographic ground commanders. As the ACCE continues to evolve, leaders must remember the lessons of Vietnam and Algeria to insure they make the best use of airpower.

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