Leaderboard

Yeah but was he a SpecOps Fighter Pilot?

Easy fix, let these guys promote and fly the line and mentor younger guys... without a "staff position" for them. That's a AF bullshit way of thinking. Not everyone is meant to be or is right for command. Even more guys who could command, simply don't want to. The AF doesn't handle these rated officers the right way. Management thinks everyone should be want to be vectored for command. If they don't, they are pushed out and/or passed over. What's the logic of that? Let these guys stay in and do the job that the AF has invested millions in. Who cares if we don't have some office job for them? They probably don't want some bullshit office job. Let them stay in and promote easily to O-5. If that becomes the standard, more dudes will stay in. Most of us would love to fly the line and avoid bullshit office jobs. And please don't tell me this isn't "fair" for the shoes who don't have the opportunity to be a technician and promote. If that triggers them, they should have thought about that before becoming shoe clerks. They don't offer the AF a valuable skillset. Pilots do. The AF is going to have to change their thinking regarding promotion for pilots, amongst other things, if they want to a damn thing about the pilot crisis. They need to throw out the traditional rules and guidelines. The system is broken and retarded.

Counter-argument - I could do a finance officer's job with a week of OJT. How long would it take him to do my job?

Exactly. Unfortunately, Chiefs are a byproduct of the us vs them mentality. If Chiefs actually answered to Pilots and not some snot nosed support officer trying to be the next FGO/Yr we may be able to start the refocusing. I had a Mx Chief work for me back in the day and he was the best dirty uniform, wrench turning, war story telling, advice giver I could have asked for. Since we were on the same "team" it worked out great. A hell of a lot of our Chiefs (and O-5s/6s) have forgotten what team they play for. My Dad was a Marine Fighter Pilot Commander and actually fired 2 SgtMajs who weren't adequately taking care of his Marines. We need to do more of this in the AF. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

uh wut?

Watched War Machine on Netflix. It was painfully familiar while being totally fake. Worth my time.

I completely agree that just because you're a pilot doesn't mean you are a good leader and deserve promotion. Even a MC doesn't mean you should get auto promoted. Conversely, because you are a MSG guy in "charge" of 300 airmen doesn't mean you're a good officer. It means that's what you were assigned to do. I like the idea of separate promotion boards simply because it aggravates me to no end when clowns with multiple Q-3's but make great excel trackers get promoted/selected for school when the ace of the base who is a great leader but has been kept in the squadron to help the war fighting aspect go well get shit on.

The one hole in your long post is that without the pilot/flying/operations side of the Air Force, there is no Air Force ....regardless of how good capt snuffy is at leading his 200 CE troops or running an mpf. If there's no tip of the spear left, then all you have is a shaft.

Apologies if this has been answered but I couldn't find it via search. I know how it works for those on the AD side, but unsure for guard. Hypothetical: If one currently lives in a state with 0% income tax and is selected by a guard unit in a state with double digit income tax, can you and your spouse maintain your domicile in the original state? For how long can you do so? Would it just be for the time from when you start (leaving for OTS) through the end of seasoning? Can you extend it indefinitely as long as you maintain full-time/active status? Do you lose it once you are no longer full-time/active status (and is that loss permanent)?

Happy Memorial Day fuckers. Tammy Archuletta, Mark Graziano, Mike Dodson, Bruiser Bryant and all the others I didn't know well.

This was actually your best argument. I mean, really, that hair. That nugget. You stay angry, San Diego.

oh damn thats a rare breed!!!

Hhhm, No. Don't get me wrong, when TC first wrote his Dear Boss letter a half decade ago, I was one of the ones up on my desk jumping and cheering. But the brand has tarnished, that's for sure. As a metaphor, think about other media sources that you've seen handle aviation stories, for instance. Once you have an expert working knowledge of a field, then see it mangled by journalists who only take the time to get a half inch deep understanding of what they then write about, you get the point. In this case, JQP (or whoever is currently carrying the nom de plume) has seized on nothing in an attempt to shake the tree for fruit. I've gotten into more than a handful of bar conversations about the veracity of JQP over time. Bar conversations with folks that have a more intimate knowledge of certain events than I do, and they take a much more jaundiced eye toward JQP, and it's often telling. This story in particular, (if you can manage to get yourself past the CC's haircut and nugget for a moment) is toilet paper thin. It's a policy letter. Read 1-2. The CC is clearly articulating policy, not much more. Since when did unit PT become some abhorrent punishment? Really? Are we a part of UAW now? Can't organize PT unless the union bosses approve? There's plenty that's fucked up about our PFT model. Lets start with a 6'2" dude waist measuring the same as a 5'4" dude: doesn't pass the logic test, but here we are. But if someone is min-running the numbers and the CC wants to attempt a glove save; a CC that actually wants to engage his NCOs to lead; a CC that actually wants to (gasp) Organize, Train, and Equip his squadron for success; that is now offensive? FFS, this is a far cry from the Dear Boss letter that lamented the neutered state of a sitting commander.

