Everybody Knows

I'm a passed over major from last year's O-5 board and I'm scheduled to meet an upcoming SSB. So far I've been unable to find any statistics from SSBs and was just curious if anyone here knew of selection % for these kind of boards? My only anecdotal data points are some who say that virtually no one gets picked up off of SSBs and others who have told me they knew at least half a dozen people who were picked up. AFPC doesn't appear to advertise these numbers, which I found to be a little odd. Bottom line, I'm ok if I don't get picked up thru this process (which at this point seems incredibly doubtful) and instead get "forced" to take TERA and move on. It's been a great run and I've worked with some really good dudes along the way. I just wish that I knew a little more about SSBs or even what my fate will be after my 1 APZ (TERA, continued, etc...).

I've never heard anyone say there would not be a "process". I simply posted that to correct your assertion that there would be ongoing CSBs.

SUBJECT: Elimination of Captain Line of the Air Force (LAF) Central Selection Boards (CSBs) 1. SAF/OS has approved a change to the current promotion procedure for the Capt LAF Central Selection Board. The Air Force will no longer have a central selection board for Captains and return to the promotion process using a "fully qualified" 100% promotion opportunity. This is effective immediately and the CY13 Capt LAF CSB currently scheduled for 15-26 July 2013 will not convene. All those eligible for promotion in CY13 will be considered for promotion in June 2013 by simply using the same process currently used for the quarterly non-line captain process, outlined in PSDM 12-83. Starting in CY 2014, those eligible for promotion will be considered on a quarterly basis using this same process (as was done from 2003-2010). Specific instructions will flow from APFC to local MPSs in AFPROMS. 2. POC is AFPC/DPSOO at AFPC.DPPPO2@US.AF.MIL

I just heard that LAF Captain promotion boards are going away effective immediately (the upcoming July board will be canx). It looks like we're back to 100% of fully qualified selection opportunities and away from all that crazy Lt PRF BS.

......Full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

Asking tough questions of an organization that appears to be adrift does not make one a "hater". Not even sure what you mean by "give the man a break". Do you mean to say that we should lower our expectations for strong leadership to get us back on track (The current CSAF has 30+ years of service and is already 20% into his term as top dawg, assuming 4 years)? As an airman and as a taxpayer, I choose not to embrace a "feeling" of unfounded eternal optimism or worse, apathy. You said, "He's the best we've had in a long while". Can you substantiate this? I can't (or haven't) really make the argument that he's been better or worse than any former CSAFs, and that's at the heart of my point here. I'm being completely honest, besides the historical politically correct witch hunt and the willy-nilly comments regarding blues Monday and nonsensical AFIs, I can't really name anything else (besides the usual, "you guys are all great", "we're really like a family", etc...). Again, and I'm being sincere here, can you please expand on this?

Posted 4/4/2013 "We're past the point of doing everything just because it says so in an [Air Force Instruction]," Welsh said. "If it makes sense, if it helps us be more combat effective, if it protects people, if it takes care of our people and develops them better, we should do it. If it wastes our time, we should stop, and we should stop today." http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123343108 Any interpret-ologist want to stab at what the CSAF means by this?

Thanks for the link. That guy seriously has a grasp on things. ......and queue up the skinny crowd with their "I like evaluating other dude's physiques and want them looking tight like a tiger in thier non-tiger uniforms" .......3......2.......1

I'm not a Cornhusker fan, but if this doesn't tug at the heart strings you might not have a pulse:

I agree that waist measurement isn't a predicator for fitness or leadership, but at some point we do have to establish regulatory guidance on what we consider public perception of an "elite" fighting force or do we want an "obese" fighting force. Hmmm, here's some ideas of how we just might create public perception that we're an "elite" fighting force: how about we make use of the best trained Air Force in existence to take down IADS before the enemy even knows what hit them, or succeed against impossible odds to rescue and transport our injured people to skilled medical teams, or move more cargo (troops & equipment) in one month than most other air forces could move in an entire year, or create/enforce an environment that keeps our soldiers from having to look up for fear of being attacked from the sky...and then lets maintain that for decades in a row, or all the other long list of stuff that has rightly given us a reputation of an "elite" fighting force. I think this is much betting than simply relying on six-pack abs to speak for what we ######ing do for a living. Everyone here is in a position of authority -- ask yourselves, how do you fix it without allowing obese(health stricken) individuals into the AF. This is not the bubonic plague we are talking about here. How about this, is the guy/gal physically fit to do their ######ing job?--check YES or NO. Yes, you too are now are a rocket scientist. Do you suggest that we only keep those who can run, pushup and situp? Duh, I don't know, why don't we assess whether are they smart, talented and provide us with an operational or tactical advantage over our enemies? If yes, then yes. If no, then no. You are now awarded your second rocket scientist certificate for the day (login to the portal and print it for framing).

