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| Tuesday, January 06, 2009
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Rynizzle
Team WantsCheck
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Rynizzle
Team WantsCheck
Private Message Me
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| 22 Apr 2008 11:52 AM |
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He said, "For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism..."
Thank God somebody understands what is at the route of the problem. In a speech anyway. Hopefully some good comes of this push and we shit can careerists in favor of leaders. |
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"We're going to bomb them back into the stone ages while wearing reflective belts." - Gen Curtis Lemay
 Click here to view my Pilot Slot Statistics |
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Rynizzle
Team WantsCheck
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| 24 Apr 2008 6:18 PM |
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OhMyGov! has a great spotlight on Gates:
Spotlight: Secretary Robert Gates It is very rare when a leader breaks ranks from those that support him, but it also takes a good leader to call the shots, push those that appear to be lagging and spotlight not only their concerns but provide guidance. This week, Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Robert Gates attempted to do just that in comments specifically directed at a single branch of the military: the United States Air Force.
As the Secretary of Defense, Gates is responsible for the formulation of defense policy and its execution. With his hands full dealing with the oversight and execution of two major conflicts, is it also his obligation as chief executive of the military components to weigh in on the each military services operation when needed.
In current conflicts that resemble more urban warfare, Gates has called on the Air Force leadership to refocus it's efforts to support not only this current conflict but to have the vision to see future conflicts. Too often the Air Force has rested on it's laurels of supreme air power based on the success of Desert Storm. As Gates stated, "The Air Force ought to be less concerned with buying more $350 million F-22 fighters for use in future wars that may never happen" and do more to deliver what is needed to fight the wars currently under way "while their outcome may still be in doubt."
His criticism is fundamental and reaches the heart of both the current Air Force leadership and future leadership. In a rare occurrence, executive leadership at the highest levels of government is encouraging freedom to think out of the box and respectfully challenge the status quo without fear of retribution.
As an example of the type of leadership Gates is seeking from those he supervises, he highlighted the late John Boyd, an Air Force pilot who had to bulldoze his way through the Air Force hierarchy to get the F-16 fighter created, and for telling colleagues they could think in traditional Air Force ways that "will get you promoted and get good assignments," or do the right thing "and do something for your country, and for your Air Force, and for yourself."
OhMyGov! agrees that "an unconventional era of warfare requires unconventional thinkers" and salutes Secretary Gates for having the political courage to speak out on this important issue. |
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"We're going to bomb them back into the stone ages while wearing reflective belts." - Gen Curtis Lemay
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Sparky
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| 27 Apr 2008 12:48 AM |
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About as hipocritical of a statement I have heard in a while! He faults the AF for not doing more, of course we are already doing more with less. BTW...how is your support/facilities/funding working for you guys down there in ****** Ryno? If he wants more UAV's...maybe he should step up and defend before congress the requirements for additional funds in order to provide those additional assets. Instead, he tells us what we are doing wrong without a true understanding of what it takes to ensure the defense of our country while fighting two wars. Sure...we pinch pennies here and there, but its not like we can just cut the additonal aircraft from the budget inorder to secure funding for more UAV's when some congressman from North Dakota refuses to allow attrition reserve aircraft be retired. How about this! Maybe Sec Gates should provide top cover for the leadership under his charege and call out congress for failing to meet it's obligation to adequately fund our forces during time of war. Just my two cents.......
Sparky |
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Sparky
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| 27 Apr 2008 12:54 AM |
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I think we can learn a little from history on this subject. We can't not continue development/acquisition of advanced tactical development for the purpose of winning the war today in Iraq. I think I recall a similar mentality after WWII when AF/Navy fighters lost all skills in the art of air to air combat and we got our asses handed to us in the skies over vietnam. How about we fund both to not only ensure future superiority in any fight, but also the needs faced today by the troops on the ground with what UAV's bring to the fight. |
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Rynizzle
Team WantsCheck
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| 27 Apr 2008 6:27 AM |
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It's an interesting question.. Gates is saying we need to stop limiiting our efforts in the wars of today out of concern for wars of the future. We are in serious danger of losing both of our current wars and putting ourselves in a more serious pickle geopolitically and he think the Air Force isn't as concerned with that as it is a war with China or some other country with MIGs.
