"IMO every pilot should know two rules about climb/speed control:

1.Excess power controls descent/climb. This happens in 2 ways:
◦Changing the power setting
◦Changing the speed resulting in a change in power required
2.AOA controls speed."

It is the mark of a fundamentalist to speak in absolutes. I can easily change the speed at a fixed power setting(climb or descent) with pitch.

Try flying a 3 degree glideslope using AOA only without any power change, doesn't work in the real world. Both AOA and power are required in real world situations to control speed and performance.

Textbooks simplify this point, but don't take into account the interaction between the two. If AOA is fixed power has to change, if power is fixed AOA has to change to get the desired performance at the extremes-but between the extremes there is a blending of the two.

I was reading Aerodynamics For Naval Aviators(on the way to becoming a Naval Aviator) when you were still in diapers, or perhaps a gleam in your fathers eye. I also have years of instructor time in Military jets.

The two factors interact, even more so when you are pulling six g's or negative g's.