Apollo's service history prompts a discussion of how long a commanding officer should remain aboard. A tour of roughly three to four years is long enough to build experience and run training but short enough to keep qualified officers moving through the force. That circulation matters because an expanding fleet needs leaders at several levels, including posts above individual ship command. The class's notional wings hint at formation command, but a sustainable structure depends on deliberately generating officers able to fill those posts.
Notable Point · 1:08:10-1:09:38
Command tours must build the next formation leaders
Three- or four-year command tours would balance continuity aboard each BC-304 with the need to produce experienced leaders for larger formations.