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If everything’s an SII, is anything an SII?

Nothing that can't be fixed by another "Back to Basics" read file

I guess I'm in the minority on this one. I rather have a WSO than second pilot in the B-21. Even in the long-range strike scenarios the bomber bros are pushing back against. Most are using the B-2 community as the blueprint for B-21 dynamics. That's a mistake (for a couple reasons). I always felt I had more in common with strike WSOs as a B-2 dude. Hell, I even called the "Mission Commander" position the "Pilot-WSO". B-2 employment was weird - at times the MC was a WSO, and at times it was a co-pilot. Further complicated by either the Pilot or MC could be the AC. I say make the B-21 community mirror the F-15E community as far as crew dynamic. I'm for the WSO in the B-21 - it'll make better pilots too. And WSOs don't need some special WSO course to AR and Land. A f-ing pilot can do that - with smart crew dynamics that "unofficially" teaches WSOs to land, AR, etc. Otherwise - Biff was right - go all in with 2x WSOs!

Brabus for CSAF.

Love the SIIs that are complete lip service and serve zero utility. Since I’m required to brief them, this means 90% of the time it’s, “SIIs are on the wall, you can read.” The 10% that actually make sense get covered.

I know, and am friends with, several great dudes who are WSOs. They’re also smart and very capable human beings. That said, get rid of their positions in totality as aircraft advancements allow. There’s good reason we don’t have FEs on airliners anymore or navs on almost all aircraft models. There was absolutely a time and place, but those days are long gone. Stop trying to force a square peg into a round hole. They all need to accept this fact and move on… retire/get out early and transition to civ employment Shift to a different AFSC USAF reduce WSO production commensurate with current WSO-required aircraft retirements Stop trying to stupidly argue WSOs are required on new aircraft

Both sides are cherry picking. My War College Classmate, now retired Col Andrew Milburn wrote his thesis on the subject: BreakIng Ranks Dissent and the Military Professional - The paper was later published in JFQ where Pultizer Prize winning author Tom Ricks (who is a complete douche by the way), picked up on it and wrote a scathing article bashing Milburn. It was obvious Ricks never read the paper as Andy simply laid out a line of thinking around unlawful orders. Bottomline, we all swore an oath to the Constitution, not the President and we should act accordingly. I have only heard reporting on Trump's comments which are obviously Fing stupid but I did hear one report say the left-leaning networks have edited his comment and left out the phrase "if convicted." Obviously that qualifier slightly lowers the stupidity factor, likely not enough to matter. Bottomline, we have free speech in this country (despite the wishes of some with the Ministry of Truth), and Trump should shut his big mac eating, diet coke swizzling pie hole.

Based on the current and future plans for aviation pipelines across all the services, I honestly believe that the Bobs have made a conscious decision to accept higher mishaps rates and lower quality of product, at least in the near to mid term in order to up production numbers. They’re just not outright saying that. As an FTU CI, it’s frustrating. The FTU syllabus for the airframes I teach are based on the legacy UPT/UCT product. A lot of the T-6 direct to the FTU students are struggling. It’s not their fault; most of them are hungry, have a good attitude, and study. They’re just behind in multiple areas because they haven’t gotten enough reps before they show up here.

Glad to see my airline/union assisting UPS/IPA in their time of mourning and assist bringing Captain Diamond home to rest.

Interesting way to get the Dems’ support on allowing Putin to keep the seized territory.

Over the years, I’ve seen numerous discussions here about the potential impact of Cyber on warfighters, the threat posed by China, and what the AF and DoD should do. i highly recommend anyone interested in the current focus on 2027 and beyond should listen to a podcast called “To Catch a Thief.” There are 9 episodes and it is well worth listening to, especially if you have more than a 20 minute drive to/from work. If you can’t muster that much attention span, just listen to the last episode. Nicole Perleroth worked for the NYT, and reminds mo of the stories of a conservative being “a liberal who got robbed.” check it out, you should be able to use it for PME credit or CEUs if you have any computer certification. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/to-catch-a-thief-chinas-rise-to-cyber-supremacy/id1798267956

Just so we're not always beating up on cops' shooting skills here; skip to about halfway through. Dude was apparently wearing two plate vests and thought the motorcycle helmet would stop a bullet.