Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/27/2011 in all areas

  1. But, if you do, make sure you're inebriated and jack with the unsuspecting reporters just a little bit:
    2 points
  2. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123225825 More airpower enhancing information. I suppose some shoe's chair fly this shit.
    1 point
  3. I've got a better idea. You know what would really raise my morale? Send the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders or the Playmate of the Year on a USO tour. Same or less money, more effect, and morale is actually lifted! Problem solved.
    1 point
  4. The Navy SEAL that killed Bin Laden
    1 point
  5. It amazes and frankly disgusts me that the best the AF could do for this Airman was a commendation medal when MSgt's get bronze stars for enforcing uniform rules in a combat zone.
    1 point
  6. 1 point
  7. Ummm why don't you shoot her instead of the deer.
    1 point
  8. Long rant incoming. You don't seriously believe the Air Force will ever let the tail wag the dog, do you? Name me one time in history where someone said "wow we're going to have a problem with retention, we're going to dial things back for a bit". The fact is, especially as officers, we've grown accustomed to a certain quality of life that has been guaranteed for multiple years, and they're banking on the fact that enough people will be too afraid to risk that QoL as a civilian, but don't have the foresight to know what's coming down the road. Timing-wise, let me say this -- from FY1972 to FY1976 the Air Force dropped 20,000 officers and 220k enlisted. From FY1990 to FY1995, it dropped another 22,000 officers and 113k enlisted. We currently have 30k fewer people in the Air Force than from when we started this war. And that's when we were under complete GOP control for most of a decade that was more than happy to skyrocket DoD spending to record levels. Now, the military is beset on all sides by people who want to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the amount of money we spend on defense. But we don't want to lose defense capability. Where do you find the savings? Personnel. We're [allegedly] drawing down in Iraq, and the end of surging in Afghanistan is looming over the horizon in 2014. If you're not expecting another huge active duty cut in the next 3-5 years, then you haven't been paying attention to history and current trends. Fighter guys will keep going to UAVs and non-flying assignments, because there are simply fewer squadrons around to go to. What, you didn't realize this when they went from 8 fighter assignments per class at UPT down to 2? And that they went from 0 UAVs up to 3-4 per class? And when they sent a bunch of AFSOC guys to fucking Clovis and still kept deploying them 200 days a year? And when they deployed a bunch of AMC guys so much that people actually start volunteering for UAVs to escape the madness? How is this even a surprise? It's a long-term, insidious, and most likely unintentional-yet-I-like-where-this-is-going rebalancing of the force. Why should we bother retaining expensive, high maintenance pilots who are tired of deploying, when we can replace them with wide-eyed newbies who we can deploy until they drop? And then, keep enough experienced guys who are just happy enough taking one more assignment in a cockpit, that they won't ever complain? This ensures that we have a just-enough-qualified cadre for the F-35, and a bunch of prior experienced fighter guys that are still on the payroll for the future, but are solving the UAV issue in the present term. Furthermore, all the benefits we as a military service currently enjoy came from veterans and sympathetic lawmakers fighting for it. The GI bill, the even better post-9/11 GI bill, educational assistance, military retirement (remember REDUX? it wasn't THAT long ago). These things were fought for by vet lawmakers for vets. Well, those people are dying off and retiring slowly, but surely. We're exporting this whole "military service" thing to a very specific, and very small portion of the American population. Look at the people who remember what it was like in the Cold War, honestly appreciate your service, and would give you the shirt off their back to keep you warm. I bet most of them have gray hair. And as time marches on, they will get fewer and farther between. Look at the current President, and his likely Republican challengers for 2012, not a single goddamn day of military service amongst ANYONE besides Ron Paul. But there sure as hell are a lot of J.D.'s. And you think this is going to get better? In 2000 we talked about how good it was back in 1990. In 2011 we all talk about how good it was in 2000. And in 2020 we'll talk about how good we had it back in 2010. Change is the only constant you can depend on, and it won't be for the better. We're governed by men of rhetoric, not action. They will proclaim their support of the military loudly, take a PR-sanitized tour of your deployed base with their American flag jumpsuit, and then deploy your stupid gullible ass to another war without thought or care for what you're giving up, while simultaneously gutting 1) your ability to do your job, 2) pay, and 3) benefits to make room for super high-tech procurement contracts so that they can win votes back home. Below these men of rhetoric are generals who have already banked their 19k a month retirement check and follow-on CEO position at a defense contractor, many of whom will not hesitate to RIF you or deploy you so that their excel spreadsheet macro turns green, and it makes their masters happy. As it goes down from star to eagle to oak leaf to bar to stripe, it will get bastardized into "well these are the boss' orders, we have to do our duty", and so, the game continues. I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that we should get rid of this misconception that aviators have any leverage whatsoever with things like retention. I know everyone thinks "well if they keep screwing with us, we'll all leave and show them who really has the power", but, honestly, that's just wishful thinking. And, even worse, a lot of people think "well if I just play the game, I'll get taken care of", leading to an attitude where you'll casually throw your own people under the bus just to keep that quality of life you have. The situation will continue to erode, so I guess my advice is to protect yourself and your families from the looming storm ahead, but don't forget to take care of your fellow servicemembers and vets, because nobody else will.
    1 point
  9. We shouldn't be inflating action that legitimately deserves recognition, but isn't extraordinary, in order to rise to the level of combat medals that are being handed out like candy to people who have never seen actual combat and have never done anything to deserve a medal for combat service. We should be deflating the accomplishments that are undeserving of such recognition back to where they're intended to be. Good on this kid, but he doesn't need a Bronze Star for doing what is (or should be) expected of him seeing as he's a member of the military.
    -2 points
×
×
  • Create New...