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What's wrong with the Air Force?


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On 11/26/2020 at 7:48 PM, Tonka said:

 mainly because of this: no one in the military really cares to help you retire (YMMV).

 

Started retirement in Mar during the first wave of shutdown.  Couldn't agree with this statement more.  You do not want to be figuring this shit out, TAP'ing, job hunting and dealing with whatever relationship issues you may/may-not have in the mean time.

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Not to hijack away from MyCS. But according to Air Force Mag, retention problems are a thing of the past. Removing bonuses, possible forced cross training, and AD to reserve/guard options. Ringing a bell from the 2013-2014 time frame? Can only hope they know what they’re doing here.

Playing devils advocate, with a surplus of people, what’s the right move for the Air Force? Is there a way to eliminate the ebb and flow we seemingly have at least once a decade?
https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-retention-soars-amid-covid-19-uncertainty/


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Covid vaccines are two or three weeks away from distribution.   The economy is still strong.  There is no reason to think that private sector hiring including aviation won’t be back by mid-2021.

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I am sure in the last year the USAF has made tremendous strides in "culture" and "environment" that makes people want to stay ....

“But it also hopefully reflects a little bit of our ability to start to provide that kind of culture and environment where Airmen and families want to stay with us, and want to be part of what the mission of the United States Air Force is.”

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23 hours ago, JimNtexas said:

Covid vaccines are two or three weeks away from distribution.   The economy is still strong.  There is no reason to think that private sector hiring including aviation won’t be back by mid-2021.

Biden - Harris.

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https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/article247558165.html

Interesting article on a congressional investigation into military aviation crashes.

Summary of findings:

- Do more with less due to Continuing Resolutions and Sequestration
- Sims don’t replace hands on training
- Admin has eaten into time that should be spent on training.


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3 hours ago, Guardian said:

Don’t tell the UPT next people that. They only want to hear they are doing amazing contrary to the results. No wash outs in UPT next so that the program doesn’t die.

What’s your UPT Next involvement? Just curious because I’ve seen pilots “wash out” of PTN and just go back to UPT. 

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Don’t tell the UPT next people that. They only want to hear they are doing amazing contrary to the results. No wash outs in UPT next so that the program doesn’t die.


No washouts is unequivocally incorrect (in any version).

As to the first sentence, probably close to true, but what results exactly do you have an issue with?

~Bendy


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12 hours ago, Ziplip said:

https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/article247558165.html

Interesting article on a congressional investigation into military aviation crashes.

Summary of findings:

- Do more with less due to Continuing Resolutions and Sequestration
- Sims don’t replace hands on training
- Admin has eaten into time that should be spent on training.


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Funny that the congressional findings basically implicate... Congress. And who's responsible to create fixes for the congressionally created problems? Not sure, but I am pretty sure it won't be congress. 

I bet the next budget post Trillions $$ spending on COVID will fix the root cause.

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https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/12/02/after-hitting-record-retention-numbers-air-force-may-push-some-troops-toward-reserves.html

"Regarding pilots, Kelly said the service is "happily manned" and almost overmanned in field-grade officers, or O-4s to O-6s, but undermanned in the ranks of second lieutenant through captain.

That "has a lot to do with our ability to actually produce and deliver more pilots," he said."

 

WTF? 

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https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/12/02/after-hitting-record-retention-numbers-air-force-may-push-some-troops-toward-reserves.html
"Regarding pilots, Kelly said the service is "happily manned" and almost overmanned in field-grade officers, or O-4s to O-6s, but undermanned in the ranks of second lieutenant through captain.

That "has a lot to do with our ability to actually produce and deliver more pilots," he said."

 

WTF? 



Wow. Looks like the rated community is going to lose it's voice in the staffs (at least at the AO level), and staffs are going to continue to push their work down to the line units, both of which will just make life harder for the line flyer.
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41 minutes ago, jazzdude said:


 

 


Wow. Looks like the rated community is going to lose it's voice in the staffs (at least at the AO level), and staffs are going to continue to push their work down to the line units, both of which will just make life harder for the line flyer.

 

Can Kelly explain then all those pilots that go out as Captains? Cause I'm not seeing them? We sure as hell didn't RIF any during sequestration (they were too young then). So the only way he could have come to this position is to conclude that the AF never produced enough pilots.....

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4 hours ago, MyCS said:

Had a buddy that did a gig there as SOS instructor.  Loved it.  However, you're basically forgotten from your AFSC.  Depending on the O6's that are coming around some even viewed it as "ditching the career field."  You're busy just instructing, while everyone else is "leading."

If you're career...why would you ever do that.  Lets look at the bios of a statistically significant sampling of O6's and 1-stars...how many have PME instructor as a Capt on there?

