Carrier command and the use of specialist staff

Kusaka is credited with taking the Pearl Harbor plan into its final operational form. His aviation experience matters because the force needed specialist knowledge within its planning staff. The wider argument is that commanding a carrier formation does not require the admiral to be an aviator. A surface officer or submariner can direct the formation if the staff supplies the relevant expertise. The commander still needs enough training and familiarity to understand that advice and make decisions across the force's different capabilities.