General Discussion

I've been seeing a lot of articles the last few days with some shocking statistics. Looks like we may have to sub-contract the defense of our nation to foreign countries. https://www.army.mil/article/260969/secretary_of_the_army_christine_wormuths_remarks_to_the_2022_ausa_opening_ceremony_october_10_2022as_prepared https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/addressing-the-u-s-military-recruiting-crisis/ https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/4087630-recruiting-the-all-volunteer-force-requires-a-whole-of-nation-approach/ The one that really caught my attention was a Wall Street Journal article (behind a paywall) that suggests that Veterans are contributing to…

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/07/13/ordering-the-selected-reserve-and-certain-members-of-the-individual-ready-reserve-of-the-armed-forces-to-active-duty/ Is this a common thing? Seems odd they just wouldn’t use active duty

Does anyone have any info on what life is like flying the C-17 active duty stationed at Elmendorf, AK? I am very interested in choosing that plane and location for my drop sheet. I’ve heard that C-17 pilots are extremely busy and gone upwards of 280 days a year at times (I know deployment cycles change all the time though). But I’ve also heard that the ops tempo at Elmendorf is lower than other bases because they do airdrop and are in PACAF. Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated. I would like to be home more for my first assignment until my 2 kids grow up and are a little easier to parent 😁

There's some good wisdom on here, and I cannot thank you folks enough for steering me on a good path thus far. Curious to know what you wish someone told you years ago. Whether it pertains to flying, Air Force, or life in general.

This is what happens when your government becomes rotten at the core. Your military services lose faith. Today, another 10,000 Israeli reservists announced they'll join the hundreds of Air Force pilots and quit. We had better start paying more attention to domestic issues in the US. “We’ve got to fight for a country that our children will want to live in,” they said, opposing “a leadership with unbridled power and an extreme agenda.” Many reservists have been warning in recent months they will not be able to serve in an undemocratic Israel, which some charge the country will become if the government’s overhaul plans are realized. “Legislati…

My daughter just started on AD, 2Lt, USAF. My retirement option was far simpler. All I really know now is there is a thing called TSP which can be a traditional 401k type vehicle or a Roth 401k. Anyone have some basic gouge I can pass along on how to get started and what might be the best option at her stage? She already has a personal Roth IRA that she has regularly contributed to since she was in high school. Thanks.

Conservative Group Urges Senators to Vote ‘No’ on Gen. CQ Brown for Joint Chiefs Chairman https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/07/25/conservative-group-urges-senators-to-vote-no-on-gen-cq-brown-for-joint-chiefs-chairman/ From my knowledge of him prior to the last year or so, he (Brown) seemed fairly benign and reasonable but I despise anything woke so I have doubts now What does this forum think? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I pulled a chair up to the window here in Crystal City, and I can see part of the puzzle palace, the monument, and the Dome. I'm not as impressed as I once was. Believe it or not, I'm constantly challenging my own thoughts more than anyone else and I don't like the feeling of, or giving the perception of, shytting on my country. But just when I convince myself that my concerns are overwrought, they get reinforced. Like this article from Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/509189/confidence-military-lowest-two-decades.aspx My career in service was a pretty big chapter in my life so I have an interest in whether my investment was a wise one. Yesterday, I saw a…

Is Hawaii using the ANG out there to haul people or aid? It seems like they have a refugee and recovery situation on their hands but pictures don’t show much iron. Anyone in the islands hearing any scuttlebutt?