Sure, we are lacking money and support. I couldn't agree with you more. It's horrible in my experience what goes on in today's Air Force and the serious lack of mission support and the stretching of the operator force to the point it does many support functions and also does the primary mission. But that is primarlily because the Air Force leadership chose to start kicking people out and squeezing all the money so they could fund more F-22s. More F-22s than are needed in some people's opinion.
I'm not an expert on this situation but I do know a few things. The Air Force is ran by figher pilots that think air superiority is the be all end all. I also know that money talks and common sense walks at the highest levels and the military industrial complex is alive and well and is having a special on F-22s. I also agree with Gates that the "old way of doing business" (keyword being business) is prevalent and officers that "play the game" either keep the highest levels of leadership uninformed or the highest levels just don't care about the gutting of the service. Perception is reality deceptive thinking and politics is devastating our service. I agree with Gates when he says Air Force officers need to keep from being shackled by convention and careerism beause I see careerism choking the life out of my Air Force quite a lot these days. Rarely do I find leadership willing to do the right thing at risk to their career. They will rationalize their decisions with statements such as "you have to pick your battles" and "my job is to make it work (in other words don't tell the boss NO when its appropriate)" and other "yes man" justifications. This is the old way of business Gate's was referring to and I agree with him that we need to risk saying NO to our bosses at times and thinking outside of the box for the sake of the Air Force and our country.
In short I think we have a lot of problems and MUCH of them we are bringing on ourselves for questionable reasons. |
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"We're going to bomb them back into the stone ages while wearing reflective belts." - Gen Curtis Lemay
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Sho'Nuff
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| 28 Apr 2008 6:07 PM |
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I was on the Air Force portal today and saw this response to Gates from the SECAF and Buzz:
Airmen
This past Monday, the Secretary of Defense delivered an address at Maxwell AFB to the students of our Air War College and Air Command and Staff College. Initial press coverage of his remarks misrepresented the tone and content of his address. Whereas some press reports characterized Secretary Gates as making a singular critique about one Service's commitment to the Global War on Terror, his remarks were instead focused on the need for innovative thinking from all the Services.
As Secretary Gates himself explained: ". . . I think if you read the text of the speech, you'll see that it's not a dig at the Air Force at all. In fact, a significant part of the speech was full of praise at what the Air Force had done in the Middle East and Iraq and Afghanistan and the whole theater." Secretary Gates challenged his entire Department and the leaders of every Service "to think out of the box" in continuous pursuit of better ways to deliver what is needed for the joint force in harm's way. The Air Force is well suited for that innovative pursuit. Every Airman should take Secretary Gates' comments to heart and strive to find more and better ways for the Air Force to contribute to the War on Terror.
It is important for all Airmen to know Secretary Gates applauded Airmen for their significant contributions to the Long War, just as he has praised America's Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines. It is also important for Airmen to know Air Force contributions are making a difference, and that Airmen continue to do everything possible to support the Secretary of Defense's priorities. He has asked all Services to accelerate transformational initiatives like those in the Quadrennial Defense Review, and the Air Force is doing just that.
In short, Airmen are "all in" to fight today's war on global terrorism. From strategy to tactics, the Air Force has leaned far forward to deliver instruments of national power in a rapidly changing world. Every able-bodied Airman--Regular, Guard, and Reserve--is fully deployable. Indeed, Airmen have filled over 524,000 deployments since the war began. Today, 24,000 Airmen are delivering a full spectrum of air, space, and cyber power to the Joint Force Commanders conducting operations in USCENTCOM, every hour of every day.
Air Force engagement in CENTCOM's AOR is only the tip of the iceberg. About 200,000-plus Airmen are in direct support of Combatant Commanders around the clock and around the globe to provide all with critical air, space, and cyber capabilities. Airmen are in the most dangerous places on the planet tonight to protect America. Airmen have been vital to the success of the Joint team in this critical Global War on Terror, while at the same time providing the global strength and deterrence that keep our enemies at bay and our friends assured.
The Air Force was born of an innovative spirit and a willingness to question the status quo. Airmen are applying that spirit daily to address America's challenges. In sum, our Air Force is ‘in the fight' to win, and is deterring any aggressor from doing us harm while we succeed in the Global War on Terror.
We are proud of the hard work that you ... America's Airmen ... undertake every day. Secretary Gates has challenged us to continue to honor our heritage of innovation. The Airmen of the United States Air Force will succeed in meeting his charge.
