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Great analysis. Your friend writes well and seems genuinely strategically savvy.. most notably in that he avoids saying the quiet part out loud: “Conclusion The central question was never whether Gaza was a challenging environment. Nor was it whether Hamas posed a serious threat, employed tunnels, took hostages, fired rockets, or embedded itself among civilians. All of that is true. The question was whether those conditions compelled the methods chosen — or whether they were invoked to justify choices that were poorly aligned with Israel’s own stated objectives.” He (smartly) doesn’t mention the clear “unstated” objective: to completely evict the Palestinians from the area. Once evaluated by that criteria suddenly everything starts to make perfect sense.

It’s the Navy way.

The Rhino is a great jet, but also unnecessary for the task at hand when the AF already has a lot of Vipers, planned through 2047, a SPO, etc. From a program and financial perspective, it does not make sense to procure Rhinos…as good of a jet as it is.

They were spooning. That's gay.

Tulsi Resigns Effective 30 June Guess we're invading Cuba in July 🤔

"hard to replace". Give me a break.

...and not a single pilot died. Worth it.

The Senate had a meeting with the AG. Reports say it didn't go well. Sounds like they're going home and taking their ball with em. No Reconciliation Bill. Maybe Congress starts growing more spine.

If an A-10X is not possible then BURT’s argument finds another reason here https://www.twz.com/a-10-pilots-compelling-case-for-replacing-warthogs-with-super-hornets 7 squadrons, all F models, CFT equipped. CSAR, CAS, BAI, DCA prioritized in that order.

Some Guard squadrons, Kunsan, Osan, Aviano - start it right now. It can be done without any more iron or new squadrons activated. This is the easy button for big blue, but they still won’t do it.

We've been down this road, and similar paths, constantly and consistently since the 1970s. I'll believe that Big Blue is serious about CSAR (and CAS) beyond the A-10 when the following things occur: 1. SPECIFICALLY, in-writing, designate a MINIMUM of FIVE squadrons (of the MDS of their choosing) that will take CSAR as a PRIMARY mission. These squadrons will take dedicated, three week (or longer) TDYs to Moody AFB to learn, refine, and become proficient in the CSAR mission so that when the last Hog flies West, the mission is so deeply ingrained in the PRIMARY focus that no stress or strain can erase it. Why 5? I'd argue that's the absolute minimum number for a somewhat regular AFFORGEN deployment rhythm. Welcome to the world of low-density, high-demand. Who's going to want to go into no-kidding combat without Sandys? They will also publish the recurring training events that will prove to the entire CAF that the commitment of NEVER leaving a comrade behind on the field of battle is alive, well, and preserved in the United States Air Force. This won't happen, because it hasn't happened. In order to do this, those five squadrons will have to give up other missions in order to focus on CSAR. It isn't a pickup game, and if we relegate it as such, we're breaking faith with our own. Period, dot, full-stop. So, what can we ask that F-16, F-15E, or F-35 squadron to give up in exchange for keeping CSAR alive at such a pace that our own don't lose faith in our ability to come snatch them from the Valley of the Shadow of Death on the worst day of their lives? Draw the line in the sand. Demonstrate the commitment. Spoken words are hollow. Write it. Sign your name to it and accept the accountability for the decision. If we're not willing to do that, to that level, then we have to get serious in another way. Alternative COA: Give the mission in its entirety to the US Navy. Carriers are near the fight and are mobile. Sign it all over if we're not willing to do what it takes and maintain the mission at the standard that was forged in the skies over Vietnam. The mission has been tinkered with and tossed around a few times, and every time that's happened, it hasn't been good. We had to relearn the TTPs in Desert Storm, and that only happened because enough A-1 vets were retained in the young Hog community to keep the idea alive. Draw the line and go big, or punt on fourth down. Doctrinally, the USN is the closest to the USAF CSARTF in terms of composition, so push it all over there. Zero's perfect solution because I have the pens: Get serious about what war has really been over the last forty years, and the elements that will endure REGARDLESS of the war we want to fight. Our track record on predicting future conflict is pretty terrible, so (as they love to say at Air University) use the past as prologue and keep the things that you've always somehow needed, even if you didn't want them. Get serious about the USAF commitment that's existed in this manner since the original Sandys made it clear that they would walk through Hell in a gasoline suit to bring a comrade home. That means extending the A-10 until 2035, with all that's needed for such sustainment-- depot, WIC, FTU, test, and spare parts. That timeline gives the service time to develop a proper follow-on A-10X. You can even bolt-on some after-market add-ons to make it a VERY formidable F/A-10X and take the low-end counterair vs the low-slow toys so that the super expensive machines can focus on their high-end fights. Better yet, call it the ATTACK-MULTI-role FIGHTER, or AMF. You could field it in no time since you've got a foundation that you know works-- put some new versions of the -34 on there that get 15K lbs of thrust or more, add on every means of plug-and-play munition, EW, and comm suite that already exists, and of course, keep the gun. Done. On the ramp by 2035 so that the last of the c-models can take their place in the boneyard. We need the pickup truck in an era where everyone just wants the sports cars. EVERY conflict since Desert Storm has proven that. Bottom line at the bottom is that there is a numbers game that we're losing and will continue to lose so long as we don't accept the harsh reality before us. Budgets aren't big enough to field an entire fleet of exquisite and VERY expensive fighters. You can't field an NFL team with all quarterbacks, but it's also damn near impossible to field a winning team without those high-speed, highly paid leaders who pass and carry the pigskin. You need linemen. You need knuckle-dragging brawlers. There's already not enough to go around, and the trend is continuing downward. If you're going to transfer the mission, DO IT RIGHT, and START DOING IT NOW so that the new guys can learn from the experts. If you think it's a pickup game and that you can re-learn it on the fly after your one upgrade ride four years ago, you'll be joining Jack in the Esfahan Hilton. We're already late.

