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What's wrong with the Air Force?


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Comm support should be "outsourced" to organizations that are better equipped to handle bulk IT infrastructure. Offensive and defensive Cyber operations should be treated as an MWS and organized like any other ops unit. The problem is, what gets called operations in cyber varies greatly based on background. Installing mcafee and monitoring the local network, to some, is defensive cyber ops. That is basic comm support, not cyber ops. When people go out and represent comm support as cyber operations, it creates a lot of confusion and the real ops units lose credibility. Someone who has the right mindset, in my opinion, is focused on advancing our operational capabilities in the cyber domain.

ETA: What's wrong with many leaders across the Air Force is a fundamental lack of understanding of the domains in which we operate. Air, space, and cyber are as unique as land and sea, or sea and air. Yes, they are very much integrated, but they also have very different challenges and threats. There are campaigns being waged in space and cyber every day that have nothing to do with air. We could lose air superiority by losing space or cyber. We could lose space superiority by losing air or cyber. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. The mindset that everyone in the Air Force exists to generate sorties is ridiculous. Space wings have mission support groups that enable the space ops groups to do their business. Same with cyber. Space and cyber wings are not mission support to air wings. That mindset needs to change.

Edited by Gravedigger
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Comm support should be "outsourced" to organizations that are better equipped to handle bulk IT infrastructure. Offensive and defensive Cyber operations should be treated as an MWS and organized like any other ops unit.

Agreed. I'm not a cyber or space guy. But its hard to take legitimate offensive/defensive warfighting cyber capabilities seriously when they're lumped in the same category as your local comm focal point that works 0900-1500 Monday-Thursday w/ Friday closed for training. That's just my limited perspective, though.

Edited by VTguy
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Comm support should be "outsourced" to organizations that are better equipped to handle bulk IT infrastructure. Offensive and defensive Cyber operations should be treated as an MWS and organized like any other ops unit. The problem is, what gets called operations in cyber varies greatly based on background. Installing mcafee and monitoring the local network, to some, is defensive cyber ops. That is basic comm support, not cyber ops. When people go out and represent comm support as cyber operations, it creates a lot of confusion and the real ops units lose credibility. Someone who has the right mindset, in my opinion, is focused on advancing our operational capabilities in the cyber domain.

ETA: What's wrong with many leaders across the Air Force is a fundamental lack of understanding of the domains in which we operate. Air, space, and cyber are as unique as land and sea, or sea and air. Yes, they are very much integrated, but they also have very different challenges and threats. There are campaigns being waged in space and cyber every day that have nothing to do with air. We could lose air superiority by losing space or cyber. We could lose space superiority by losing air or cyber. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. The mindset that everyone in the Air Force exists to generate sorties is ridiculous. Space wings have mission support groups that enable the space ops groups to do their business. Same with cyber. Space and cyber wings are not mission support to air wings. That mindset needs to change.

Very much agree with Gravedigger. Don't have time for a good reply now, but hope to soon. The confusion can be seen just in our AFSCs 17D & 17S. The AFOCD hasn't been updated with the new AFSC's, still has 17DA/B shreds.

I think I've posted this before, but here's our Career Field Education & Training Plan (CFETP). I was going to provide some more docs, but it was taking awhile. Just read through a few of those pages and realize.. all the training's the same. You break from UCT into your AFSC and if you go keyboard-ninja (17S) spend 24-36 months getting trained. Very similar to Ops (specifically Electronic Warfare Officers) in missions, planning and (somewhat) upgrades.

But.. the career path pyramid (pg. 14) is still the same for 17S officers, still expected to move after 3 years, same 4-year commitment. ACC/A6 said they were going to make a decision this year about how to treat the AFSC's for once and all. Too many support guys flowing over to lead Ops Sq's with no training, guys coming of keyboard ninja jobs to run AFCERT IA inspection teams to verify your COMSEC accounts.

Edited by 17D_guy
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... but here's our Career Field Education & Training Plan (CFETP)

Haha...do you think 11X's even know what that is?

But.. the career path pyramid...

Ooh...tell us more. I'm not even fucking sure there is a single 11X Career Field Manager. There's the wheel...who's got it? aMS Robot, here to serve...MQ-1 for you, MQ-9 for you, ...I like you...White Jet for you, MQ-1 for you...

Back to fixing Cyber...that IS important. Let's at least do that here...

Bendy

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Haha...do you think 11X's even know what that is?

Ooh...tell us more. I'm not even ######ing sure there is a single 11X Career Field Manager. There's the wheel...who's got it? aMS Robot, here to serve...MQ-1 for you, MQ-9 for you, ...I like you...White Jet for you, MQ-1 for you...

Back to fixing Cyber...that IS important. Let's at least do that here...

Bendy

CFETPs exist in the flying world. Flight Engineers, Boom Operators, and Loadmasters have CFETPs that rated folks should be aware of. Although training is still dictated by formal course syllabi and Vol 1s, CFETPs still play a role in how that training is developed and how skill levels are awarded.

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CFETPs exist in the flying world. Flight Engineers, Boom Operators, and Loadmasters have CFETPs that rated folks should be aware of. Although training is still dictated by formal course syllabi and Vol 1s, CFETPs still play a role in how that training is developed and how skill levels are awarded.

I didn't say they didn't (there is more to the flying world than 11X) and I agree they should be aware, however I don't think they are all that aware. Working knowledge of the Vol 1/2 is enough of a bridge most of the time.

My point was CFETPs and career planning aren't really things 11X does much of. You can add multitudes of acquisition, Intel, etc. to your list alongside enlisted aircrew. 11X just doesn't seem to feel the need to manage much of anything...we can't even figure out the difference between Core ID and RTDM is.