From one Combined Air Operations Center in the AOR, Airmen daily command and control a fleet of hundreds of US, allied, and coalition aircraft which provide every Joint Force Commander complete air coverage across a 27-country theater. Airmen produce and fly over 300 sorties a day over Iraq and Afghanistan, delivering precision strike, close air support, mobility, ISR, air refueling and aero-medevac. Just this past week, the Air Force surpassed one million sorties flown in the Global War on Terror. The Air Force has nearly 300 aircraft stationed in the CENTCOM AOR today, and Airmen operate out of over 60 locations. Intelligence reports indicate the enemy's worst fear is US airpower; indeed, the majority of the dead or captured enemy leadership have been taken off the battlefield using the airpower capabilities provided the Joint Force Commanders. In addition, Airmen are operating 68 Air Force satellites providing overhead intelligence, communications, and positioning continuously to every Joint Force Commander. Every 90 seconds, Airmen launch and fly an Air Force mobility aircraft from somewhere on the globe, providing vital combat logistics for the GWOT. Inter-theater assets have airlifted 2,500 MRAPs to the CENTCOM AOR. Also, Airmen operate intra-theater airlifters that keep more than 12,000 people and 5,000 vehicles out of harm's way each month. Moreover, in less than 10 months, Airmen developed and fielded a Joint Precision Airdrop System, allowing forward-based ground warriors in Afghanistan and Iraq to receive vital supplies daily with pinpoint accuracy in all types of weather to any remote location.
In the area of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, Airmen have pushed every available UAV to the AOR. The stated requirement is to provide 21 Predator Combat Air Patrols (CAPs) to CENTCOM by 2010, and Airmen beat that timeline by two years and with greater numbers--today we have 23 CAPs over Iraq and Afghanistan, . . . and we'll have 25 CAPs by Jun, and 31 CAPs by Apr 09. General Petraeus, Commanding General, MNF-I, this month: "I don't know who the Predator pilots are here, but the Predator teams have just been doing unbelievable work down there and in Baghdad as well. And, I think there's some path-breaking work on going here....It has been really impressive." In October 2007, Airmen fielded the first MQ-9 Reaper, with nearly twice the performance of Predator and 6 times the payload. In another example of Airmen enhancing the kill chain, the Air Force developed, fielded, and put in the hands of ground force commanders over 3,000 sets of ROVER technology which provides real-time video situational awareness and pinpoints enemy positions. It is this very development that is driving ground force demand for added coverage, and the Air Force is responding.
Airmen are also fulfilling other warfighting tasks in the AOR, as nearly 6,000 Airmen currently perform full-time duties in areas such as Detainee Operations, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, and Convoy Operations. Saving lives, Airmen operate combat surgical hospitals that are saving 97% of the wounded warriors that are airlifted to their operating tables--more than 50,000 since 2001. Building partner capacity, Airmen have built from scratch, in less than 2 years, a nascent Iraqi Air Force and Afghan Air Corps which now operate in combat alongside Iraqi Security Forces and the Afghan National Army. Embedded training teams filled by Airmen are performing such tasks as building the Afghan National Army's Logistics Command. Provincial Reconstruction Teams are being manned by Airmen; indeed, half of the US-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan are commanded by Airmen.
Finally, often overlooked are the Airmen ensuring America's Air Sovereignty every day, now having exceeded 50,000 sorties flown over our skies defending the homeland since 11 Sep 01.
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There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live. |
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Rynizzle
Team WantsCheck
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| 07 Jun 2008 12:14 PM |
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Here's an interesting article that might generate some discussion:
Caveat: These are the personal musing of just one person and do not represent the official view of any organization. I make generalizations which I have found to be true. There are always exceptions and the indictments I make in this article are not absolute. Nevertheless, they are accurate and useful in my experience which includes more than ten years of service and 1100 combat hours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia. It's a great thing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates fired General Moseley and Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne. My understanding is he told Wynne to fire Moseley and Wynne refused so he tanked both of them. I am extremely happy with the SecDef’s leadership. Both Moseley and Wynne epitomized the “fighter pilot” culture that has all but destroyed the capability of our Air Force and done so needlessly; Moseley as an out of touch fighter pilot evasive on Capitol Hill and dishonest with budget requests and Wynne a former executive of General Dynamics with obvious connections to the military-industrial complex and its lobbyists. Hopefully Gate’s leadership will usher in a much needed restoration of integrity which is so very lacking throughout the Air Force today, in my experience. The Air Force needs a great deal of change and Gate's call to future Air Force officers is a relevant one. Here is why I think it's a great start that these two were fired.
