brickhistory

Still not Hillary.

Remind me again; who is in charge of flying wings? Of most MAJCOMs? Of Big Blue itself? Same as it ever was...

Bravo.

Although some very liberal states may now allow this, it is still against federal law...

You know, Nathan Johnson is right. Everyone who wants to serve should be allowed to. Blind? Sure, come on in. We can make allowances because you need to self-actualize. Crippled? Ditto; the welcome mat is out. Can't deploy? Can't fight? Can't do the job because a physical abnormality is going to cause you to be a long-term, very expensive ineffective round and you knew that coming into the service? I'm sure somebody can carry your load (sts...(or maybe not)) in order for you to feel included. Those individual needs should absolutely be catered to because when push comes to shove, those attributes are going to be useful in a fight. Heck, we oughta make sure those that want to be pilots but aren't currently allowed to due to whatever physical malady prevents them having the opportunity get a fair shake as well...

My nomination for "STS of the Year Award" on so many levels...

Worked with a guy who flew these missions. 3 X DFCs. He sent me the audio of one of them he had taped via his headset - he was an EWO. Holy sh1t doesn't come close to describing it.

So why not spin off space AND cyber into a thing? Staying at this public knowledge level, it would be akin to carnivores and herbivores in the air-breathing forces. Both rely on each other. Naturally, we can count on Big Gray and Big Green to give up their toys and people just like they did when the Air Service became the Air Corps which became the Army Air Forces which became Big Blue. Nothing in the history books about that. Or, if this happens, does the inevitable bloat and expanding staff mean it will eventually get its own seat on JCS? Obviously, a bigger committee makes for better, faster decisions. Or what about downgrading STRATCOM to a "nuclear corps?" (Pun intended...). Aside from a few other junk drawer missions that son of SAC has - EW - why is it a full-on combatant commander? The numbers assigned are small, the mission very specialized. Hey, if we're gonna reorganize, let's go the full monty. Must go lie down now...

Soooo, in this brave new world we're experiencing, are the 72 virgins gender-specific? Asking for a friend...

Errr, most WaPo/NYT/CBS/NBC/ABC/CNN, etc, etc, et-bloody-c, don't seem to be bothering with "well-sourced" so perhaps you reach too far? If the price of harpooning the Trumpster is the occasional retraction or correction, well that's only minor collateral damage.

Gives a little more meaning to: "Copy shot...pK miss." "Copy second shot...copy kill"

Or one of them didn't want to pay extra for the seatbelt?

And each was surrounded by a metric sh1t-ton of archie (AAA to you newbies) which is why Frank Luke was celebrated as a mad hero. Being so flammable and a static target, the Jerries (and Allies) put a ring of lead around each one. Brits never did issue parachutes for their balloonists (something about bonus' and being team players...). USAAF also categorized V-1 kills separately.

Comey knows best. What could possibly go wrong with an unelected official with law enforcement and government use of force power deciding he knows best?

I dunno. I know some kick-ass Morales. They live down the street... I kid... edited to note: nsplayer beat me to it by 7 hours.

This isn't about Trump, but it is highly political and very troubling. As this is the most political thread running, thought I'd put it here. https://circa.com/politics/declassified-memos-show-fbi-illegally-shared-spy-data-on-americans-with-private-parties

My theory is that chang, being an A1 "in the know" kinda guy, saw the most recent promotion board results and he didn't get something he thought he would. The timing of his "I now hate the Air Force" works out in that the list would have floated around the appropriate A1 shops prior to release so that some ducks could be arranged regarding HPO schools/assignments, etc. While I have no doubt his pain is/was real to him, Big Blue don't care. Took that kick in the junk for him to realize that.

Well, this oughtta take care of any more fly-bys...

Argh...I knew this wouldn't go well nor would I do a good job of asking the question, but to your point: IF the board sees finance officer leading a flight of 10-15 accountants and you flying as #1 in a 4-ship, what does it see? A leader vs. a technician. Just a quick, probably not very accurate example, but I am desperately trying not to get lost in minutiae or get out-lawyered. Concept vs. details. I am not agreeing with the premise of all things are equal, but if the underlying concept of a promotion board is "potential for leadership" and not "potential to become a mission commander" then one of those things is at a disadvantage. Hence the board results you are seeing. So how do you fix that? Promote by AFSC? Put it in the ADSC that along with the 10 year, soon to be more, commitment for UPT, you WILL get promoted at the appropriate time, i.e., guarantee promotion? Does it matter about that outstanding, but non-rated officer who busts his ass to support the mission, but he gets passed over yet a dirtbag (and there are those in the cockpit - see Rhatigan, et al threads) makes it? Something just not right to me about that scenario, but that's just me.

Agree 100%. But if the promotion boards don't see it that way, then what?

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.

WWHHAAAAATTT?! Two sides to the story?! You obviously aren't interested in a job at the Washington Post, New York Times, or any major TV network. edited to add: Or a divorce lawyer...

