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What's wrong with the Air Force?

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Miles 69 SNAP

Miles 69

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So your really talking about O-4s and the avg promotion rate to Maj from 1989-2013 was 89% so you've got to really be an unlucky jet not to make Maj (not saying it doesn't happen, I know some good dudes that got passed over but it wasn't because they didn't do the Christmas Party), so your real beef is IDE. Because if you get IDE you will make O-5 and if you get SDE you make O-6. And Yes I agree the DT boards should pick IDE selects. If I was king you wouldn't be allowed to be selected for IDE off of your Majs board. If you think about it 20-25 % of Capts that get selected for Maj are also getting selected for LT COL (promotion rate to Lt Col is 99% if you are an in res IDE grad) based off of 9 yrs of work and if they are rated their people leadership resume isn't that thick. Additionally some of those guys then throttle back as a Maj cause they know they've got it made to Lt Col.

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SuperWSO Flight Lead

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words words words. <complete bullshit> Because if you get IDE you will make O-5 and if you get SDE you make O-6. </complete bullshit>

You have got to be kidding me. I know tons of dudes who have IDE done and didn't get promoted. IDE and Masters and didn't get promoted. O-6 is a lot more about your skills as a politician, although not getting DE complete is a good way to remove yourself from consideration.

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Miles 69 SNAP

Miles 69

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You have got to be kidding me. I know tons of dudes who have IDE done and didn't get promoted. IDE and Masters and didn't get promoted. O-6 is a lot more about your skills as a politician, although not getting DE complete is a good way to remove yourself from consideration.

IDE/SDE in residence

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Prosuper Gray Beard

Prosuper

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This Colonel gets it. Good read.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123430954

Gone from leadership to fortune 500 management, Airman screws up once and it shows up on a Wing PPT slide she gets the big blue weenie even though she is one of your top performers. Glad I'm retired, in the 80's the CC took care of you if made him money on the flightline, the working troops were the ones you wanted to be and they were the ones to get promoted to Senior and Chief, today those guys don't make it past Tech. CC's Might as well take their uniform off and wear a polo and slacks and tell you lies just like their civilian counter parts in the airlines.

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Herk Driver Gray Beard

Herk Driver

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Which is equally as disturbing.

I don't disagree, but Sq/CCs are not and have never been the approval authority for decs. I would assert that functionals have taken over the AF. Commanders are given all the responsibility and much of their authority has been taken away over the course of the last 5-10 or more years. That is really the biggest problem with the AF right now, as I see it. I certainly hope that the CSAF is working on some of this. There are some indicators that he is.
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SurelySerious Gray Beard

SurelySerious

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I don't disagree, but Sq/CCs are not and have never been the approval authority for decs. I would assert that functionals have taken over the AF. Commanders are given all the responsibility and much of their authority has been taken away over the course of the last 5-10 or more years. That is really the biggest problem with the AF right now, as I see it. I certainly hope that the CSAF is working on some of this. There are some indicators that he is.

Good point; I guess that taking away Sq/CC judgement over the years is more what I was getting at.

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Azimuth Gray Beard

Azimuth

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ProSuper, I know you didn't specify but Sq/CCs many times get overruled on things such as decs etc when someone has a failed PT test or some other negative issue.

Depends. I got in trouble at my last assignment and was made an example of. I wasn't going to get a dec at all as a SNCO. The Sq/CC who handed me a LOR and UIF, and let me keep my MSgt stripe, wrote a push note to the OG saying I had recovered from something two years prior, I was human and was bound to make mistakes, and I was one of the best SNCO's in his Sq and while I wouldn't get an MSM, I did deserve a PCS medal of some kind.

He is a leader, well known in the C-17 and KC-135 community. I get what you're saying, however in my experience most Sq/CC's wouldn't of done a push note like that because they just don't want to argue or get on the radar of their boss.

I don't disagree, but Sq/CCs are not and have never been the approval authority for decs. I would assert that functionals have taken over the AF. Commanders are given all the responsibility and much of their authority has been taken away over the course of the last 5-10 or more years. That is really the biggest problem with the AF right now, as I see it. I certainly hope that the CSAF is working on some of this. There are some indicators that he is.

But that's the problem. The OG/CC doesn't really know me, my Sq/CC does. He/she are the ones who go to bat for me. If I'm a Group/CC and I have a Sq/CC going to bat for one of their troops over a dec, and they don't do this all the time, I'll approve it because I'm trusting my Sq/CC's judgement. The AF is now filled with risk adverse managers who are too worried about upsetting their bosses and/or possibly derailing their career over sticking up for their troops.

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discus Gray Beard

discus

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Edit: Pointed out that it was a double post. I'll leave it up because this one contains the text.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123430954

How did we lose this young Airman?

by Col. Donald Grannan
88th Communications Group commander

11/7/2014 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- She was an Airman Leadership School distinguished graduate, earned staff sergeant her first time testing, received all 5s on her Enlisted Performance Reports and took part in two deployments. Clearly she was a high-performing Airman. But, in her words, the Air Force had made it clear it didn't want her. Huh?