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7524?s=1&r=97 https://dav.quorum.us/campaign/50264/

I think the probability of acquiring the holy grail guard slot just became 69x harder. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-national-guard-fighter-fleet-bill/#:~:text=A minimum of 25 fighter,with at least 18 aircraft

Any of the more seasoned folks on here ever heard of this Colonel? https://ambaker9.wixsite.com/vdpcc/2022grandmarshall?fbclid=IwAR2KGTZa_g7M3v63qi5XkjU0dWSuaTKnT_OnJL56l5IQyLnbdZG7We9r_w4 Bunch of possible flags on this one. 1975 as a female flight engineer? Have been told they didn't exist yet. Then on to 'OCS' and eventually F-16s. Made Major as a 16 driver but crossed over to helicopters. Flew three different airframes to include the huey (not the flight school model), the 53, and finished in the 60. Many deployments to Desert Storm, Afghan, and Iraq. Even got shot down in a 60 as a full bird flying misssions in Afghanistan rescuing a bun…

As a civilian I saw this video and thought the topics were interesting. What are your thoughts about retention? Mission Readiness? Political leadership? take it away

What's up y'all. had a question about tattoos and the regulations. I did a search and did find a thread back In 05 and was wondering if they're still the same. my situation: been hoping to get a tattoo for awhile, but wanted to wait till after BMT to get it. Long story short, I was DQ'd at MEPS for the most menial thing ever a few weeks ago and have been waiting to get my waiver approved. I also was hoping to get shipped off after the Hollidays so I can have family time and finish up my 1st semester of college. this gives me about a 2 month window to get a tattoo and let it heal. When going through the medical process I was quite frequently asked if I had tatto…

https://www.edwards.af.mil/Units/USAFTPS/ Does anyone here have experience with the space test course? The website is pretty vague, and doesn't really explain who its targeted for or what its like beyond "college academics". It seeming to be a sister school to TPS makes me intrigued that it might be more hands-on than just college classes in the desert.

So my daughter *may* be headed to GK, I've already looked up the German pet requirements for them, but a quick question: Anybody have any suggestions on pet travel to Germany? I know Lufthansa has a good pet program, as does my employer. I'd love to hear any gouge or recommendations anyone might be willing to share. Leave the vehicles and purchase through the exchange? I separated from active duty before my daughter was born but she still thinks I know everything about everything so any help here is appreciated. Thanks!

Gen. Mark Milley was interviewed by CBS Sunday Morning about the Chinese Spy balloon. Apparently the flight was never intended to fly over CONUS and the sensor equipment was never activated. What was really interesting is that he was never asked (or it got left on the editing floor) about the other balloons/dirigibles that were shot down as well!

Zài jiàn, MFer. Go be fat somewhere else. https://x.com/AndrewFeinberg/status/1707788800577945927?s=20

Are there any facts or rumors regarding where the CAA mission will be headed in the future? The last I heard is it is totally discontinued with no official plans for reinstatement. https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/ready-fire-aim-great-power-competition-without-combat-aviation-advisors Can anyone with experience there comment on their time there? From the outside, it seems like it was a good time: unique deployments, lots of cool training for skills outside of the plane, and doing meaningful work.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/02/politics/john-kelly-donald-trump-us-service-members-veterans/index.html

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As a former FE in the AF as well as civilian life I never had the pleasure of flying an aircraft with wings the size of credit cards so this video was very informative. I never realized that the T-38 was a category E approach aircraft but it should have been obvious since the wings are essentially scaled down from an F-104. The author states that we have been crashing T-38’s on circling approaches for 50+ years so I have to ask, is this type of training really that necessary on the T-38? https://youtu.be/huYvrZm_Y_M?si=UnqokXrEaumim5Mi

what's up guys, sorry for the surplus amount of questions. to keep it short, i'm trying to decide if I should pursue a BS in psychology or a BA in psychology. I am planning on applying for the guard and I know GPA weighs heavier than major, but there are a few factors that are in play. I am confident if I pursued a BA that I could graduate with a decently higher GPA than a BS as a result of less math, physics and science classes. However, a BS instead of a BA would challenge me more, improving studying skills and work ethic. ultimately my question is, would it be worth it in the long run if I pursued a BS, improving my studying skills and possibly preparing mys…

https://news.yahoo.com/us-air-force-may-remove-171141507.html

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-military-aircraft-crashes-mediterranean-sea-after-training-mishap-no-indication-hostile-activity Interesting that they haven’t even released which aircraft it was. They usually get that info out fast. Is it me or is the military being “tight lipped” a little out of the ordinary? Anybody have unclass intel on this?