Read File

Long but worth the time, a good explanation of why managerialism is everywhere and growing unfortunately https://tomklingenstein.com/managerialism-means-the-end-of-democracy/?utm_medium=paid&utm_source=fb&utm_id=6831201731268&utm_content=6831201731468&utm_term=6831201731068&utm_campaign=6831201731268 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://www.themerge.co/ Go there to sign up for an phenomenal weekly email newsletter covering Air Force, aviation, and military topics. I very much look forward to reading it every Sunday.

PBS Frontline episode entitled China Undercover covering the crackdown on Uighurs and the overall extent of the police state in Xinjiang.

Listened to this podcast: https://warontherocks.com/2019/07/net-assessment-is-america-poised-to-lose-the-next-war/ and read this article it discussed. Not a short read but not onerous either: https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/CNAS+Report+-+ANAWOW+-+FINAL2.pdf My TLDR summary: The way the Joint Team fought in the 90s and 2000s for Desert Storm, Kosovo, OIF, etc... MOB establishment, unrestricted overflight rights, piece by piece threat/enemy destruction, etc... will not work in potential conflicts with Russia, China. A new approach will be required to dissuade aggression, defeat if required and allow options for favorable escalation/cessation of ho…

This comes up from time to time but I thought this was a well reasoned article on exiting the alliance at the extreme of options or changing our participation in the alliance to associate member (as really a fail-safe and firewall against nuclear intimidation). https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-skeptics/should-the-us-leave-nato-14534 Thoughts?

Interesting RAND study: Costs of training USAF pilots by MWS inforgraphic

This is a link to my blog at www.cockpit2cockpit.com. Work Rules and Rigs is the latest in a series of articles I've written on my blog relating to Military to Airline transition and airline life in general. Enjoy Work Rules and Rigs

Per usual, VDH is on target... https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/post-war-order-over-not-caused-by-trump-foreign-policy/

Swiped from Otto's LinkedIn. I remember reading this as a Lt maintenance officer. Timeless...sport bitching and repeating history: Anonymity, Accountability, Cowardice, and Courage. March 4, 2017 In February 1992, I was a mid-level O-3 (Air Force Captain) and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Merrill McPeak was halfway through his tenure and he was unleashing changes and reforms that to this day are among the most controversial actions ever done to a single military service. From changing the "wing" structure, to shoving Total Quality Management down our throats, to a savage "reduction in force" and yes, the unveiling of a uniform reminiscent of an airline pilots, McPeak…

While the author focuses on the Army, the conditions he describes which have institutionalized mediocrity among senior leaders in that branch similarly exist in the AF. Such leadership ineptness is an unsurprising result of the officer production process (assignments, promotions, PME, culture) currently in place. Will change occur? What will be the impetus for it? https://www.theatlant...ingle_page=true

The Middle East at an Inflection Point with Gen. Mattis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies https://csis.org/event/middle-east-inflection-point-gen-mattis On Obama's characterization of our allies as freeloaders: On what we can do in a time of fiscal restraint: About an hour of your time. #worthit SPOILER ALERT: knife hands make multiple appearances

https://www.au.af.mil/au/afri/aspj/apjinternational/aspj_f/article.asp?id=138 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Excellent article. Ranges on several points to come down pretty hard on how the modern military has evolved into what it is now. The Tragedy of the American Military The American public and its political leadership will do anything for the military except take it seriously. The result is a chickenhawk nation in which careless spending and strategic folly combine to lure America into endless wars it can’t win. James Fallows JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

This post could have gone in the "SARC briefings" thread, but it applies to much more than just Sexual Assault/Harassment, etc. https://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123850 Lessons Learned: Sometimes SJW's and White Knights are real people. Anonymity is your friend. Anonymity is your shield.

Active Duty Air Force Announces Personnel Reduction Initiatives, the below statement is taken from a letter send by the Secretary of the Air Force Eric K. Fanning referring to the future downsizing of the Active Duty Air Force:“ we are now faced with some very difficult financial choices that force us to reduce the overall size of the Air Force. To be blunt, we are going to get smaller... smaller than we've ever been as an Air Force.” However, the chief of the National Guard Bureau feels differently about the future of the ANG.Gen. Frank Grass told soldiers and airmen that the 460,000-member force is capable of continuing missions both overseas and domestically. The …

Great article! Well, worth the read if you are interested in the counter-argument to the Army's assertion that Air-Sea Battle is misguided. https://warontherocks.com/2013/11/the-war-over-future-war-repelling-a-ground-assault-on-airsea-battle/

All, Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up about a new website aimed at connecting troops/vets/spouses with various resources. The idea is to be a "one-stop" for local opportunities. www.uniteus.com

SAASS paper from LtCol Bryan Callahan that details a serious intelligence/operations divide at the AOC level, and a proposed way out in the current conflict that walks us to an AOC that will also function more effectively in future operations. Posted on SIPR Baseops.

Fairly long article about the rise of China. Starting to look like the MFWIC's could be on the right track avoiding more disasters in the sandbox and looking at China as a real threat. Might be that 10-15 years down the line we may need the fancy yet expensive...stealthy...software intensive...able to go drone in a flash....recoverable on a carrier in a pinch? like the F-22 and the F-35. Not to forget the NEW TANKER. Nice to have some words out of the University of Chicago

An interesting article by a retired general about the large disconnect between Americans at large and the military. Some of his ideas make sense to me, others do not. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/opinion/americans-and-their-military-drifting-apart.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

Probably most people here know a majority of this info, but it's still a good read. It was written by Chuck Spinney, so it's all first hand information. I didn't see it attached anywhere else; if it, please disregard. Favorite line about the Col: "To make matters worse, he had an IQ of only 90, which he claimed was an advantage because it forced him to be more efficient." Genghis John.pdf

Jan 2011 MILITARY REVIEW article. Worth the read. Also available here: https://usacac.army.m...0228_art014.pdf Multiplying by Zero -MilitaryReview_20110228.pdf

Not sure how many have been tracking the recent personnel changes. With the nomination of Gen Clapper to DNI from his role as USD(I), a vacancy was created. As expected, ASD/SOLIC Vickers was recently nominated by POTUS to the position of USD(I). Mr. Vicker has a storied SF background and has been a longtime supporter of USSOCOM while in his ASD position. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From wired.com Remember that nerdy-let-lethal kid from the Tom Hanks biopic about the U.S.'s proxy fight in 80s-era Afghanistan, Charlie Wilson's War? That's Michael Vickers, a longtime Special Forces and CIA guy. …

The Lion, the Starfish and the Spider by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Bruce E. DeFeyter “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need.”1 Today policy-makers, law-enforcement officials and military leaders struggle to come up with innovative ideas for neutralizing terrorist organizations and their activities. One such idea, not given much thought until after Sept. 11, is attacking terrorist financing structures, methods and sources.2 Attempting to destroy terrorists by denying them financing or interrupting their money stream is unlikely to succeed as a sole point of effort for at least three reasons. Fi…

Wall Street Journal September 18, 2010 The Weekend Interview How the Surge Was Won America's longest-serving general in Iraq says that when they realized the U.S. presence in their communities was permanent, allies came 'out of the woodwork.' By DAVID FEITH On Sept. 10, 2007, Gen. David Petraeus climbed the steps of the U.S. Capitol to testify that the surge in Iraq was succeeding. Already derided by MoveOn.org as "General Betray Us," he was lambasted by then-Sen. Hillary Clinton for his testimony's "willing suspension of disbelief." On Sept. 10, 2010, Gen. Raymond Odierno—Gen. Petraeus's main partner throughout the surge—sits in a New York hotel roo…