[Army to AF Transfer (Green to Blue)]

I have a few Navy friends and they don't seem to be having a pilot shortage, despite being even more jaded and what sounds like even lower promotion rates for fliers. So why isn't A1 looking at Blue to different Blue?

[1,000 Retired Pilots Can Be Recalled to Active Duty]

Before we do any of this, we need to divest 25% of the no value added staff jobs, that aren't being filled anyway. Somehow we need to separate identifying worthless jobs and self worth and separate actual requirements from leadership's empire building. If leaders can't honestly assess their requirements, we should ask their subordinates what positions are dead weight and we can start by asking these "100% promote to Major" Captains, no retribution, which of their jobs were worthless.

[AFPC functionals and leadership]

KTIK? Well I'm going to assume this is the 552, so yes, you always did something wrong.

[Promotion and PRF Information]

3 hours ago, Duck said:

I'm thinking this is a way to keep pilots from requesting to be passed over. That's what my Commander thinks. Too many people wrote letters.

We'll call it the Duck Effect. You thought you could out smart the system by asking not to be promoted but the AF needs 11Ms to fly and fill everything 11F/Bs can't be released. This gets you and others to 12 and if necessary with a strategic PCS to 14. At that point the AF can evaluate the force and conveniently at O-5. Some (not you) will choose to stay, or try to stay, possibly get passed over once (or twice) if we need to cull, and continuation to 20 to smooth things out. That gives the AF four or five opportunities to manage the force. The unfortunate reality is that unless everyone pulls a Duck, that O-5 decision point is going to be painful for people who should have left at O-4, are at 14-16 of 20, past the point of changing their retirement, and aren't continued.

[Promotion and PRF Information]

9 hours ago, panchbarnes said:

cough *stop loss* cough

CH did warn people a while back...

 

Edited to add:

Snide remarks aside, it's a pretty insulting move to the people who busted their ass to progress to the next level.  Congratulations, for the majority of you folks, it doesn't matter how hard you worked to get that strat, you are no better than the person in the next cubicle over.  The few HPOs know who they are and won't be affected.  What matters is the AF will have plenty of "selects" to send to the various lower tier NAF/MAJCOM/Joint staff billets to appease the screaming commanders, who've had to hire extra contractors, and approve UFRs as stop gap solutions.  At the end, these "selects" will likely not advance to O-5 and be happy to retire as O-4s.  Air Force solves the manning problems it created and everyone is happy.

This is just another example how you and I are just a number in the big blues' eyes.  One solution fits all, which is natural for a large bureaucracy.  It'd be interesting to see the number of people who decline the promotion opportunity and just leave the service.

All I gotta say is the people, civilian or military, who were been involved with Force Management policies since the Debbie James days, needs to be fired immediately.  But we all know that will never happen.  Accountability is not one of our Core Values and is only a theory taught at Maxwell.

Or maybe, they are doing this in anticipation of major event(s) happening throughout the world in the near future...but what do I know?

CH was right all along...

/Rambling off

 

Maybe it exemplifies the lack of trust between personnel and the Air Force but I don't see how this carries over to O-5. Auto promote to O-4 and cull them instead at O-5 with APZ or Continuation (because at 14 or so they'll put in the extra six) or save the force some money with those under the old retirement system when they remove themselves. Paranoia? Absolutely.

The lesson learned should be DON'T LIE TO YOUR PEOPLE. It is never worth it. On the one hand we have auto promotion, separate school selects, and no non-value-added masters, and yet I nor anyone one else believes the Air Force because of at least a decade of broken promises and bounced checks to us and people we know. That doesn't disappear and takes a generation to filter out.