The fighter pilot culture (especially the F-15 mafia) has ruined our Air Force. They have gutted our ranks and eradicated “support” of the mission. This cannot be stressed enough. It's not just the nuclear program but just about any flying operation you walk into is on borrowed time. Walk into any base and you will see that support has been cut beyond the acceptable and pilots are responsible for many duties outside of their primary duty of flying airplanes. The Air Force today is a house of cards and it is so because of a massive vacuum of leadership. Why has Air Force "leadership" not only allowed this to happen but actually forced it to happen needlessly? They have done so because they are out of touch with combat operations, are overwhelmingly careerist yes-men that chant a “perception is reality” mantra, are in the hip pocket of the defense industry companies, and have a pipeline that rewards cookie cutter social conformity more than flying skill and espouses “loyalty” to each other over loyalty to those they command and the needs of the country at large. I’ll explain why I think all of these charges are justified.
Fighter Pilots Have Limited Combat Experience
Of all Air Force assets, fighter pilots have the least amount of combat experience. Unlike tactical airlift, special operations, tanker, and ISR operators which find themselves heavily deployed, fighter pilots enjoy a stable AEF cycle of one possible deployment every 15 months (if at all). This means that most fighter pilots have done little to nothing in the current two wars. Most of the fighter pilots I meet haven't deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan and of those that have deployed (usually only once for a few months) the vast majority have not shot in anger. I'm not talking about A-10 guys by the way (I don't put them in the fighter category). Little is asked of those fighter pilots in combat that do get to drop occasionally (mudhens and vipers) and is usually a simple matter of dropping bombs on coordinates (the user might as well be ordering an artillery strike). Most fighter pilots I’ve met have no combat experience. The rest have limited experience and low combat situational awareness because they are not in the thick of combat operations. They are on call to pickle on a set of coordinates and they need very little SA on operations at hand other than using a 9-line properly. The fighter pilot leadership in the General Officer ranks have even less combat experience as most of them are too young to have employed in Vietnam. The “real” fighter pilot steeped with combat experience no longer exists in the United States Air Force. These heroes are relegated to the history books and have been replaced by a generation of fighter pilots in title only who feel entitled to be treated as combat experts even though they are not.
Fighter Pilot Leadership Doesn’t Take Ownership of the GWOT
Fighter pilot leadership doesn't want the two wars we're doing. It's not the war modeled after what they want to be doing (air-to-air). The F-15 mafia thinks air-to-air and air superiority is the be-all-end-all. Once air superiority (or “Air Dominance” or “Air Supremacy" is achieved they think the Air Force has done its part. This leadership doesn't like our current wars because it's taking their money and energy and directing it to non-air-superiority taskings and diverting money from their desire to purchase more F-22s. I recently heard a two star standup (F-15 pilot) and defend the Air Force's (now thankfully defunct) position that F-22s were more important than the UAVs that Gate's wants the Air Force to start producing. This GO even went so far as to call Iraq and Afghanistan "skirmishes" and gave out the party line about the future war with China or Korea being the one we had to prepare for now (logically at the expense of the two wars we're losing right now). This is the fighter pilot party line. If it doesn't fit the air-to-air war they want to fight they’re not interested in it. They want air-to-air to be the Air Force's main concern whether it's needed or not. Why? Why are these so called leaders so willing to sacrifice the unsupported lives of our brother's on the ground in favor of preparing for a war that is not needed right now? There are three primary reasons in my estimation. First, they're primarily air-to-air fighter pilots that think dogfighting is the ultimate skill of a pilot and that's what they know and love. Secondly, because they want to hook up their defense department industrial masters with the F-22 so they will be accepted with loving arms when they get out of military "service" and walk into a contracting job. Third, because they know the F-22 will guarantee the fighter pilot mafia will continue to run the biggest most expensive country club in the world (in their viewpoint)...the United States Air Force...at a time where fighter pilot control of the military is threatened.
