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As a Korea RAS and a dude with a Korean wife, I can say this statement is categorically false.

The original Hawg going old school medieval on jihadists. I give it two tusks up!

It is not about the plane it is about the mission and I believe the rationale in the AFSOC case is FID. Dusting off the Marine Corps Small War Manual, something about training partner nations to provide for their own defense. I see the logic, but AFSOC is feeling the pilot manning pinch like everyone else and I can't see how they are going to find pilots for this "new" project. Now if they want old washed up guys to come back on contract and fly it

Yup, completely caught with their pants down, attacking as their diplomatic delegation was enroute and anticipated in NYC. Further on a Korean War / Crisis, the refugee factor: https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/war-with-north-korea-could-mean-a-refugee-crisis-no-one-1794498603 and another good series of articles from Stratfor, the 3rd & 4th, on how the US/ROK would preemptively strike and how NK would respond: https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/what-us-would-use-strike-north-korea https://www.stratfor.com/article/how-north-korea-would-retaliate

I'll add another little gem from that era in AFSOC..."if you have to choose to be a better aviator or officer, be a better officer." This to a room full of CGO's, the youngest out of UPT/UNT to the CGO's who have been around a bit. It was the trifecta of leadership with my squadron/CC during that time frame. As said above... two are two stars (or select) while the other is an O-6 on his way to a star from what I hear. Additionally, the HPO syndrome wasn't even hidden, when it was stated that "CGO" awards were reserved for certain "types" of people. I recognize that there HAS to be a meritocracy, just like there has always been through high school, college, and sports at all levels. Although, the AF likes to hide where you are in the system, unless you have the decoder ring.... I never thought that this profession would be the example of how not be a part of the team. When you are at war, you need everyone to be apart of the team, even if they are the worst performers. If they don't deserve to be there... we HAVE systems to weed them out (and I don't think they are the systems the AF has been using in the last 5-10 years). The AF forgot how to work as a team, because "performance" had nothing to do with breaking things and killing people. At least for a time period in AFSOC. It is better now, but I know those who came before are still out there. That is a big part of what has me leaning towards "greener" pastures.

This!!

I grew up riding in cars...I'm basically a certified mechanic.

The answer is one that leadership will likely never accept, they (almost all) must go. At this point the only thing that will save the AF from itself is over a 2 to 3 year process, retiring almost all the GOs, eliminating their enablers in the O5 & O6 ranks and retiring a lot E8 to E9s with a whole sale elimination of many of the civilian deputies in these organizations there for continuity but they just continue the same reign of madness, one shinny penny to the next. Take a page from the corporate world, when a dying once great company makes a turnaround, there is a 99.69% chance it will NOT be with the same management that made a once great company a dying formerly great company.

Dude, Unless you are Goldfein himself, NOTHING is going to change. We've heard the call to cleanse the system of toxic leaders before and nothing came of it, the primary reason I ran for the airlines and a guard unit at my first opportunity almost three years ago. If you want a toxic community look no further than AFSOC. Two of the worst most caustic humans that have ever lived have risen to become General Officers in AFSOC. One gave 30+ commander directed Q-3s while commanding the 15th SOS. As a Group/CC and deployed JSOAC/CC he hammered a dude in my community for losing his weapon down range, only to lose his gun a short time later and have it covered up by his command chief. He openly hates anything outside of his realm like the Weapons School and actively fought to end the program, going as far as shaming people who wore their graduate patch, then surrounded himself with patches downrange. As the Group/CC he flew a CV-22 into a tree, almost rolling the aircraft into the dirt. That little escapade got him a commander directed Q-3 of his own from the Wing/CC which would have ended any other officer's career, his punishment was to be there Wing/CC at Cannon where I hear he salted the earth and left a trail of destruction. Through all of this and multiple IG complaints from people I respect, NOTHING happened and he is now a two star select. Until you fix assholes like him, NOTHING will change. When I dropped my separation papers there was some doubt, the brothers and sisters I fought with were incredible people who shaped my life, now I look at the decision as the best of my life because I don't have to watch toxic leaders destroy the Air Force I love.

They want contract A-29 IPs in SA, TX... https://www.jobs.net/jobs/dyncorp/en-us/job/United-States/Instructor-Pilot-A-29-Super-Tuscano-Fighter/J3F2DH652PRCT05GG12/

I get it, but as an AFSOC pilot wasting my time on a useless staff I hate hearing this. We have plenty of pilots, we just aren't employing them correctly which ironically is driving more of them to leave, thus worsening the "pilot manning pinch" which is entirely self-inflicted. If the USAF said "we need pilots who can and want to fly light attack airplanes; volunteers who meet xxxx criteria will be released from less important jobs" they'd have plenty of volunteers, and my guess is the machine would keep humming along just fine. That bloated staff manning is prioritized above a genuine combat need is further proof current leadership is incapable of fixing the retention problem.

I hear you brother, I was left in wing scheduling all by myself for 2 weeks the month I was trying to finish flight lead upgrade before IP school while my "boss" decided to take a vacation. I had been flying on average once or twice a month before and after the upgrade. Not the right answer necessarily but I ensured the shop was doing what it needed to but prioritized the flying aspect, got my ass handed to me later. Few can do both but at a certain point, you can be good at your ground job or your flying job. Throw a family into the mix and you're in for a treat.

You must be in a different KC-135 community than my KC-135 community.

They have them at Kingsville and Meridian for the T-45. We had two in VT-21 when I was there 2010-2011.

