panchbarnes

My personal observations: No amount of PME will ensure success in the Joint environment Factors (in no particular order): Politics - Which service historically *owns* this particular Command (can't speak for the Puzzle Palace). Do you have top cover from the big boss? Street Cred - What do you bring to the table? (combat exp, exotic quals, and/or other warfighting skillsets). Are you fighting to get additional combat time/skillsets for yourself and future Airmen? I've not seen AF leadership push subordinates for street cred (again my observations), because it's not what gets Airmen promoted (careerism). You can't influence anyone based on exec/TMT/party planning experience. No one in the Joint world cares how many AADs you have. The successful Joint officer gets people's attention because he/she has BTDT. Personality - Are you a pompous asshole or are you a bro/sis? Team player or back stabber? Just working to get by, or fighting to move the mission forward? This is not exclusive to the AF. A good dude/dudette is going to be successful no matter where he/she goes. Leadership - This is where AF gets crushed (IMHO) because we don't push our Os into *real* leadership positions early on (unlike the USN/USMC/USA). Instead we mold them into managers, and guess what happens when they get into a Joint billet? They get pushed into managerial/support billets because they lack the leadership skills and street creds. Lastly, I find value in AU's in-residence officer PME programs (lectures/seminars/networking/discussions). But I hate the location, and I hate the fact that none of the learning matters outside of Montgomery, Alabama.

Liquidity/appreciation rate depends on where you are at. Currently, some markets won't last more than 2 days w/ >20% ROI after 2 years. And yes the RE market is up and down, just like the stock market. Also, I'm not a CPA, but from experience there are numerous tax advantages with RE transactions/investments. I am curious on how the impending tax rate hike will affect the RE and stock markets.

The Quick Jet and Natural Grip podcast/stories are very inspiring. Examples of why this is a great country. Have an idea/not happy about your job? Hard work and a little bit of luck then you may be able to quit the rat race early. If it doesn't work out at least you'll have stable income and (free) healthcare to fall back on until you find the next venture. I'm not smart on the FAA regulations for commercial transportation, but I'm surprised there aren't more MAF pilots doing charter business on the side. Granted, it's probably easier to find customers out of Vegas. The military service is a very honorable service that will end in some point. Don't let the military take advantage of you. Utilize the great training and work opportunities to enhance your knowledge, skills, and abilities for your next career.

FIFY.

Listened to a few episodes. Not bad, the message will resonate with like-minded people and have no effect on the "zombies." Disagree on a few points, but overall I agree with what you are preaching. It's funny and sad to see my retiring O-5 and O-6 friends scramble to find a job/income stream ~6 months out from retirement. Worked out for them at the end but it was stressful for them as they have wife and kids they are responsible for. Then you have the O-5 and O-6 plotting to return as a contractor zombie and shuts down leadership mode and avoids making any "risky" decisions in fear of angering potential future employers and colleagues. Lessons learned, will not let that be me. Passive income is the way to go, VA loan is one of the best military deals out there. Only critique I have is the conversations drag on or drift off topic from time to time. Should improve with time and practice. Hope you never resort to be like Armando Montelongo and sell your "system"! /ramble off

And the plot thickens... Washington Post Article "The shooter in an apparent murder-suicide at a Texas Air Force base Friday was an enlisted airman who served a brief stint as an FBI agent before entering the service to become an elite pararescueman, U.S. officials said."

Okay, I re-read that particular sentence and I agree that Chang meant Sq/CC EA jobs and not Sq/CC jobs. Since these jobs are open to O-4s, you are essentially sending the message that you better get your Masters knocked out early to be competitive for one of these "opportunities." And this takes us right back to the pre-Gen Welsh days. It makes sense for an IPZ O-5 applicant to complete the AAD beforehand but not for an O-4 applicant. And if you are a Major who gets selected to be a GO Exec, you are more than likely to get a school slot later and a Master's along with it. So this is really not an issue, unless you just wanted to see how devoted someone is to climbing the career ladder.

