What's wrong with the Air Force?

[Lawman]

I think the better way to state this is SOCOM/AFSOC aren't the main show in the high end near peer fight.
  This whole "identity crisis" or whatever you want to call it that SOCOM and AFSOC are currently going through is kinda amusing to me.  For the from '01 to '21 SOCOM was the show, budgets were huge, and the command grew quite a bit.  It was also made very clear to me a as young guy, when asked what our mission was while we were simultaneously supporting OEF/OIF/GWOT, that the correct answer was "to do what the we're told to do", and your job was to find a way to make it happen.
  I've heard the phrase "maintain relevance" thrown around quite a bit by senior guys in AFSOC this last year.  What they really mean is they're worried our budgets will shrink because we're not leading the charge on night one into China/Russia.
  AFSOC's part in the high end near peer fight right of bang is limited for a multitude of reasons.  IMO, AFSOC will be in a supporting role, which historically is where SOF usually existed prior to 2001.  There's absolutely things we can contribute to that fight, the discussion of most of them exceed the classification of this forum.  But the idea that we're going to be a main LOE is pretty silly with our current equipment.
  We have tons to contribute left of bang, and the C-VEO fight isn't going away anytime soon.  There's also a ton of smart, motivated people working to find ways for AFSOC to support the high-end fight.  I think AFSOC/SOCOM needs to calm down a bit with the "identity crisis" thing.

It seems leadership and money people confuse the concepts of size/line of effort and don’t understand the criticality of effort or the phases of conflict it exists in.

It’s like the Gulf War I example, conventional fixed wing aviation was undoubtedly the first main line of effort on night 1 of the war. But without AFSOF, a handful of stealth aircraft and Army attack, that line of effort would have waiting indefinitely for that window to open. That doesn’t even mention what was being done by SOF to shape the battlefield for the air war started so all that ass could get to where it was needed. Those big metal shapes at specific Nav points didn’t emplace themselves, SOF did it.

Everybody wants to go see the rock concert, but nobody wants to acknowledge the bus drivers and crew that get the band on stage. They may not be the one making the music, but it’s pretty damn important to the concert happening.


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[DirkDiggler]

1 hour ago, Lawman said:

It seems leadership and money people confuse the concepts of size/line of effort and don’t understand the criticality of effort or the phases of conflict it exists in.

It’s like the Gulf War I example, conventional fixed wing aviation was undoubtedly the first main line of effort on night 1 of the war. But without AFSOF, a handful of stealth aircraft and Army attack, that line of effort would have waiting indefinitely for that window to open. That doesn’t even mention what was being done by SOF to shape the battlefield for the air war started so all that ass could get to where it was needed. Those big metal shapes at specific Nav points didn’t emplace themselves, SOF did it.

Everybody wants to go see the rock concert, but nobody wants to acknowledge the bus drivers and crew that get the band on stage. They may not be the one making the music, but it’s pretty damn important to the concert happening.


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Exactly

[brabus]

SOCOM, including AFSPECWAR, is playing an active and important part in EUCOM and PACOM, it just doesn’t look exactly the same as the last 20+ years in CENTCOM. It’s crazy I know about this as an outsider to AFSOC, but apparently leadership within AFSOC doesn’t know what their own people/immediate joint partners across SOCOM are doing today. How are they that clueless?

[Lawman]

SOCOM, including AFSPECWAR, is playing an active and important part in EUCOM and PACOM, it just doesn’t look exactly the same as the last 20+ years in CENTCOM. It’s crazy I know about this as an outsider to AFSOC, but apparently leadership within AFSOC doesn’t know what their own people/immediate joint partners across SOCOM are doing today. How are they that clueless?

I think it’s more likely they don’t feel their efforts are public enough to ensure the next Star/assignment of choice over one of the other important people.


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[jice]

6 hours ago, Magellan said:

You mean the people that are just trying to keep Gen. Slife happy, or are acolytes of his but not currently in AFSOC?

The reality is I can seek confirmation bias from any pocket of the Air Force at any level.  Great Power Competition is the reality we need to embrace.  We pulled out of the GWOT on terror, and it didn't end it just shifted fronts to Israel.  Because the bad actors in that region that want to destroy the west, western values, anyone that isn't a Islamic fundamentalist just shifted to the next closest target.

Also, the foreign policy disaster of stopping Saudi from fighting the Iranian (Houthi) proxies in Yemen was idiotic from a Real Politik stand point. There are still a lot of fights in the world were AFSOC is the best game in town, but we aren't playing any more to the extent we were.

I mean the people telling you that haven’t read a plan and need to retire. Go talk to an any-service human in a Joint 5, and you’ll walk away with plenty of problems for AFSOC to solve. 

[brabus]

@Lawman Good call - now it all makes sense. 

[Sua Sponte]

Worked on the Vette today at USAFA’s Auto Hobby Shop. Saw Fat Tony’s picture hanging up in the shop and asked the mechanic if he’s met him. He rolled his eyes and said he had and that “he hates being called the Supt.” I told him. Just call him Fat Tony.

[CaptainMorgan]

Worked on the Vette today at USAFA’s Auto Hobby Shop. Saw Fat Tony’s picture hanging up in the shop and asked the mechanic if he’s met him. He rolled his eyes and said he had and that “he hates being called the Supt.” I told him. Just call him Fat Tony.

Nice ride!


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[Sua Sponte]

1 hour ago, CaptainMorgan said:

Nice ride!


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Thanks man, I love it! I do wish the C8s came in manuals. 