So the draft outline for the script for Top Gun 2 has leaked (probably Trump and/or Russians. Same thing, right?): "TOP GUN 2: This Time It's Non-Gender Specific" Having been caught up in the 'Fat Leonard' supply scandal, former Rear Admiral, now Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell is given his final assignment as the Commanding Officer, Naval Fighter Weapons School, Miramar Naval Air Station, California. Having been the number two graduate of his class in 1986, 'Maverick's' has unique insight into what the daring young aviators have to face in flying their high-performance, stomach-churning aerial chargers in modern air combat. SCENE 1: 'Maverick' is shown being given a ticket by the Shore Patrol after he was caught driving his Lexus on the flight line road trying to keep up with an F-18 doing touch-and-goes, exceeding the station's 25 mph speed limit by nearly 8 mph. SCENE 2: 'Maverick' puts the auditorium at ease to welcome the Class of 2017B. The roster includes three women, a two-dude married couple, one undeclared person, and four heterosexual men; one black, one Hispanic, one Asian, one White. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Top Gun. I am Captain Maverick Mitchell and I want...yes? What is it, lieutenant?" "Sir, you only welcomed the ladies - which is a very patriarchacal thing to do - and the men - which just demonstrates their historic privilege. But you didn't include the zir. I am offended and have uploaded your comments to youtube. I assume I will be receiving an apology from the Department of the Navy and you after the press conference with Gloria Allred?" SCENE 3: Operations Officer Holly 'Diaper' Nowak briefing the class for a mission: "Today, you are scheduled for a 4v4 DACT - Hornets against the 3rd generation contract air. Unfortunately, the MC rate won't support it, so "Snowflake" and "Cis-G" you two will go fly a BFM. The rest of you can knock out some of your CBTs." SCENE 4: Having sweated their way through the CBTs, the 2017B class makes its way over to the Miramar All-Ranks Club where the SARC and Alcohol Prevention offices check their IDs at the door, carefully noting their data, and placing their CAC cards in the file to be retrieved on the way out, after the mandatory breathalyzer and room sweep checking for sexual assault victims. Finally making their way to the near-empty bar, as the Isley Brothers "You've lost that lovin' feelin'" begins to blare from the speakers, the four heterosexual men are accosted by the irate school instructor that looks remarkably like Kelly McGillis. But not the hot, wild-haired Kelly. No this the haggish, yet with an Adam's apple, Kelly who instantly begins to berate them for building the modern world. SCENE 5: Meanwhile, in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, the despot that rules that arid, worthless land gases and kills his citizens. Despite it having absolutely no strategic value to the United States, the President, fully backed by the hawks in Congress dependent upon the defense contractors in their districts, sends a short-manned carrier battle group to the region. Why it's short-manned, especially in pilots, is never questioned. Class 2017B receives its orders to man, er, person-up the carrier's flight department despite not having worked up or being current in carrier operations. Stepping into their F-35Cs, they find out that "this helmet is too heavy." This ejection seat is "too tall." But this all-seeing, all-knowing fighter is "just right." Flying an Alpha strike (not your father's Vietnam Alpha strike of 50 jets), this one has four F-35s and two UCAVs, our class of heroes flies into the double-digit SAM rings where they all synch their Blueteeth to some Starbuck's selected folk-rock tunes and proceed to ISR the hell out of the dirt. They return to the boat, all take the three wire, shut down. And hand in their separation papers since they each got a call from major airline. AND CUT...

I wondered where that nearly epic-length post went. My brilliant (ahem) rejoinder about "corpseman" and "57 states" only made sense when compared to your screed about how inarticulate Trump is and how gifted an orator Barack Obama was/is and how smart he is coming from his Harvard then community organizing background as compared to the Trumpinator who has decades of experience as a billionaire CEO. For a laugh, google a speech where Obama's teleprompter took a dump. In particular, you took exception to how Trump pronounces the word "Nazi." You didn't like his "Naz-eeee" and wanted whatever you think is the correct way to say the word. "Not-si" I would imagine. But, invoking a little history from someone who, you know, actually fought Nazis, you'd probably lose your mind if you actually heard a speech from Winston Churchill. His "Nar-zee" should've cost him the war at least from the pronunciation police forces. As to M2's censoring, I defer to him (and the other mods) on judgement calls. Since the posts of those others who aren't enamored with Trump seem to remain although they seem to be in the minority, your "echo chamber" also seems to be inaccurate.

Definitely "not worked up." Both sides pretty much suck. Democrats seem to be able to actually accomplish things (much that I don't like as in Obamacare). Republicans seem to be good at... well, I'm still working on that one. But in this case, they had the numbers to hold their line until, surprise!, they took the White House. High stakes game on that one because if, as expected, Hillary won, the uber-liberal she would've named would have taken his/her/its seat on the Court would have been very gun unfriendly among other issues.