Years back an Enlisted Navy SEAL got commissioned and ended up flying Hornets. Bet he had some stories.

You pay taxes to the state you have listed as your permanent address. Unless you start working full time as a technician. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. But, as an anecdot, I moved from one state to another for the guard in 2012 and I still pay taxes to my original state.

I'd buy that. It's essentially what our OSS/CCs typically get; it's also what on occasion, from what I have heard, can help keep them sane. And also true. The few people these days I hear desiring command are egomaniacs who see it as a stepping stone, with no regard for the responsibility of commanding the AF's core unit. Sts.

What if even as a Commander of a non-flying unit, you could fly attached? Easy solution. The problem is that this is a see-saw, if we just let pilots fly and take no leadership or responsibility, we deserve whatever douche ends up floating to the top, dodging every flying opportunity along the way. Meanwhile all our flyers get passed over because their records can't compete and rightfully so, sorry. On the other hand the more non-flying queen wielding, bs jobs out there, the less retention. So we as an AF need to find that balance. It starts with making Command attractive again. I don't know about you, but when I was in Afrotc, I thought being a CC would be cool, being the best pilot in the squadron, the lead guy on night 1, etc... ha ha ha. Yeah right. All my Commanders who have been awesome dudes have not been the #1 pilot in the Sq. The bad ones flew only when they absolutely had to. I got a lot more awesome ideas to fix this mess, but I'm sick of hearing my voice bouncing off the wall that is upper management. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

As I've said before...not a pilot. I did spend a lot of time in non-staff jobs, being the last one in the office, going TDY every time I turned around. Not the same as a pilots battle-rhythm, but not bankers hours. After several staff jobs, some joint, some MAJCOM, I'd have to say, While staff jobs don't teach leadership, I think the exposure you get to big picture stuff makes you better when you go back to the line. Never having been an exec/aide, I would say that limited time spent there can be useful for development, as long as it's used as part of deliberate development, and not just an easy way to punch your ticket. Leadership experience early on is crucial for developing officers. However, the cross pollination and perspective you get from staff and even exec help you better apply the lessons you learn as a flight commander to the big time as a squadron commander. Again: not advocating staff/exec as a shortcut to promotion or even, by itself, a way to "make" an effective leader. Just saying they can be a useful and effective part of the program.

GMAFB. If the mission suppression functions were that coherently organized, we might not have all these stupid issues like finance problems to bitch about. It's been said enough times: the Air Force has lost its way as a fighting force. Pilots are 96% of the Air Force's actual war fighters; if the Air Force cared about functioning as a war fighting organization, we'd figure out how to promote and retain those people.

I'm saying by the way our leaders have represented us at the top maybe a significant factor in promotion results. I've heard countless times when someone has been treated poorly it's normally by someone from the good old boys club in the flying community. Some flight suited gods think they walk on water but tend to treat others like crap. I've heard it from a lot of women too. People maybe pushing back on promotion the boards in a sense if you think about it. Okay, remember when RPAs complained about lack of promotion? Why were they being held back despite a huge manning crisis? Was it pilots, the boards, or our top brass not promoting? I totally understand the record of those sent to RPAs wasn't anything to shout about. Then after someone complained to Congress, they are definitely being promoted now. Hmmmmm Now pilots are being out promoted. I ask you why, despite a retention issue?

Jesus I never know what the f*** you're talking about. Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Checks. If a rated officer can lead crew comm or AFE troops in the OSS, he can lead maintainers or finance folks. ... Which reminds me, whatever happened to our old inside source, Finance_Guy?

