Lord Ratner

Jesus H Christ, yes! They should be fired. But life isn't fair, and when you choose to make yourself the icon of a crusade, sometimes you get to die for the cause, while your foot soldiers fade back into the fold. CK very publicly stated that his cause was more important than his career. Lucky him, he gets to put this money where his mouth is. The fact he stopped taking a knee when it became clear he might actually lose his job shows just how dedicated to the cause he really was.

I've only talked to a couple people who knew him, but it seems like everyone who was there gets real stiff when his name is brought up.

Once again, why are people upset over the use of this word?

Why do people get in a tizzy when someone says pu$sy? (Not saying you specifically were offended)

Don't worry, the opportunity for these types of qualifications will increase greatly as the applicant pool shrinks

The FEB recommended all three crew members keep their wings. The wg/cc agreed for the copilot and boom, but not the AC. Regardless of where you stand on this particular mishap, I have a pretty big issue with having a board, but disregarding the results, especially when the board sides with the defendant. Have the board, or don't.

Thanks, that's what I was wondering. Then it all adds up. They should be giving you bonuses, so of course they aren't.

But do we need to financially incentivize then to stay?

It's a shit idea. So we're going to create a system where you have to decide early in your career that you want to be a leader and do a bunch of non flying stuff to get there? How is that different from the current system where you decide early in your career that you want to be a leader and do a bunch of non flying stuff to get there? I don't trust a pilot who wants to be a general when they are still a copilot/wingman. I see no reason to codify our shitty system of early identification with a policy letter. I want to see the exact opposite. Promotion boards will only consider the past 3-5 years of service. Create a system where if a good pilot realizes late in her career she has a knack for leading and a desire to make a difference, she isn't shackled by her decision to focus on tactical proficiency and combat hours as a young Captain

SOS, as it is constructed today, is a value added course. The material is good, but more importantly, since they changed the way the cadre are selected, the underlying tone for the program is greatly improved. Zero sarcasm. Pilots love to think they are above learning leadership from books and workshops, but this thread has countless examples of how shitty pilots often are at leadership. I hung out with a bunch of people my age, drank a lot, worked bankers' hours having conversations about the AF with people from different backgrounds, spent my weekends fishing in the morning and drinking on crab island till sundown, got to speak to academic power-houses in the field of leadership theory, and all while getting a break from the desk work and sims. I wish I could go every year. If SOS is the problem, I'm no longer interested in y'alls solution.

Tell that to Neville Chamberlain

If he trusts them, he's a fool

What a ing moron. Everyone should have seen the email by now stating that all lap dances are to be booked in DTS on the initial authorization... Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk

Close, but one change. If the duration is changed (made longer), the percentage is based on the duration from the time you are notified of the change. So if you are on a 179, and half way through they add a month, the duration starting from the time of the change is less than 179, so you still get 75%, even though the total TDY time is 209 days Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk

That's racist Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk

I just found out that an earlier separation date is at the discretion of your commander. I'm hoping to be out pretty quickly, but our unit is hurting for bodies, so I'm wondering how this plays out. For those wondering, an earlier separation date has no effect on separation pay, unless you end up not making the minimum service required to qualify for the pay. Since they set my date for 31 December, there are no tax reasons for waiting the full 6 months, so I'm going to press for an early separation. Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk

I have said this about a million times in the past 5 years...

I'll reply here for the community knowledge. K11M3F, KC-135 IP. Passed over x2, involuntary separation. I want to confirm the whole no-continuation thing after the LtCol board snafu. Doubtless it was my active UIF that resulted in non-continuation (if true), though I was still surprised, since the PDSM for continuation only mentioned pending court-martial actions as deal-breakers, and I heard in the news the AF is short of pilots. I'm not 100% on how the invol sep pay works, but I think it's 100% base pay, which'll be about $73k. So that will obviously be immensely helpful. I also need to figure out if requesting an earlier involuntary separation date forfeits the severance pay. Feel free to throw any questions my way

Not promoted, and as far as I can tell, not being offered continuation. Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk

This. Unless you're looking to be a martyr, the best answer is the one where they think you're doing what they want, while you do what you want instead Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk

Honest question. Who gives a shit? If the guard can somehow make fighter pilots without getting the best UPT had to offer (and often some of the... most average), why is crossflow such a concern? Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk

Honestly I think it's genuine. He acts slowly, but the CSAF so far seems to legitimately want to push power down the chain. His squadron letter spelled it out, and this change is aligned with that spirit. Will some wg/ccs use the HPO mindset with this new authority? Sure. But the old way did that to everyone, so at least now the good guys can now make a difference in their wings. I think of it like States' rights. Some will abuse (CA, NY), but the system will benefit Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk

Hell yeah! Nice to see an actual good deal Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk

Oh, there it is. The problems are within! Fix thyself. So, to be clear: It is not the leader's job to identify the problem, nor develop a solution, nor implement it. Instead, identify the fighter pilots as "whine children" and ask them for solutions, but "plausible" ones, because we have to start from a position of impossibility. Did you read my post? What about it was lacking reason or construction? It's amazing how many people in charge keep telling their subordinates it's their responsibility to fix this problem. Discuss it? I gave you a whole page to discuss, and you blamed it on my age. Sounds like the old guys telling us we whippersnappers just don't get it, but hang on while I tell you about how great it was when I was a captain and SF would escort you driving home drunk. Great story, Colonel. Could I solve this problem? Maybe. Probably not though. Either way it's a pointless argument. I'm not in a leadership position. Lots of people are (maybe you)? Now that DOD, Congress, AMC, CAF, and CNN have all agreed there is a shortage, who should constructively argue for a fix? I would have guessed the leaders might, but apparently it falls to the line flyers? You mistake me for a leader, or a source of solution. I am neither. I am a symptom. The Doctor (AF Leadership) looks at the symptoms (retention, morale, opstempo) to create treatment plan (organization changes) for the patient (Air Force). The doctor doesn't ask the patient to suggest which course of antibiotics would best alleviate their ailment. Once again, I pose this: Under fighter pilot leadership the Air Force is imploding, with the fighter pilots allegedly "worst off." So when I say, this isn't working, you say.... Well it's not my job to fix it. You'll be a general in no time.

I'd like to respond, but I don't honestly know what your point is. I'll aim for what I think you're getting at. Under fighter pilot leadership (for all but four of the past 30 years), the Air Force can't seem to convince a bunch of fighter pilots to stay in the Air Force. And at a time when fighter pilots are doing more fighter pilot-y things than in the past decade. And yes, we should be looking at civilian (and all other successful) organizations to learn from their retention and resource management strategies. Or would you rather keep trying to extinguish this fire with gasoline? Besides, if you're not a millennial, then there's at least a reasonable chance that you're high enough ranking to be part of the problem.