This story does not surprise me at all, and it's unfortunate that this guy's career will end like this. Big Blue went against the sage advice of "NEVER Go Full Retard" a long, long time ago (and the current CSAF has done nothing to reverse that trend). The recent AFT article regarding the waist measurement review quoted CMSAF Cody as saying "If we can't fix this in six months, we need to come to terms.....that it just may be too hard to fix". YGTBFSM, we've thrived as the world's most elite air force for how many years prior to a waist measurement on a physical fitness assessment (not to mention only taking the assessment once a year during the first 50+ years), we've sent men to moon decades ago, we've successfully sent and remain in contact with a rover on Mars (that's another planet BTW), etc........and this one is too tough to tackle? JHFC, am I the only one here taking crazy pills. I seriously find it easier to relate to that poltergeist clown than I do the last couple of batches of Big Blue leadership. BTW, I've never failed the test. However, the waist measurement has been a giant pain for me. I'm one of those 93% showing up as passing each test, but I'm also part of a large segment (no pun intended) that has to do stupid shit (starve, dehydrate for at least a week out) in order to stay under the min measurement. I get more than 90% of the points for each of the physical components, yet always get dragged down by the waist. When I first saw cheerleaders for this waist measurement piping up about how great it was (some of them on this very thread), I just thought they were bit ignorant in not understanding fundamental differences in physiology from one person to the next, although I quickly figured out that their enthusiasm had more to do with the fact that they more genetically prone to be thinner and found this policy to be in their favor.........for comparison, if it was possible to be born with a strand of AAD already coded in your DNA, which means you then wouldn't be required to pursue a BS Masters degree, only those without the AAD strand would......you'd have the same cheerleaders out waiving pom-poms. Don't kid yourself, this is the same type of thinking.

A good bud of mine took VSP and got out back ~'07 (he says that he misses the camaraderie, but not Big Blue and has never regretted his decision for one second FWIW). He worked with Bradley Morris and even attended a few of their coordinated job fairs. He said he went into the interview process cold (very little prep) and came across as a complete retard (his words not mine). After some prep/practice, he actually ended up getting into one of the railroad management program (not thru Bradley Morris). He told me that if he could do it again, he would probably have taken a pay cut and started out doing taking a position in railroad operations on the line, versus going straight in the management program. He seemed to think that after getting more experience on the line, it would have opened more doors down the road.

Interesting read. I tend to agree about his timeline (2008?). The only time I've ever seen a CSAF speak in my 13 years was when I saw Mosley at the Deid back in 2007. It was also the only time I've been a little inspired by a speech in person by anyone above the rank of O-6. That's not to say that Mosley was a rockstar, but he seemed to make a lot of sense to me at the time. Funny, one memory from that experience that stayed with me was two Lt Col's complaining afterwards that the CSAF spent the entire time talking with his hands in his pockets....I hadn't even noticed it myself (nor would I have cared), as I was a little burned out at the time and found it refreshing to hear someone at that level (CSAF) discuss the importance of the mission (aircraft and doing shit that we do with aircraft). I'm typically a good natured person and try and make the best out of any situation. However, I'm incredibly cynical when it comes to General officers. I find it hard to look at them without thinking that to make those ranks one had to have climbed over lots of people and screwed over more than a few on the way to the top (for many that even means putting their families as second tier). So, when folks got all excited about Welsh and what a great speech he gave once upon a time at some institution of learning, my only impression of him was that of a used car salesman or maybe even some motivational speaker wanting you to pay to see his seminar. I did not detect inspiration at all. I saw a guy who is focused on his 5th star, or maybe even a politician wearing an AF uniform. Someone on another thread mentioned the eagerly anticipated CSAF "Vector" that he told us in early Jan would hit the streets in a "couple of weeks" and reminded us only recently again that it would be out "soon". He's been in the AF for over 30 yrs, he's been the CSAF for over 7 months now, he has a massive staff to give him any data on any topic at a moment's notice and other than no blues on Mondays a few bases, we are still working in Norty's AF. And for anyone that want's to say, "budget crisis"...."he has bigger fish to fry" yadda, yadda, yadda, I say there's a reason we appoint very senior officers to that position and not same day one Lt and that has to do with experience (more than 30yrs in most cases)..............and yet somehow I feel like I'm still living in Norty's world.....oh well, its only morale I guess. Anyway, what were we talking about?

Go back to testing once a year for all, just like we did our first 60 years. Get rid of the damn waist measurement and for FFS, get it off the damn OPR. I'll repeat an earlier comment, the new eval reg recently came out and under the description of the 707 it still has PT shit prominently highlighted.......so, nothing appears to have changed in that regard. If you go back to that e-mail that the CSAF sent out 17 days ago, it said that in a "couple of weeks" he would be giving us new expectations for career stuff and that it might include changes to the ways things are currently done. Well, 17 days is more than a couple of weeks. Mean what you say, and do what you say you're going to do. Also watch what people do, not what they say they're going to do. I'll readily admit I'm wrong if is any meaningful change, but I'm not holding my breath.

Zombie season officialy starts back up on 14 Oct 2012! http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead