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This pretty much confirmed my suspicion that GC is a troll who just likes to get everyone here spun up about stuff.

hey man take this however you want IDGAF, but in most of your posts you come across as a huge ass hole

This is complicated, and I don't claim to have the full picture, but here is what I think it really takes. TL;DR: Congress, the Joint Staff, and the USAF all have a role to play. All must take unprecedented steps to fix this, but the potential gain is beyond anything we've ever known. Congress: 1. Eliminate the vast majority of queep driven by federal law. 2. Bring pilot pay up to 75% of airline pilot pay with similar seniority/qualification. 3. BRAC Cannon yesterday, everywhere else tomorrow, and mass forces at superbases near major metro areas. Build a DFW-worth of runways to support and make the airspace Class B if needed. JCOS: 1. Inform COCOMs that their staff requirements will be combined (Navy flyer for USA/USAF/USMC/USN rated job, etc) or eliminated, to the scale or 50-75% or more. 2. Annihilate 179s as a thing. One fvcking day? Are you kidding me? Give people the credit for their service. This is one example, but i think the trend is clear: shorter deployments, where the service pays a premium to get people home to their families, and if not credits the time served, rather than allowing a cowardly bureaucrat to steal that credit. USAF: 1. Divorce rated promotions from non-rated. Separate boards, with separate quotas. To make a long story short: you can replace an MPF 0-3 with about 30 grand. To replace a (good) pilot is 100 times that amount. Time to recognize return on investment, kids. 2. Make the non-verbal signals clear: stop the anti-ops "you're all officers and equal" jihad. I won't rant about why. 3. Man the queep positions so that pilots/rated only do DOT, DOV, etc jobs aside from flying, aka those that require their expertise. 4. In Robin Olds' words: "If I can order a man to combat 24 hours a day, he can get paid 24 hours a day." I truly do not care if MSG folks have to work 12 hours shifts; they will support. If they quit, I do not care; I will replace them for the cost of a single aircrew TDY. Run the numbers and tell me I am wrong. However, I will also massively increase incentive flights and the like to connect Ops to MX to MSG and MDG. I would unite the factions so that they would SEE what their worth ethic empowers. 5. Inform COCOMs that their "rated requirements" will be manned at about the 10% level or lower. And see [JCOS] part. 6. Start researching how to finally quit the AEF and move to a better, more cohesive, more predictable model. Don't go full Army, because that is just retarded, but find a way for families to know that "this" deployment is just the one in 4 years, or whatever. 7. Most important: CSAF has to get out there, to every base, and every squadron bar, with nametags off and interview the pilots/CSOs/STS dudes with beer in hand and no entourage. This is the hardest part. He/She MUST establish credibility by allowing the rank and file to speak truth to power at the risk of being disrespectful. This will be a self-sustaining process; if the CSAF showed up here, paid my bar tab and got me a DD, I would whiteboard out the cycle of factors, at the FGO level, that are ensuring our mission failure - but only if I trusted him. 8. I'd overhaul Lackland to look more like an Army basic training unit than the clown show it is now. Kill the "but the queep reg says" buffoonery, and make 50% or more personal combat skills. I could go on on this point, but this is the essence of "expenditionary skills" and would motivate people that want to be part of a warfighting organization. Those who don't: quit. They will be replaced at their least expensive point. Folks, it's time to steal from the USMC model and challenge our people to be part of an elite combat unit, not an office camo welfare unit. And the take-away, folks: trust. This will require huge risks by leadership to change the paradigm, but if they can restore trust, then the rest will follow. Their biggest challenge now is that no one trusts the leadership, even if they make valid arguments and really want to change the culture.

Do any of the airlines have an AFPAK Hands program? Mine doesn't.

You said dildo 3 times. Very unprofessional.

Fellas, this dude is clearly just fucking with everyone. Not worth even a second of your time - it's all bullshit.

I forwarded the AFPAK Hands email directly to Gen Everhart's "Why are we losing so many pilots" inbox.

9/10 trolling. Would give full marks except part of the duty of a troll is to remain clandestine for maximum impact. This one was a little too obvious. Still not too shabby, though. Crazy to think that such a great deal which is advertised direct to the inbox of tens of thousands of people who are eligible, and an assload more who aren't, still needs cheerleading in a forum like this to get takers. You'd think they'd be busting down the door to be first for consideration. Odd.