[ClearedHot]

Air Force Academy restricted all cadets to base as classes started, leading to meat shortages

The fact that this horrible human has not been fired MANY times is the perfect indicator of the toxic cancer that flows through some of our senior leadership.

[Sua Sponte]

5 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

Air Force Academy restricted all cadets to base as classes started, leading to meat shortages

The fact that this horrible human has not been fired MANY times is the perfect indicator of the toxic cancer that flows through some of our senior leadership.

To be fair no military academy, or college for that matter, really ever has a “meat” shortage. 

[xaarman]

 

13 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

Air Force Academy restricted all cadets to base as classes started, leading to meat shortages

The fact that this horrible human has not been fired MANY times is the perfect indicator of the toxic cancer that flows through some of our senior leadership.

Gavin Marks was an idiot Commander. Glad to see his career is also sunsetting at the USAFA. 

[dream big]

1 hour ago, xaarman said:

 

Gavin Marks was an idiot Commander. Glad to see his career is also sunsetting at the USAFA. 

Is it though? Supt is a sunset position but almost every commandant has gone on, both Clark and Moga were commandant and then went on to be 3rd AF/CC. 

[xaarman]

8 hours ago, dream big said:

Is it though? Supt is a sunset position but almost every commandant has gone on, both Clark and Moga were commandant and then went on to be 3rd AF/CC. 

Ugh. Well best wishes to everyone who is forced to work under an OCD work-a-holic who drinks more blue kool aid than is healthy. Come to think of it, perfect slot for the USAFA.

Edited August 29, 2024 by xaarman

[ClearedHot]

[Guest nsplayr]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/us-air-force-academy-cadet-avery-koonce-death/story?id=113468548
 

Terrible news at the AFA, RIP to the cadet.

Is it bad that my first thought was, “Please god let this finally end Fat Tony’s miserable career…” ?

Edited September 7, 2024 by nsplayr

[Sua Sponte]

AMC/CC retired. Maybe MX can paint tail flashes and tail numbers on the tail again. 

[dream big]

12 hours ago, Sua Sponte said:

AMC/CC retired. Maybe MX can paint tail flashes and tail numbers on the tail again. 

One of the best leaders in the Air Force and that’s what comes to mind? Concealing tail flashes completely makes sense when you consider how good our adversaries are in building PoL for us. 

Edited September 7, 2024 by dream big

[cragspider]

23 hours ago, dream big said:

One of the best leaders in the Air Force and that’s what comes to mind? Concealing tail flashes completely makes sense when you consider how good our adversaries are in building PoL for us. 

Doesn’t matter when you can find any aircraft that’s flying in  civilian radar coverage.  Just need the hex id for it. Technology has become a opsec problem now. 

[Biff_T]

On 9/7/2024 at 6:31 AM, dream big said:

One of the best leaders in the Air Force and that’s what comes to mind? Concealing tail flashes completely makes sense when you consider how good our adversaries are in building PoL for us. 

Tail flashes don't make heavies look any cooler....lol.   that was just a joke heavy drivers. 😳 

[Sua Sponte]

On 9/7/2024 at 6:31 AM, dream big said:

One of the best leaders in the Air Force and that’s what comes to mind? Concealing tail flashes completely makes sense when you consider how good our adversaries are in building PoL for us. 

One of the best leaders because he's your boy from your community? You're right, China doesn't have ADS-B or anything.

[dream big]

21 hours ago, Sua Sponte said:

One of the best leaders because he's your boy from your community? You're right, China doesn't have ADS-B or anything.

Ha, don’t take my word for it, ask anyone in AMC.
 

For the tail flashes, it’s more for when we are conducting routine ops at various locations oversees, no need for those taking pictures outside the fence to know which unit and base these planes come from. It’s not a straights of Taiwan tactic. 
 

 

[ClearedHot]

Open revolt form the ACC maintainers...they post some funny Shit.

 

[ClearedHot]

EXCLUSIVE: New Docs Shed Light On Air Force’s ‘Goal’ To Reduce ‘White Male Population’ Joining Officer Ranks

The Air Force tried to dodge the first FOIA request so the Center To Advance Security In America (CASA) sued them...suddenly a pile (hundreds) of documents fell out of the sky.  The new approach is to cull the white guys...they are not even trying to hide the intent.  Merit and national Security be damned, the progressive agenda must rule everything we do.

Austin should have been fired when he went MIA...CQ is the exact same douche canoe he was as the Commandant of the Weapons School.  Our Air Force is broken...we have psychopaths like CQ and Slife at the top, Cat5 running the zoo and a SECDEF and CSAF more focused on racial quotas than lethality and combat capability. 

 

[Clark Griswold]

4 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

EXCLUSIVE: New Docs Shed Light On Air Force’s ‘Goal’ To Reduce ‘White Male Population’ Joining Officer Ranks

The Air Force tried to dodge the first FOIA request so the Center To Advance Security In America (CASA) sued them...suddenly a pile (hundreds) of documents fell out of the sky.  The new approach is to cull the white guys...they are not even trying to hide the intent.  Merit and national Security be damned, the progressive agenda must rule everything we do.

Austin should have been fired when he went MIA...CQ is the exact same douche canoe he was as the Commandant of the Weapons School.  Our Air Force is broken...we have psychopaths like CQ and Slife at the top, Cat5 running the zoo and a SECDEF and CSAF more focused on racial quotas than lethality and combat capability. 

 

IDK, maybe this guy has a point…

https://www.amazon.com/Grounded-Abolishing-Studies-Conflict-Diplomacy/dp/0813165571

But seriously WTF?