Command and Control Issues
Operation Moduler raised the issue of the relevance of a command structure that was centralized in Pretoria, allowing limited freedom in decision-making by the commaning officer in the field. All decisions had to be ratified by General Kat Liebeberg, who was based in Pretoria and thus far removed from the rapidly escalating force build up in Angola. One commentator notes that Kat Liebeberg was dealing with the unraveling of Operation Katzen at the same time that Operation Moduler was escalating, suggesting that this caused him to fail in his appreciation of the FAPLA build-up.
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