Yeah, Gina...

What a chod.... Sorry for the vulgarity, but I take offense to some random pentagon dude (if that is what he really is) calling my patriotism into question. In the 9 years since I have earned my wings I have spent 3.5 years deployed in some of the best garden spots the USAF can provide. That does not include home station TDY's. All said, I have spent half my pilot life not sleeping in my own bed. Oh, don't forget all the PCS moves on top of that. I never said no to a deployment and I have always wanted (and am willing) to do my part. You know what... I am almost willing to keep doing that same tempo if I get to fly, because I like the mission and I like being a line guy. However, the AF is telling that is not in my future if I want to get promoted and if I tank my career (promotion to O-5) to stay a line guy I may get the boot at 15 years. So, I weigh my options. I have a lot of hours and there are a lot of jobs that will let me fly (and fly only) on the outside. The up and out system of the AF is a big problem that the AF does not want to face and/or change. You could pay me half of what I make, if you told me I could stay at the same base for 5-8 years and stay a line guy doing the same plans/scheds/mobility crap job when not flying. I know some non-rated folks are working hard to try and fix this mess... but all I can remember is one of my buddies (good dude that was good to hang out with but non-rated). He was looking at separating at his 6 year point, but volunteered for a 180 because he said he couldn't in good conscience separate from the AF if he didn't know what it was like to deploy..... I had already been on four by that point.......... In the end of the day... we are all aware of the ops tempo disparity in the AF and some of us have more options than others when our commitment is up. I signed a contract out of solid faith with the government on a patriotic duty, and shame on ANYONE in leadership or the puzzle palace that calls that into question when that contract is up.

What do you fly again?

I have as much, if not more, respect for our ground guys than most. We have to spend six months training to be rifle platoon commanders before we transition to our individual MOS - Many of my friends are infantry officers. Where did you think I was taking sole credit? I simply stated a fact. No one believes they are out there winning by themselves. Relax dude.

It would seem Foxnews knows more about the GBU-43/B than you do.

I'm sorry, if a harmless joke such as a dildo offends you, you have no business being in the military. What a bunch of sissies. When I was serving our old OG and his wife a beer at the squadron BAR when I was a LT, the wife noticed our bottle opener was attached to a pair of kangaroo balls. She thought it was hilarious and kept opening other people's bottles with the balls. No one complained. Then the purge of 2013 happened and they thing vanished :(. I sent my copilots on a spirit mission to find it since rumor was it was in one of the 0-5/0-6s house. No luck. You don't need dildos to have a good time in the Air Force but it's little harmless fun like that that can make it bearable sometimes.

There's a few interview selections that were supposed to happen today/by today and I haven't heard anything. A few of my buddies are in the same position, so I'm trying to stay hopeful.

GFY. Thanks for your service.

Plenty of sport bitching, sure. BUT the AF DOES have problems. If you don't see that, you cannot claim to be a competent leader. Out of one side, you say everything is great. Out of the other, you say we are in such a crisis that invoking Stop-Loss is a viable option. Stop-Loss is for national emergencies...see an issue between those two claims? Which claim are you going with? Personally, I've got a good deal from Big Blue, so far. I am quite aware that this is NOT a universal experience. I also know that, as a professional aviator, my skills have value. What do you think people are going to do when they realize they are not valued by their employer, are putting their family through hell, and can go find another job with 30% less time gone and a 40% pay raise? I know several people who saw that writing on the wall and decided that saving their family, working less, and getting paid more was a good option. I also know people who the AF kicked out because they cared about being expert pilots and flipped the bird to bureaucratic career advancement tasks that took them away from the cockpit. Bottom line, the AF needs expert pilots (among many other things), but those pilots won't stick around if you make their lives miserable, demonstrate you don't value their aviation skills, and load them down with non-aviation duties. I realize those in leadership usually don't see anything wrong until a slide goes red...well, guess what, your slide is red. What are you going to do?

