VRRAD is Back!!

[Prosuper]

[HeyEng]

Mover & Gonk echoes everyone else’s skepticism on this program since there doesn’t appear to be any incentive at all that Big Blue is offering to lure you into this windowless van!

 

 

[Biff_T]

2 hours ago, HeyEng said:

Mover & Gonk echoes everyone else’s skepticism on this program since there doesn’t appear to be any incentive at all that Big Blue is offering to lure you into this windowless van!

 

 

They'll need us to clock, map to ground it when the GPS goes out.   

And do a fix to fix.

Shut up Nav!

All it takes is a few hueys, a P-38 (or B-26) and whatever other aircraft   the Flying Silverbacks will need.  Oh and don't forget to toss in all the beer those mx dudes can drink. 

Come on Big Blue, It’s only budget dust....budget ..........dust (my favorite non flying duty, guess what that was?).   

[brabus]

4 hours ago, Biff_T said:

budget ..........dust (my favorite non flying duty, guess what that was?).

Consuming “budget dust” out back of the alert shack with SrA yummy pants?

[HuggyU2]

18 hours ago, HeyEng said:

Mover & Gonk echoes everyone else’s skepticism on this program...

I've never seen these guys before... but they sure didn't do their homework. 
That said, the AF will be lucky to get 50 pilots back. 

Edited February 16 by HuggyU2

[SocialD]

Minute 8+10, the guy at the bottom makes a comment that nails it.  "Once you've tasted the free life...it's tough to go back."  It didn't help that the last 3 or 4 deployments felt like a complete waste of my life, which includes my last trip to Afghanistan about 6 months before the pull out.  ROE so tight that there really wasn't even a reason for us to be in the air.  Why am I going to hang it out there if you're not going to let me do my what I'm good at and force me to watch the bad guys do bad things to good guys?  Totally jaded me right at the end.    

 

I can't imagine going back simply because I love the amount of free time to spend time with my family, friends, fly for fun, go on unplanned vacations or maybe got make some extra pay at a daily rate of 6x my mil pay.  My only regret is that I didn't go as soon as I hit my 20.  If you're on the fence and contemplating the jump, do it, I highly doubt you'll regret it.  

Edited February 16 by SocialD

[FourFans]

Point of reference from a data perspective:  My first year of retirement last year (half actually, as I retired from the reserves halfway through) working year 2-3 at an airline, after taxes, I made literally double my O-5 active duty pay (including BAH) while working less then half the number of days, doing a simpler job with Union support, and I attended all of ZERO DEI training events.  To say nothing of retirement/401k/TSP/DC/matching stuff, which is all invisible until we actually draw it, so it doesn't feel like it counts yet (but OH YEAH, it counts)

I could even do AOC work (arguably the easiest job for a flyer in the USAF) and be home every night for 3 years and then come back to the airline and collect a full AD retirement check...still not worth it.

Why on earth would I go back? 

Edited February 16 by FourFans

[Prosuper]

4 hours ago, FourFans said:

Point of reference from a data perspective:  My first year of retirement last year (half actually, as I retired from the reserves halfway through) working year 2-3 at an airline, after taxes, I made literally double my O-5 active duty pay (including BAH) while working less then half the number of days, doing a simpler job with Union support, and I attended all of ZERO DEI training events.  To say nothing of retirement/401k/TSP/DC/matching stuff, which is all invisible until we actually draw it, so it doesn't feel like it counts yet (but OH YEAH, it counts)

I could even do AOC work (arguably the easiest job for a flyer in the USAF) and be home every night for 3 years and then come back to the airline and collect a full AD retirement check...still not worth it.

Why on earth would I go back? 

I retired final pay which means 53.5% after 23 years. So, they won't increase your retirement, can't get promoted and still deploy, I just retired from my USAF civilian job. You know what!? It's nice not have to worry about airplanes and sortie counts. 

[Dogs-N-Guns]

It seems I did not get the VRRAD email because of my line number for O-6. After I retire in 2 weeks I assume I could come back as an O-5 minus my line number. There is zero effort at retention. They only want the bored and the desperate to comeback so they can be abused with crap assignments without repercussions. Rumor is 5% of my O-6 year group had retirement orders prior to the results and they lose even more from the O-6 gameplan involuntary PCS. This may not seem like a lot, but that is 15-50 fewer Colonels in an already undermanned AF. I'm sure the restructuring with a new MAJCOM and three more 3-star commands will help alleviate the staff shortage. If you think you have no control over your career, the O-6 assignment process and the Colonels group ramps that up to 11. PCS every 2 years with a 2-year ADSC. If you have a 90-day ADSC past assignment notification as a Col(S), you cannot 7-day opt out. If you 7-day opt an assignment mandatory retirement in 90-120 days. Once you accept a PCS as a Col(S), they only way off the train is to submit for retirement 1-year into your assignment before the next gameplan. Don't want to gamble your pension on a command tour, opting out requires deputy MAJCOM approval.

[GKinnear]

36 minutes ago, Dogs-N-Guns said:

It seems I did not get the VRRAD email because of my line number for O-6. After I retire in 2 weeks I assume I could come back as an O-5 minus my line number. There is zero effort at retention. They only want the bored and the desperate to comeback so they can be abused with crap assignments without repercussions. Rumor is 5% of my O-6 year group had retirement orders prior to the results and they lose even more from the O-6 gameplan involuntary PCS. This may not seem like a lot, but that is 15-50 fewer Colonels in an already undermanned AF. I'm sure the restructuring with a new MAJCOM and three more 3-star commands will help alleviate the staff shortage. If you think you have no control over your career, the O-6 assignment process and the Colonels group ramps that up to 11. PCS every 2 years with a 2-year ADSC. If you have a 90-day ADSC past assignment notification as a Col(S), you cannot 7-day opt out. If you 7-day opt an assignment mandatory retirement in 90-120 days. Once you accept a PCS as a Col(S), they only way off the train is to submit for retirement 1-year into your assignment before the next gameplan. Don't want to gamble your pension on a command tour, opting out requires deputy MAJCOM approval.