I have proudly served our Air Force all of my adult life, so I truly didn't understand. Although I wasn't in her chain of command, I've known this young woman throughout her career. I tried to reflect on this from a professional, albeit admittedly biased, point of view. What would make this superstar believe we didn't care if she stayed or not?

Was it a bad first impression? I remembered an incident as a new Airman at her first duty station. A senior NCO struck her car from behind in a minor fender-bender. Instead of admitting fault and moving on, he berated and intimidated this young Airman about the issue. Her first sergeant, who she went to for help, would not interject or discuss the issue with the senior NCO. I could have interjected as well, but I mistakenly believed it wasn't my place. It was. An Airman needed help, and no one gave it.

Was it a lack of encouragement? After she earned staff sergeant her first time eligible, she saw the results online on the Air Force Web. Then ... nothing until the following Monday when the first sergeant stopped by to congratulate her and said the commander was "really busy." When she was a distinguished graduate from Airman Leadership School, it was a highlight in her career. But other than her immediate supervisor, no one from her squadron chain of command was present. I know, because I was there.

Was it motivation? She was a veteran of two deployments, including one where she had a few days notice to support a humanitarian operation. By chance I saw her and another Airman at a connecting airport as I was returning from a temporary duty assignment. I saw their apprehension and anxiety and made sure they understood to take care of each other, trust their training and focus on the mission. But I wondered if their own leadership had talked to them like this.

Did we at least send her out the door with a smile, to encourage others toward an Air Force career? No. Instead her superiors decided there would be no decoration for this outstanding Airman who achieved a lot in a short period of time and who was highly lauded by her supervisors.

Why? Because she had once failed a physical fitness test, immediately re-took it, and passed. She had tried to 'wing it,' failed the run and learned a lesson.

This young, healthy Airman, who weighs a buck-twenty-five, did not have a fitness or standards problem. She had a leadership problem. No one in her squadron leadership knew about or was present to witness her exceptional duty performance, her distinguished graduate accomplishment, her two deployments or early promotion. But they sure knew about the one time she stumbled.

In the end we took an exceptional, highly motivated volunteer and did we mold her? No way. Did we encourage her? Not a chance. Did we create a new leader? No. We created someone who cares about our nation but is disillusioned and frustrated about what our Air Force finds important and unimportant. We lost an enormous opportunity, and we can't afford to repeat that mistake.

Today, more than ever, as our ranks continue to decline, we must retain the best and most highly motivated Airmen. To do that, we have to lead them, be in the fight with them and focus on what's truly important and not become hyper-focused on marginal or anecdotal issues.

How many more situations like this are out there? If you're in a leadership position, are you part of this problem? Do you know the people under you? Are you in the fight, witnessing their capabilities, encouraging and motivating them, or do you only know about them when they stumble? If you think command or leadership positions are just another assignment, you're part of the problem.

Ask yourself, when was the last time a troop brought you a problem? If that's not happening, it's because they don't believe you can, or will, help them. So get busy proving to them they can count on you, and you'll be surprised how well you can count on them.

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ThreeHoler Gray Beard

ThreeHoler

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I don't disagree, but Sq/CCs are not and have never been the approval authority for decs. I would assert that functionals have taken over the AF. Commanders are given all the responsibility and much of their authority has been taken away over the course of the last 5-10 or more years. That is really the biggest problem with the AF right now, as I see it. I certainly hope that the CSAF is working on some of this. There are some indicators that he is.

According to the newest AFGM for the decs reg, Sq/CCs are the approval authority for the AFAM.

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Helo Kitty Crew Dawg

Helo Kitty

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Thanks for that info. I am not in that mix right now so I haven't kept up with that guidance. That sounds like a good first step in the right direction.

FWIW, it also aligns us with our Army bros who give AAM authority to Battalion CC's (Lt Cols).

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panchbarnes Flight Lead

panchbarnes

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Wow... This is just plain sad.

Wrong study guides sent for Course 15

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2014/12/08/wrong-study-guides-sent-course/20082973/

Students had been told to use the online materials, but then, because of the system error, received the hard-copy books in the mail — leading to the tech sergeant's confusion.

However, Geidner said, the center does not plan to reverse the test scores or give airmen who failed because of this particular issue a pass.

"I see the fact that there is some culpability on our part because the system generated a package to a student, but there's also culpability on the student's part as well," Geidner said in a Dec. 3 interview with Air Force Times. "We would have to call somebody 'good' who did not pass a test, or did not study the appropriate material and take the appropriate test when they were notified of the proper materials, so ... we'd be asking ourselves to pass somebody who didn't pass the course — that's something that we wouldn't do."

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