What a crock. Total number of GOs and O-6's with AFPAK HANDS in their record? Im sure there's some O-6s, I'm doubtful on the GOs. And I don't give enough of a shit to look. You Chang, however, as our lead A-1 koolaide peddler, surely have access to such figures. I'm interested in those numbers. Until then, I'll stand by my intuition and the advice of the actual GOs I trust: pass. Chuck

Agreed. Chang, I'm a Guard dude, in a good guard fighter squadron, loving life flying fighters. I partially agree with your comments about the pessimists on this forum; I think they make up ~50% of the people complaining here. However, I think the other 50% are good dudes who are sick of getting boned by the AF and have decided to take their talent elsewhere. I say that to let you know that I don't have a dog in the fight (yet, hopefully it doesn't trickle down and infiltrate my guard unit). Your posts on this forum come off as nothing more than ignorant and one sided, almost scripted. You have the opportunity to truly hear out the exact population you're trying to retain and you could be having genuine conversations with them, on this forum, and just talk like humans who give a shit about fellow humans, but you don't. WTF? Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Absolutely not. But you have yet to post anything positive, at least as it relates to anyone other than yourself Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Wait, aren't we having a pilot shortage? If you can't get enough bodies to fill cockpits, I'm guessing you will be short of finding enough for your "many slots to fill." First thing I did was delete the e-mail, and I haven't taken the DLAB specifically because of that program. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

6.9 second google search suggests otherwise: Fall 2015, 11F shortage: 511 (https://www.airforce-technology.com/features/featurekeeping-them-flying-the-us-air-forces-struggle-to-retain-fighter-pilots-5776168/). Spring 2016, 11F shortage: 723 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/08/10/the-air-force-fighter-pilot-shortage-is-already-a-crisis-and-it-could-soon-get-even-worse/). Aug 10, 2016: "Air Force Secretary Deborah James said that the service could be short about 1,000 fighter pilots “in just a couple years,” prompting the service to ask Congress for the ability to boost financial incentives to recruit and keep pilots." To me, a "couple of years" suggests 2018 - at the earliest. Six months later... Spring 2017, 11F shortage: 1211 (https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/the-air-force-is-thinking-about-paying-pilots-up-to-455-000-to-stay-in-uniform). No issue there? That didn't take long. Finally, last time I checked, when Congress is "probing" your organization, it's usually because you're not nailing it (https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1135200/congress-probes-military-pilot-shortage/).

7 posts too late... Unless you're an insanely hot chick, you shouldn't be acting this crazy. Chill

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Nobody needs to read the assessment for Korea in order to tell that you don't know that MOAB is a guided weapon.

Haha, way to stay on message! -If our personnel folk are doing such an amazing job, why is pilot retention now in crisis mode and getting worse? -Are bandwagoning and group think now core values? Was there an MFR I missed? -Accusing service members of being unpatriotic for trying to avoid the AF's absolute breaking of faith and coercive actions...well, here is EXHIBIT A of the type of "leadership" that drives people away from what should be one of the coolest, most enviable jobs in the world.

Chang is an Olympic level troll, no one could seriously believe any of the tripe he posts on this forum, it is simply meant to throw fecal matter at the oscillating disk. I almost feel sorry for someone who has so little going on in their life that they have to invest this much energy just to cause a reaction. Sadly his comments represent the worst of everything that is wrong with our Air Force right now, the sickening result of a fighting organization converted to a corporation then repeatedly dunked in political correctness. The shoes thrived in a corporate environment where everyone is a "warrior." While I believe every Airman is important and makes a valuable contribution, if you don't take lives or cross the fence with your life at risk, it doesn't mean you are a lesser person, but you most certainly are not a fucking warrior. I hate to be the old guy who points out everything that is wrong while yelling get off my lawn and granted I do have a unique view now that I am out and safely wrapped in my DD-214 Blanket, but for fucks sake something has to change and make people like Chane a distant memory.

It would be more but most of us are on mobile and have no dislike function... Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Says the guy with -291 dislkes.

I'm convinced Chang is a line flying Major that just loves to rile everyone up while sipping some 18 year single malt.

My money is on a pilot trolling everyone.

Same boat. I'll continue to build packets while I wait.

I haven't heard this much quibbling since week 2 of UPT, and that guy ended up becoming a personnelist.

