Millitary-style leaders will probably keep being a necessity. But perhaps in a less top-down controlled society, there would be less chance that things get to the point of the submarine surfacing at all.
Most large conflicts in human history have been about imperialism - one powerful ruling class trying to expand their power to new lands. Without the ruling class, it is hard to imagine millions of people caring whether they "control" some piece of land thousands of miles away. Would the US have gone to Vietnam if there weren't a ruling class that cared about extending their influence? To Irak? To Afghanistan? To El Salvador? Would they have orchestrated coups against the democratic leadership of Iran to protect BP's operations, and reinstalled their ousted absolutist monarchy? Would they have assassinated Iranian generals?
It’s far more complex than that. I live in a country that has successfully implemented a regional response to COVID 19 with the national government playing the role of coordinator but not dictating policy. The failure in the US is a failure at all levels and on all sides. Forcing policy from the top wouldn’t have worked any better if you don’t have trust and competence at local levels.
Most large conflicts in human history have been about imperialism - one powerful ruling class trying to expand their power to new lands. Without the ruling class, it is hard to imagine millions of people caring whether they "control" some piece of land thousands of miles away. Would the US have gone to Vietnam if there weren't a ruling class that cared about extending their influence? To Irak? To Afghanistan? To El Salvador? Would they have orchestrated coups against the democratic leadership of Iran to protect BP's operations, and reinstalled their ousted absolutist monarchy? Would they have assassinated Iranian generals?