Who is responsible for leading the flight according to the mission brief and commander's intent?

• A. Air Mission Commander (AMC)
• B. Aviation Liaison Officer (LNO)
• C. Brigade Aviation Officer (BAO)
• D. Flight Lead

Answer: (D)

Leading the flight means the person in charge of guiding the formation and making the execution decisions on the sortie. This role is the Flight Lead, who takes the mission brief and the commander’s intent and translates them into real-time actions: directing maneuvers, maintaining formation and timing, ensuring proper communication, navigation, and spacing, and making on-the-spot decisions to keep the flight aligned with objectives while maintaining safety. The Flight Lead is responsible for how the plan is carried out at the flight level.

The Air Mission Commander provides the overall direction and authority for the mission, but the day-to-day leadership of the specific flight rests with the person designated as Flight Lead. The Aviation Liaison Officer focuses on coordinating with ground units or other organizations, not on leading the flight. The Brigade Aviation Officer offers aviation advice at the brigade level rather than commanding a particular flight. So, the best answer is the Flight Lead because this role directly steers the execution of the mission as briefed and in line with the commander’s intent.