Passed-over Maj gkinnear checking in

Yes...but in most cases, you can always retire.  The old-school "brief" was direct about about it. "What if I have a rising senior, sick parents, etc?"...slide..."Feel free to retire".  Unless the devil's money is holding you in, an O-6 has the trump card in their hand.

I've only had a few glimpses into that rarified air, but I've seen assignment comments along the lines of "I want location X, Y, Z.  I do not want A, and will retire if selected."...and the hiring GOs had an honest conversation about it.  Ultimately, the new philosophy, to my understanding, is there is an assignment for everyone.  GOs and Colonels are the main groups that actually get a retention effort.

Baby GOs get selected from the O-6 kiddie DV pool...so the assignment train is necessary to get all the box-checking for pilots who've barely left the cockpit.  I've got a few Navy and Army O-6 bros who did all things as young O-4s.  One more data point how Big Blue sucks at all things Joint.

Now, aside from the counter-point of view on the "Why," the Colonel's Group works that way...I'll end by saying you sound like a little bitch complaining about a system for O-6s...which guarantees an O-5 retirement at worst, with the added kicker of expanded career opportunities post-USAF.

Congrats on your selection, congrats on your retirement, thank you for your service!

[Dogs-N-Guns]

This was meant to inform. I had retirement orders before my promotion results were released. I did not bitch or complain, I looked at the system in place and decided it was time to retire. I was not aware of the O-6 assignment process until after my O-5 board, never bothered to read that part of the AFI since I never thought it would apply to me. I didn't threaten retirement if I didn't get the assignment I wanted. That seems disingenuous and if you need to play that card, maybe it's time to retire. I had no illusions of GO, I was bound for staff O-6 life (never an exec, never a commander, 3 flying deployments, no CAOC, and no short tour). Talked to all the staff O-6s around me, honestly they all seemed miserable and waiting for 3 yrs TIG to retire. None could give me a reason to stay beyond pension or the prestige of joining the “kiddie DV pool”. Most struggled to give an example of any positive impact or change they could make and were surprised how little influence they had beyond being a cheerleader for decision that was pushed on to them. This was a bleak outlook since I was hoping for more job satisfaction or sense of accomplishment, or baring all that more work/life balance. Based on my line number, it would be another 4.5-5 years to retire as an O-6. In the end I decided to not withdraw my retirement. Through all of this, there was zero communication from my chain of command or the Colonels group about my retirement or if I would consider continuing to serve. I did more to try to talk myself into staying than anyone else did, and I failed.

All that said, if it wasn't for the rapid retirement for 7-day opt, I might have stayed to see the results of the gameplan, weighed my options and decided. Retirement process is fairly long and can be stressful even with 12-15 months, cramming that into less than 4 months seemed punitive.

You seem understandably salty because I walked away from something you were actively pursuing.

[GKinnear]

30 minutes ago, Dogs-N-Guns said:

You seem understandably salty because I walked away from something you were actively pursuing.

Nah brah...I've accomplished everything I needed to, and plan on leaving nothing on the table when I walk away.  Making rank is at the bottom of the "nice to have" list, and it's certainly not a requirement for my service. 

Perspective is a great thing to have.

Please make sure you have your retired ID card out before you get to the gate, and don't bore the thicc A1C a the gate with your "back in my Air Force" stories...some of us are trying to get to the shoppette before they stop selling booze on Friday night.

 

[Lord Ratner]

2 hours ago, GKinnear said:

I'll end by saying you sound like a little bitch complaining about a system for O-6s...which guarantees an O-5 retirement at worst, with the added kicker of expanded career opportunities post-USAF.

 

34 minutes ago, GKinnear said:

Please make sure you have your retired ID card out before you get to the gate, and don't bore the thicc A1C a the gate with your "back in my Air Force" stories...some of us are trying to get to the shoppette before they stop selling booze on Friday night.

You sound like the twat in this interaction. Take that for what it's worth, which isn't much.

[LookieRookie]

54 minutes ago, Lord Ratner said:

 

You sound like the twat in this interaction. Take that for what it's worth, which isn't much.

He sounds butthurt for being passed over

[GKinnear]

3 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

You sound like the twat in this interaction. Take that for what it's worth, which isn't much.

You're probably right about that...my language may have been over the top, but I'll stand by the intent of my post.

I found the original post inconsistent for this forum, and I'm at a loss for why it was included in a thread about VRRAD.  We generally post about how Big Blue gets it wrong on promotions, and then when someone makes it to O-6, he complains about how the Senior Leader assignment system works.

@Dogs-N-Guns Acknowledged you had already applied for retirement...I'm glad you were able to make the choice that was best for you.  I agree that I've also seen too many O-6s just marking time for the High-3, and have done fuck all when it came to doing the J-O-B...as either a staffer or a commander.  You might not have been that guy, but it is sobering to realize you've crossed an invisible threshold and went from the top of the line flying pyramid and you're back at the bottom of the Senior Leader echelon. Colonels who move that often are doing so because they want to work the GO development timeline. No one's forcing you. Again, unless you have an ADSC, you can retire at almost any time you want to.

Regardless, back to my passed-over days...it sounded like a petty complaint when there were plenty of O's who would have been great Lt Cols, let alone great Majors, who will never get that chance...even if they return to AD. 

Sounds like there were two separate conversations going on, so I'll buy the soon to be Vet's first round if I fell for the spoofer comms.