Seems like a lot.

26-10 1x AC-130 2x B-1 2x B-52 1x OA-1K Guard 1x HC-130 2x MC-130 1x EA-37 4x F-15E 2x RC-135 2x RQ-170

Stuck the landing

I’m an equal opportunity hater - fuck em both!

One of the things I miss about the 717 is no LGA or JFK.

The MAF wins DG in that discipline.

LGA > JFK

Bid avoid LGA solves that problem.

Here’s a good description that drives why we should be obliterating the IRGC instead of a ceasefire. “From 2009 onwards, Ali Khamenei began to double down on the apocalyptic and militaristic doctrine of Mahdism, not least in the IRGC. In doing so, his goal was to nurture more radical generations both within the IRGC and the regime’s hard base, which forms the core recruitment pool for the Guard. Thereafter, the apocalyptic and militaristic doctrine of Mahdism became the focal point in the IRGC’s formal programme of indoctrination, making up more than half of training in the Guard. According to the apocalyptic and militaristic doctrine of Mahdism, the 12th divinely ordained Shia Imam, Mahdi, was withdrawn into a miraculous state of disappearance by God in AD 874. The doctrine claims that the Hidden Imam will one day return to restore justice to the world before the End of Times and, in doing so, will wage an apocalyptic war that will end the lives of infidels and Jews everywhere. Historic Shia narrations, on which this doctrine is based, claim that there will be rivers of Jewish blood, after which justice will be restored globally and the world will be divided into 313 provinces—representing the number of Mahdi’s so-called special commanders. From 2010 onwards, the IRGC’s indoctrinators began to assert that there were barriers to the return of the Hidden Imam and that the IRGC was the “militaristic vehicle” to remove those barriers and speed up his return. According to this doctrine, crafted by some of the regime’s most extremist Islamist clerics—not least the late Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi, who supervised the Mojtaba Khamenei’s clerical studies—the biggest barrier is the existence of the state of Israel. This is the lens through which the IRGC and the regime’s hard base viewed and communicated the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. In fact, the operational name given to the IRGC’s strikes on Israel—Operation True Promise—refers to the promise made by the sixth divinely ordained Shia Imam, Imam Sadegh, that the Jewish population would be annihilated at the hands of the holy people of Qom. “Operation True Promise” carries the same connotation as “Final Solution”. Likewise, according to this doctrine, one of the signs of the nearing of Mahdi’s arrival is the apocalyptic destruction of the world, not least Iran. This is precisely why members of the IRGC, Basij and the regime’s hard base constituency have perversely been ideologically stimulated and energised despite the regime suffering serious losses in the ongoing war. The doctrine also claims that, prior to Mahdi’s arrival, there will be a global war against the system of Jahiliyya—an Islamic term referring to a state of ignorance or barbarism, which the regime uses to describe the U.S.-led liberal order. The IRGC has not only framed its current war through this lens, but has also portrayed Putin’s war in Ukraine as part of the same struggle— hence its support for it. These efforts have been successful in nurturing a cult of Mahdism in the IRGC — not least amongst the younger third and fourth generations. Crucially, this is the constituency that is most loyal to Mojtaba Khamenei. Likewise, members of Mojtaba’s own close circle are the leading proponents of this apocalyptic and militaristic doctrine—they are leading figures in this cult. All of this is to say that this cult of Mahdism within the IRGC has been long in the making. Its adherents view the IRGC’s missile, nuclear, and proxy programmes as tools for accelerating Mahdi’s return. For years, Western policymakers dismissed the importance of this doctrine in shaping how the IRGC acts and behaves. Yet many of its actions today—which might otherwise appear irrational—can only be understood within the context of this doctrine. It is shaping the IRGC’s “rationality”: a rationality distinct from the material cost-benefit logic that dominates the secular Western worldview. Not only would it be unwise, but it would be dangerous to ignore this apocalyptic and militaristic doctrine of Mahdism within the IRGC.” - Kasra Aarabi

It is not a replacement/improvement for the A-10, it is simply the next best answer available when the A-10 actually goes away and we don’t buy a direct replacement…whenever that happens.

That’s some real turbo douche going on there.

I hope they sent a camera down that hole before the heavy equipment was moved close to it.

Valid. I've seen the other side of the coin in AFSOC where they moved too much iron to the RTU. Syllabus events are rarely waived and most studs come out (sts), full up rounds. I can't believe we continue to use terms like "buy risk" for things that cost us blood.