So many wrongs with your thinking... Don't disagree with people volunteering for these positions are looking for personal gains. But the AF has been hiring/promoting careerists/box-checkers for the past decade+ and I'd say that hasn't turned out well for the AF based on the AF-wide retention issues and the strategic-level miscues. Of course, you'd disagree with that assessment. I'm glad you acknowledged that a working on a Master's degree is a distraction to a person's primary AF job. So it's okay for a GO to get your undivided attention but not your current/previous bosses and colleagues because you want to be on that O-6 trajectory. Got it! You sound arrogant here, but typical for the number of careerists I've encountered in my career. Can you explain what a "run-of-the-mill" Sq/CC job is as opposed to a "special" Sq/CC job? At any point in your career, does the word "leadership" ever come across your mind (besides required PME readings/discussions) and/or is a part of your normal decision-making process?

From yesterday's exec help wanted ads: QUALIFICATIONS: - Mandatory: -- Lt Col/Maj may apply -- Master’s Degree and PME commensurate with grade (In-res or Correspondence) QUALIFICATIONS: - Mandatory: -- Non-rated Lt Col or Maj required -- Master’s Degree and PME commensurate with grade (In-res or Correspondence)

Dwight does not approve

*AHEM* Instead of a MS in beer brewing, how about opening up your own brewery instead! Status looks outdated.

Dan, Where do you see the 30 years mortgage rate 6 months from now? Do you guys deal with investment properties (non-VA of course)? Thank you.

J.J. Abrams did an outstanding job with Episode VII. I can't believe how badly George Lucas f***ed up Episodes I, II, and III. It's going to be tough to wait until 2017 for Episode VIII.

http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-drone-contractor-20151127-story.html U.S.A. - Land of opportunity Edited to add: This is why I love this country.

Learned something new today. Thanks for the education!

Got an interesting AMS Mail Robot e-mail for an Exec position. A couple of things jumped out at me: So it looks like CSAF has a staff quota for stressed MWSs. Good if you want to stay away from staff, but potentially bad as your community might be underrepresented in key staff billets. I don't recall seeing "IDE select" in the past (maybe I just didn't pay enough attention). It is only "desired" (for now), but I see it as the Big Blue doubling down on the "Golden Child/Chosen One" program. Perhaps more senior folks on the board can better interpret this desired qual.

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/russian-aircraft-approach-uss-ronald-reagan-prompting-us-fighter-jet-scramble-1.375709

What can possibly go wrong w/ this plan? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/11961836/Nato-considers-sending-4000-troops-to-Russian-borders.html and then this: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sec-carter-direct-u-s-action-ground-iraq-syria-n452131 And then there is also SCS, it's no wonder we are recalling people back to AD.

FAIP is better than First Assignment Goodfellow in the 14N world...

ISR *Ducks into the DGS*

Gen Welsh, I hope you are reading this. Well at least you are not PCSing right before the O-4 board. You just need to fight for that Group Exec job at the new base to get a better strat and the DP. On a related note, met a Sq/CC recently who goes around telling CGOs to get that Masters degree now in order to get promoted. He supposedly hands out a checklist (that includes a container for volunteering) to his CGOs to complete.

#3 of 6 is still a strat. It depends on context too... of 6 CGOs/LTs/Capts/Snackos? You can leave it out of the PRF if you have stronger strats. You also have to look at the whole push line. Did you get a good PME and assignment push? Do you need to be challenged for future assignments? Are you a good or outstanding officer?

The survey is probably AFSC dependent. I don't recall seeing anything about the $35K/yr bonus.

Military Career Decision Survey It's probably the best and most honest survey I've seen during my time in the AF. I did my part in letting the AF know how I feel. I hope everyone else takes the time to do the same.

Riverside/March is hell in the summer time. Enjoy the hot breeze if you dare to go outside. The area near the base smells like cow poop, you'll know what I'm talking about when you get there. The 4+ hr drive to Vegas gets old after a while, especially when the 15 turns into a parking lot in the middle of the desert.