We do a terrible job teaching/giving pilots opportunities to lead. I am firmly against a Tech/lead track. I think a dual track system would only further breed problems from those on the "leadership" track. I know this is not going to be popular, but I think we get rid of a vast majority of Officer AFSCs. Mx officer should be a pilot, support should be a pilot, both LEADING the enlisted who are doing the j-o-b. How many times have you tried to get something done at MPF/Finance and eventually talk to the OIC, just to get some BS excuse which you know is just that Officer "protecting" her airmen? Imagine if it was a Pilot who was the OIC and he was once in your squadron. "Hey bro, your boy, Amn Snuffy told me he couldn't process my new cac because they were about to close and it would have pushed him past his 4pm exit time" After seeing what little my SOS buddies were actually doing, I realized that this was pretty much the way forward. Most hadn't been deployed and their biggest challenges were how to organize the next CGO Club Social. This would be a way to expand the "flying" opportunities while developing pilots and leaders who actually understand the plight (Mx) or laziness (some career fields come to mind, you can find them leaving base at 3pm on Tuesday) of our enlisted. I'm interested in what you guys think. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Counter-counter argument. I'm actually pretty good friends with our wing FM officer....I wouldn't know the first thing about his job after a week of OJT. Do you have any idea what the wing FM OIC actually does? Now, could you do the Amn's job at rh customer service counter after a week? No doubt.

Even with all the queep and other stuff that have been repeatedly mentioned on here, this is my biggest gripe about the AF. The continuous inability to properly resource us to do out jobs and I'm not talking MC rates etc. I'm talking about small stuff that forces us to jump through our ass to figure out how to do our job because nobody knows how the hell to get the one program suite we need to do it. Other things like the continuous daily struggle to get computers or printers to work which suck hours of productivity each day. Flying around the world with no international cell phone unless I want to pay for it on my plan out of pocket and having to rack up international charges from my hotel room which the JTR doesn't reimburse. Better yet, when technology like ADS pucks or GPS moving maps on iPads which provide crews with an significant boost in SA are just now being appproved for use if you want to go pay out of pocket again. There a lot of big problems with the AF but those are to be expected in any organization, its the small things that add up in a daily basis. /rant off

AMC units I have been in for years have had a contractor to manage the program on stand alone computers, IIRC. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Not that I need to explain any moderator actions on here, but just to get the facts straight I did not "delete" Ho Lee Fuk's post but simply hid it pending a moderator/admin review. I extended the courtesy to let him know that, and he goes fucking ballistic about it. I strongly suspect he may have been someone that has been previously banned from this forum. If not, he can join that individual (who still regularly monitors BaseOps and posts his opinions about it in his "blog") in bitching about how things are run here. I honestly couldn't care any less...

I got hired by a fighter unit recently--my dream for as long as I can remember. I visited the unit prior to applying and showed genuine interest in the unit, the area, the current pilots' histories and end goals, etc. I was social, but drank without making an ass out of myself. I'm a happy dude, so drinking and hanging out with people who are very accomplished at something I've cared about being successful at my entire life was awesome. I didn't kiss ass, and I wasn't a dick to the other guys interviewing/rushing. As far as the interview goes, I'm pretty sure I gave some good answers because I got some laughs and some nods, but I think it all came down to showing them who you are and what your approach to getting through pilot training is. They want your answer, so don't try to be someone you're not or someone you think they want. Use good judgment, STFU, and all that stuff you've heard before. Getting the phone call was awesome! Getting hired is by far the greatest accomplishment of my life. I'm incredibly honored that a bunch of awesome guys got together and said "Yeah, we like this guy enough to include him in our inner circle. We think he comes from good stock, we think he can go the distance, and he just fits in with who/what we are." With all that said, I'm still blown away that I have the opportunity to pursue my dream job, but now I've switched my focus to kicking ass during training and getting through the pipeline as quickly as possible so I can be useful to my unit. Anyway, sorry for the long read, but I hope it gives you guys/gals something to look forward to. Stay positive, and feel free to PM me so we don't further derail the thread.