I add 11X Career Field Managers to my list of, "Honestly, what do you do all day?".

Bendy

Edited by Bender
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If you consider UP -> MP -> AC -> IP -> EP career progression, sure...

Never mind, everything is perfect in 11X world I guess.

I'm going to go volunteer for something now,

Bendy

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Just more proof that military promotions are becoming more about your genitals and the color of your skin and less about your merit...

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/pentagon-promotes-lean-groups-boost-women-leadership-122906058.html

The feminization of the Air Force (and I assume the other services) has been going on for some time now. 

I think it was a couple years ago that I looked at the male vs. female promo rates to O-4, O-5 and O-6 for the previous four or five promo boards. Bottom line, I figured out that though promo rates for females only seemed slightly higher than those for males, the cumulative differences over multiple promo cycles added up. I calculated that a female O-3 had 37.3% chance of making O-6, and a male O-3 had a 30.2% chance. That means that females were 24% more likely to eventually make O-6 than their male counterparts. Anecdotally, it often seems like the high-power dual-military couples I know, the husband separates/retires and flies for the airlines, while the wife stays in, due to her greater Air Force career prospects. This is crazy to me, since (again in my experience--that's all I can speak to) I've not found females to be substantially better officers/aviators than their male counterparts--they're certainly not 24% better. With clearly more emphasis from senior leaders on pushing/promoting based on gender and other factors, I can only assume that the disparity will only increase. This social engineering has gotta stop. 

TT

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Just more proof that military promotions are becoming more about your genitals and the color of your skin and less about your merit...

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/pentagon-promotes-lean-groups-boost-women-leadership-122906058.html

Everyone knows officers don't get promoted on merit .

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The other phenomena regarding "privilege" is commercials on television.  Usually, there is a person needing or creating a need for a product, this is the person without knowledge of the right thing to do or product to buy.  Then, there is the person with the answer, or the right thing to do, that solves the problem.  Watch and use your magic gender/race decoder ring to separate the smart or knowing from the ignorant or unknowing.  It's not universal but amazingly consistent.

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The other phenomena regarding "privilege" is commercials on television.  Usually, there is a person needing or creating a need for a product, this is the person without knowledge of the right thing to do or product to buy.  Then, there is the person with the answer, or the right thing to do, that solves the problem.  Watch and use your magic gender/race decoder ring to separate the smart or knowing from the ignorant or unknowing.  It's not universal but amazingly consistent.

Usually I see the wife being brilliant and the husband being a bumbling idiot.  Misandry at its best.

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ETA: What's wrong with many leaders across the Air Force is a fundamental lack of understanding of the domains in which we operate. Air, space, and cyber are as unique as land and sea, or sea and air. Yes, they are very much integrated, but they also have very different challenges and threats. There are campaigns being waged in space and cyber every day that have nothing to do with air. We could lose air superiority by losing space or cyber. We could lose space superiority by losing air or cyber. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. The mindset that everyone in the Air Force exists to generate sorties is ridiculous. Space wings have mission support groups that enable the space ops groups to do their business. Same with cyber. Space and cyber wings are not mission support to air wings. That mindset needs to change.

What you're describing is why cyber should be it's own service. Why the Air Force insists on controlling this mission is beyond me. It's the same sort of shenanigans the Army pulled with the Army Air Corps. Comm already proved they could "sink a ship" with the Stuxnet virus. I have no doubt they can do much more damage than that.

Cyber stands to gain a lot by shedding the needless overhead and lack of understanding from Big Blue. 

 

 

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What you're describing is why cyber should be it's own service. Why the Air Force insists on controlling this mission is beyond me. It's the same sort of shenanigans the Army pulled with the Army Air Corps. Comm already proved they could "sink a ship" with the Stuxnet virus. I have no doubt they can do much more damage than that.

Cyber stands to gain a lot by shedding the needless overhead and lack of understanding from Big Blue. 

 

 

maybe valid, I'm uncertain; we've yet to see our cyber dudes flex their might like the world saw the USAAF flex (CBO, nukes, etc.).  Cyber & space guys keep telling me they have amazing capes justifying an independant service if only I were read in.  Maybe.  I've just had my fill of overt posturing while hiding failures behind layers of over classification; that's an old trick.

An entirely separate issue is the practicality of attempting to create a new service from something not specific to military services.  Meaning: if cyber/space branches off should they morph into a 5th service or new 3 letter agency?  i don't know what structure would fit best, but it might not be military.  

Regardless, they'll be unable to integrate fully or be taken seriously while simultaneously insisting on total information control.  Other tribes have secret capabilities too, but through years of combat discovered we'd be more effective with smartly placed fully read in liaisons sprinkled throughout the interagency.  The JIATF construct has flaws but most times gets the right people cleared to know the right things.  Cyber/space seems totally unable to overcome their classification barriers.

 

 

 

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What you're describing is why cyber should be it's own service....

 

 

No 

maybe valid, I'm uncertain; we've yet to see our cyber dudes flex their might like the world saw the USAAF flex (CBO, nukes, etc.).  Cyber & space guys keep telling me they have amazing capes justifying an independant service if only I were read in.  Maybe.  I've just had my fill of overt posturing while hiding failures behind layers of over classification; that's an old trick...  Cyber/space seems totally unable to overcome their classification barriers.

 

 

 

Yes

The Cyber Force should be a military force with no physical fitness requirement, much higher payscale, limited to 1,000 dudes and a 36-2903 equivalent requiring neck beards and fedoras.

Yes

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  • 4 weeks later...
What will we call them once they're no longer Airmen? I suggest Bronies.

I had an S6 that was a Bronie....

No kidding, he asked us to fly his dolls over Afghanistan. We figured they were for his daughters.... The horror....

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