Succession Plans for Megaproject Command

Groves admits the Manhattan Project lacked embedded career officers and a ready deputy to take over if he or Nichols became incapacitated. Critical technical programs should institutionalize leadership redundancy and cultivate operator‑leaders who can rotate into top roles without disrupting execution. — This reframes state capacity for AI, energy, and defense builds around eliminating single points of failure in leadership through deliberate talent pipelines and designated successors.