Intellectual exercise. Please take the question as that and not sport b1tching against zipper-suited sun gods: Lots of complaints since the results of the last board(s) released (and even more since Air Force time began). Comments about "saving the top 15% of a commander's strats for pilots" or the like abound. I do not for a minute defend how Big Blue does promotions (trust me, I have my own war story that absolutely no one but me cares about anyway), but if you are going to complain, then at least spend a few minutes on a way to fix it (that will never be considered. The leviathan likes what it does since what it does got those in power there in the first place.) A few comparison have been made about MX guys and other support fields leading airmen while highly-qualified pilots are doing the mission. I agree, but think bigger. The ops personnel in the Air Force are, largely, technicians. Highly, and expensively, trained, but still technicians. Even AC's of big jets run a very small fire-team equivalent. Again, stay with me. Not at all blowing off the absolute library of information that every pilot has to know, the amount of buffoonery he/she has to overcome in order to accomplish the mission, etc, etc, etc. But the actual operating and employing the equipment - jet, missile capsule, computer keyboard, satellite keyboard - is the job of a technician. Obviously, not including the CC or DO of a unit (but USAF does a piss poor job of getting those people practice at the junior ranks so a good one is more a matter of luck than training/growth). IF, again, IF the purpose of a promotion board is to reward and encourage the growth of future leaders, then doesn't the technician enter the fight at a disadvantage? Leave aside the PME and other square-fills, but the currency here seems to be "being good in the jet." Which I don't disagree with. Uncle spent a helluva lot of money on you, and you expended a helluva lot of sweat to earn the wings, then keep them and be awesome (hopefully) at employing the jet. He opened his wallet to make you a world-class technician, in my opinion. He's hoping that you'll figure out on your own how to be a good leader. Not a great investment strategy in my mind since if you don't, Big Blue will get rid of you. So if the board is looking at leadership, then Capt Snuffy leading a flight of 200 would seem to have an advantage over Capt Bag O' who, even though a Patch and a mission commander, might lead a flight of 10 at the squadron. Apples to razor blades comparison regarding level of difficulty in the warfighting, but technical, aspect. But the amount of asspain in dealing with 200 airmen does equate in time and frustration for that captain as it does for the jet-jockey captain who is held back by the shoe-world. As an aside, and one that won't gather much agreement, the proposal to auto-give the top strats to rated over support does seem to be against basic fairness. As an institution, the Air Force already does that, at least so far, with the numbers of support GOs compared to the numbers of rated GOs. We are the Air Force, after all, so the big chief should be a rated guy. But the mantra of a rated guy running AFPC and doing a better job just because he's rated seems a little unionized to me (he wouldn't do a worse job, very much agreed!). But if Capt Snuffy sees he has no chance of a successful career simply because of his job, then he, like you will punch and take his talent and skills where he can advance. The difference between him and you, largely and a huge generalization, is the amount of money Big Blue spent on you. And in today's environment, you have some golden opportunities which I wish you well and hope you go for it. But if he leaves, Big Blue has to spend its resources on finding his replacement as well. Much cheaper to do so, admittedly, but a few hundred here, a few hundred there, and pretty soon it's some real money. One proposal has been the promote by AFSC. How long until the b1tching about 11Fs far out-promoting 11Rs? Or pick your shred-out to complain about. My thinking runs somewhere along the lines of making a dual-tracked commissioned and call it whatever you want, but for my purposes, warrant officer program. Similar in concept to Army rotary wing, but not run the same. You still have to grow future WG/CCs, etc, but you make the officer pilot a leader at a much younger age. Put MX back into a squadron and have Capt Bag O' be a department head (er, sts) like the Navy does. True, he won't likely be your Night 1, #1 guy, but there is no reason he couldn't be #3 or the second -4-ship lead. You also reduce the need for the MX officers. Meanwhile, your Warrants are the tactical technicians that you all seem to strive for. BTW, the pay for these Warrants would be a very special duty pay like ACP but much larger. Fly and you get a lot of money but don't have the BS PME and other squares that Big Blue demands. But you have to fly to get it. Soooo many holes in this way too long post to identify, but the bottom line is the Air Force says it promotes based on past performance, including leadership and on the expectation that you will continue to perform and lead, with more emphasis on the latter as you progress in rank. A flyer not in a command position would seem to be defensive at the board merge.

That guy sounds like a winner. Unfortunately douche bags like him far out number the good commanders. Can't wait till separation and my double barrel middle finger to all this retardation. Also his hair cut makes his already oversized nugget look ridiculous.