That said, Maxwell in 2017 was actually really nice.  Hard to believe.

Article pushes out some interesting ideas.  It would make SOS more like ALS, which it basically is now.  To claim the instruction there gets down into doctrine, strategy, or anything of lasting value is a lie.  Other service school are much longer, and we just don't instruct the same way.

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5 hours ago, MyCS said:
Quote

More abstractly and perhaps more importantly, these instructors also educate these officers in the art and science of future wars, which will likely be high-technology fights with China and Russia. The academic instructor’s job is vital — Secretary of Defense Mark Esper put the onus on the Air Force (and Space Force) to take the lead in preparing officers for future wars.

Yea...unless SOS changed DRASTICALLY since I attended...there was absolutely no war fighting value in the curriculum there. Sure, we played the worlds shittiest video game for a couple classes...but at no time do I recall any art, science, or war talk.

I guess Project X was still fun to do for a THIRD time. And drinking with classmates was good bonding. But overall...what a waste of time.

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17 minutes ago, StoleIt said:

Yea...unless SOS changed DRASTICALLY since I attended...there was absolutely no war fighting value in the curriculum there. Sure, we played the worlds shittiest video game for a couple classes...but at no time do I recall any art, science, or war talk.

I guess Project X was still fun to do for a THIRD time. And drinking with classmates was good bonding. But overall...what a waste of time.

They could get rid of SOS and the service’s capabilities wouldn’t change nor would anyone worth their salt blink an eye.  The only positive things I hear about it are trivia night downtown, stellar BBQ and drinking games, all of which I can do at my Squadron bar anytime.  SOS DG was also a self licking ice cream cone of HPO production, many of whom didn’t have to do jack all to remain on said golden path. If they actually want to teach doctrine, keep it virtual with some reading material and essays.  There were some good lessons like the promotion board exercise (which made many of us even more jaded when some of the nonners ranked the CGOC president who hooked numerous checkrides over the Weapons Officer.)  

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12 hours ago, 17D_guy said:

Had a buddy that did a gig there as SOS instructor.  Loved it.  However, you're basically forgotten from your AFSC.  Depending on the O6's that are coming around some even viewed it as "ditching the career field."  You're busy just instructing, while everyone else is "leading."

If you're career...why would you ever do that.  Lets look at the bios of a statistically significant sampling of O6's and 1-stars...how many have PME instructor as a Capt on there?

That said, Maxwell in 2017 was actually really nice.  Hard to believe.

Article pushes out some interesting ideas.  It would make SOS more like ALS, which it basically is now.  To claim the instruction there gets down into doctrine, strategy, or anything of lasting value is a lie.  Other service school are much longer, and we just don't instruct the same way.

Ironic, given the push by the last CSAF and SECAF to give additional consideration to people with "instructor" duty in their careers.

Honestly, in my community...the less time you spent in the jet, the better off you were for promotion and leadership opportunities.  It was never the guy who stayed in the jet, did 3-4 deployments, and have 4000 hours that was SQ/CC...it was the shiny penny who did one deployment back in '08, then bounced from school to staff to aide to staff before coming back as a squadron commander with 100 combat hours and half the flight hours of the youngest instructor in the squadron.  

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Honestly, in my community...the less time you spent in the jet, the better off you were for promotion and leadership opportunities.  It was never the guy who stayed in the jet, did 3-4 deployments, and have 4000 hours that was SQ/CC...it was the shiny penny who did one deployment back in '08, then bounced from school to staff to aide to staff before coming back as a squadron commander with 100 combat hours and half the flight hours of the youngest instructor in the squadron.  


That’s not an accurate statement Pawnman. Every community pushes their shiny pennies up the ladder quickly (hence the push for removal of BTZ to try and slow things down so our O-6s stop getting crushed by their sister service peers on joint staffs) and we all have anecdotal examples of those folks.

The majority of SQ/CCs in the Bone right now are on time dudes with anywhere from 3-6 combat deployments, no aide jobs, etc. I would also guess most have over 2500 hours in the jet.
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16 hours ago, dream big said:

They could get rid of SOS and the service’s capabilities wouldn’t change nor would anyone worth their salt blink an eye.  The only positive things I hear about it are trivia night downtown, stellar BBQ and drinking games, all of which I can do at my Squadron bar anytime.  SOS DG was also a self licking ice cream cone of HPO production, many of whom didn’t have to do jack all to remain on said golden path. If they actually want to teach doctrine, keep it virtual with some reading material and essays.  There were some good lessons like the promotion board exercise (which made many of us even more jaded when some of the nonners ranked the CGOC president who hooked numerous checkrides over the Weapons Officer.)  

We'd probably be better off having everyone get a PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) certification instead of SOS.  That was more useful than anything I learned at SOS....

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