I work with the guy in question. Well maybe. The dude I work with was a DL newhire, but high time fighter/trainer guy, no prior airline. As such, didn't have the 121 hours to hold 88A in NYC, even though his seniority could hold it. No biggie, he's dropping 3 year recall to AD in order to get his O-5 TIG. AFRC wouldn't give him a way into an O-5 flying billet, due to Blue falcons sitting on the pot too long and timing older people like him out. He said nah, not going down like that, so back to regAF he goes for 3 years to collect. ROTC, pretty sweet gig. So, O-5 retirement check and back to DL with added seniority/pay. People have options these days. Def a buyer's market for those who are getting calls.

What decade was that, the 80's? Either you haven't been paying attention over the last few decades or you've had your cranium stuck in the sand. Either way, Fiver accurately describes the current state of AD AF

Not sure of your background, but this bears little to no resemblance to the Air Force I know from a KC-135 background. I'm sure this happens but I think you're over-generalizing.

Agree that this (leadership purge will not happen) just my opinion that it likely must.

Scoobs is that you?

I stand corrected. I went through Corpus in 2005 and there weren't any SERGRADS instructing us in the mighty T-44. That's a T-34 thing coming directly from a friend of mine who is a Navy IP. I never even heard of that term until now. We flew with experienced/combat time herk, C-2, and P-3 drivers in the T-44. Show up to fly and your Navy IP has his flight suit zipper almost down to his belly button. Lt, here are the keys for your solo cross country and dont call us if you have any problems. Figure that sh$t out, because you are a pilot. Classmates weren't supposed to fly cross country at night. Well, two of mine sure as hell did. The Navy has that Nike mentality of "Just do it." You have a PPL. Get back by this time, if you don't it's cool. In the AF you would never have graduated attempting to fly back at night. I guess in the Navy eyes the worst you can do is pull a John McCain. They still clown him about almost drowning in the Corpus Bay after him ditching there. I wanted to go cross country to where I garnered my PPL. Corpus was working on approving far more airfields and if I had asked earlier, I probably could have gone to the airfield of my choice.

It's only a matter of time before the service does something to "screw" someone over, even O-6s.. A wise Commander once told me, "you can only ask for people to chose either their family or the Air Force so many times before the Air Force loses" Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Meh, I disagree nsplayer. I enjoyed the show while it lasted. More importantly, I will tell anyone who listens with what is wrong with the Air Force. Some I have solutions for and for others I am at a loss on how to fix. Actually Chang, the persona that you portrayed here, although completely overdone, are the sum total of the sentiments that are causing people to head for the door. What causes disappointment? Unrealized expectations. I think you have to start there. The last 10 or so years have been really tough on the CGOs. We came into the AF after 9-11 being told that the #1 priority of the AF is lethality, yet we are held to a completely different standard of measurement. I was an '08 commissionee from ROTC and worked my butt off to get to UPT, 38s and hopefully to a fighter, just to be told that there was no where for us to go except RPAs and AMC. Big disappointment, but whatever, I press on. Get to my AMC unit and less than a year later I am writing a RRF for my 1st of 2 RIF boards. Meanwhile my fighter brethren (the 30 or so they created in my whole year group) were now considered undermanned. On my 4th deployment, my CC calls me to tell me that he has to get me on the next VML otherwise an RPA may be non-vold must-fill from AFPC. I end up going to T-6 UPT, my dream job at the time. While I am in PIT I face the #2 RIF/VSP of my career, while my 11F brothers (whoever is left) are now critically manned. I get sat down by my T-6 SQ/CC and told that although my record is outstanding, my career field (11M) is 175% manned and I haven't even completed PIT yet, so prepare for the worst/hope for the best. Also, we are cutting for the next 5 years. I go out and get my dream job, and apply for Palace Chase only to be denied because now even though my career field is still overmanned, the AF as a whole is short on pilots. Me, I still keep kicking @ss, pulling down #1 Sq/OG strats and moving my way up in the Sq. Get tasked with a 6 month non-flying deployment to some $hithole to be underemployed and a job that would have actually been better to have been CONUS doing (timezone differences). Somewhere in there my family (wife+kids) made up their mind that we were done getting jerked around, so I have been making my way to the door ever since. After 10 years of stellar service, 5 deployments, missing years of my kids lives, I get called a quitter and told that I have no future in my Sq. I could write a lot more, but I just don't care to relive it anymore. I hate the fact that the AF made me fall out of love with something that I fought so hard to be apart of. I have seen this organization change in just the 10 years I've been in and it is unrecognizable. I sincerely want the AF to get better and be better, so let me know if you have any questions. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

So.....when you all retire you can tell grand stories to your kids (and MOAA). ATIS (Dare I say: Fly Navy)

Screw active duty and all that, but... Combine a blanket continuation policy with the change to promotion board guidance that has recently allowed people to be picked up for O-4 on their 5th and 8th looks, and the "up or out" system has in a certain sense been waived. That's heavy stuff.

With the current hemorrhaging of manpower, I find this unsurprising. I had an FTU instructor who retired as a captain...with a toilet boil on his wings. Weirdest thing I ever saw.

JFTR is dead. Long live the JTR

The most difficult time I have had in my career over the last decade as a Fighter Pilot and Marine was when I was an airframes OIC with 35 Marines and 10 airframes while simultaneously going through my 4-ship flight lead upgrade. Two points: 1) While that approach would certainly result in better leader development at every level, it is incredibly taxing on those put into those positions. 2) Due to having to balance both duties, much like a multi-role fighter, it is nearly impossible to truly excel at either without jeopardizing the other. What happens is you become average at both, detailed many times by my experience operating with Air Force F-15 and F-16 units where their capacity in the air was developed to a higher degree than ours was. Though I suppose some of that may be attributed to our 6-7 flight hours a month...

Guess so. I've been out of the tanker for 5 years.