See, that's why you need to serve your country by separating and getting out of the way. There isn't anything personnelists can do because it isn't a beauracratic problem. It's a leadership problem. Commanders can fix it. Not you. Not AFPC. The more you try, the worse it will get.

Christ, people! Chang is a classically trained troller. His last post was a dead giveaway and he probably overplayed his hand. You all take him way too seriously. It's kind of funny actually.

Noobs Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I assume the professional officers from the other service complained because the culprits had foolishly selected a run-of-the-mill standard dildo and not a double-ender for the job?

If it was a good deal, it wouldn't be on the verge on non-Vol fills. In fact, the best deals aren't advertised (BACN). How about we turn these 11X requirements into 36X? Seems like you guys have the answers to everything. It'll also <GASP> address the pilot shortage concerns.

FR 17-06 CV-22 Cannon CV-22 Hurlburt HH-60 Nellis HH-60 Moody HH-60 Patrick (Reserves) H-1N FE Warren H-1N Minot Word on the street is that Kirtland's caught up on the Osprey pipeline and -22 pilot production will be ramping up with the drops coming back to Rucker. We went from nothing in months to two in one night, was a good night for the 23rd!

My brief skim of it before deleted it like every other AFPC spam email was that only a couple non-rated career fields were eligible.

By insisting that everyone should compete in promotions, we too often revert to metrics that apply across AFSCs...Which ends up meaning you are not actually rated on your primary duty. That needs to end. See the AFBlues cartoon about Luke Skywalker's OPR...

Great aircrew bitchfest question (because we aren't talking about fixing the USAF at large, we are talking about what it will take to fix our slice of that heaven). Good points above. The law of unintended consequences says that they need a lot of investigation, but there's merit here. I'd add: 1. Up the $ and make it progressive. Sign the bonus? Great. The five year standard bonus goes to yr 1: 25k, yr 2: 30k, yr3: 40k, yr4: 45k, yr 5: 50k. Or keep it within the 48k or whatever originally authorized, however you so choose. 2. Add progressive options (think MLB contracts) after that: 2 more years: 35k a year, 4 yrs: 40k, 6 yrs: 45-55k. That way you're at least competing with the airlines and you're not crushed by a long commitment unless you chose to be. 3. Break the "Line" category out for promotions - flyers compete with flyers, and quotas be damned. Understand this will drive us toward an army style rating system change where you are placed Avove, Below or in the Center of Mass, and those ratings have quotas too. So be it. 4. Technician vs Leadership track. This, along with the increased bonus, has I believe the best chance of implementation. It works elsewhere. Caveat: it is possible to breed egomaniacs this way, so we have to not be afraid to outright fire those self-serving poor examples of leadership who merely want to "command" and not lead. This is a problem. Also, you're gonna have to create a method to cross from technician to leadership, otherwise it becomes a Warrant Officer corps in all but name and the mouthbreathers who suck at the jet but have the big offices will only breed more poor leadership in their own image. Just some thoughts... Chuck

I know that they approved a guy last week who got to SAF/PC on the 19th so hopefully you are next

<popcorn.gif>

Northrop products are crap Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

It's pretty simple. Management waged a war against a culture and won. Some things needed to go, but many others got swept up in the moment. Here we are, years later, and so many of us see this as just another job. When you mort so many good cultural aspects and we end up viewing this as just another 9-5er, don't be surprised when people leave for a better 9-5er. A generation of spineless PC enablers (masqueraded as leaders) created this situation. Now they can live with with the aftermath.

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Ron Fogleman. Among other leadership considerations, the ability to organize, train, and equip the forces to carry out national strategy is dependent upon resources provided. Sure, there are finite resources. It is the responsibility, and more importantly, the duty of the CSAF to advocate for those resources necessary to conduct the missions given. If the necessary resources aren't provided, the CSAF has a responsibility, and more importantly, the duty to notify his civilian leaders of the consequences of the lack of those resources. Then, the missions are either reduced to meet the resources or the resources are increased to meet the demanded missions. Failing that, the CSAF has the responsibility, and more importantly, the duty to respectfully refuse to carry out those mission knowing that the risk to the personnel under his care is thereby increased with no benefit to the nation. Having refused, in our generally grand tradition of military subordination to civilian control, the result is resignation or firing. That tends to crimp post-uniformed service board memberships and the like...