Unmanned Aviation Threatens Fighter Pilot Leadership
Unmanned technology begs to replace ISR and has to a great degree. Next to that, however, UAV technology lends itself to replacing the air-to-air role. Fighter pilots will beat their chests (from their non-deployed locations) and talk about how air-to-air is too dynamic, complex, etc etc to not have a human in control (in the airplane). They talk about furballs and being jumped from aircraft hiding on the other side of terrain features, etc. What they do not admit, however, is that the days of Mig Alley are over. Air-to-air these days is about BVR radar technology and AWACs command and control. They paint from way out, they shoot, they turn around. Any initial engagement will be just like this as air-to-air assets go in and take out enemy air-to-air defenses. There is no need for visual confirmation in the early stages of "the big one." When there is a need is when they're flying in low to medium threat environments where a blip on the screen is more likely to be non-hostile. The human element screws this up in the easiest of situations, however, as demonstrated by the inexcusable Blackhawk shoot down where two supersonic F-15 pilots felt threatened by two possible Hind gunships. Without getting into the classified, it's ridiculous for F-15 pilots to feel threatened by Hind helicopters to the point of driving the tragic conclusion experienced in April of 1994. As the report indicated the shoot down was the result of a lack of discipline in the F-15 community. Likewise, F-16 pilots feeling threatened by Canadian troops 23,000 feet below them shooting small arms is absolutely inexcusable especially when the pilot was told to “hold fire.” A supersonic F-16 four miles up with an ejection seat is not even in the realm of imagination threatened by the tiny bullets of small arms fire. This cannot be expressed strongly enough to those without combat aviation experience. For an F-16 pilot to feel threatened in these circumstances shows an absolute lack of combat situational awareness and is completely inexcusable. The fighter pilot human element is not required. Imagine a UAV operating in either of these two recent situations. The air-to-air UAV needs a visual ID flyby due to the "patrolling" environment. It can accelerate to a vastly supersonic airspeed (allowing it to outrun any Hind missile shot in the off chance the Hind takes a shot) and can pass 10' off the Hind taking crystal clear pictures without fear of engagement (it's unlikely it would need to be so close to the Hind but could be if needed). Analysts could study the pictures and do an extremely accurate visual ID. Crisis averted. The human element is the limiting factor in the air-to-air fighter as well as the air-to-ground bomb dropping role. It limits both in combat SA as well as the obvious maneuverability limitations. The Canadians would still be alive today because there would be no itchy trigger finger heightened by a false sense of threat by a pilot completely lacking combat situational awareness. The fighter mafia knows their days are numbered and they are doing everything they can to keep fighter aircraft manned. They have stepped up a Public Relations campaign and have hit the speaking trail to spread the Gospel of Air Supremacy. Yes, it’s a required support function to have Air Supremacy. It’s just not as difficult to achieve as it was in days gone by and we already have it in the current GWOT so our Army brethren want us to start cranking out air support they need (not what our ex-leadership wanted). The fighter pilot leadership (now minus two), continually limiting Air Power progress, do not want to fight the wars assigned to them but rather want to do their own thing for their own benefit.
Carrerist Yes-Man Culture Permeates the Air Force
Careerism is the mainstream in today’s Air Force and is not limited to the fighter pilot culture although, in my experience, it’s much more prevalent in the pointy nose side of the house. There are few in leadership positions willing to “fall on their swords” for their people even in the current climate where people are deployed in record numbers (non-fighter pilots) and where resources are at an all time low and stress and sacrifice at an all time high in my experience. The Air Force of today begs for real leaders to step up and take care of their people in a culture of chaos and unreason. Instead of concentrating on the essentials of the military function (getting the mission done while taking care of people to the maximum extent possible) fighter pilots find themselves at home with the civilians and other non-combatants shirking leadership responsibilities in favor of constant uniform changes, slogans, logos, and controversy centered around Thunderbird video productions. Instead of spending their energies on the mission they spend it on getting promoted. Like the chow hall Chief that isn’t directly involved in combat operations but wants to feel like he’s “doing something,” their efforts actually degrade the mission by making things more difficult for the actual war fighter. They are fond of saying, “it’s a fighter pilot’s Air Force” and to them the thrill of command and promotion is crucial. The result is they treat the Air Force like it’s their own personal country club instead of the air service branch of the Department of Defense funded to support the other services when required during war. In my experience I have seen one chain of command populated by F-15 pilot yes-men from Squadron Commander to OG Commander to Wing Commander to General Officer all able to look me in the eye and say, “You are right. I am risking the lives of our people by not following this regulation and degrading our combat capability by not complying with this AFI but I’m doing so because my Boss does not want me to comply with this AFI.” So says the Squadron Commander backed by his Group Commander and so says the Group Commander backed by his Wing Commander who is backed by a General Officer. All claim they are wrong. None of them do anything about it. Such as these preach the virtues of “loyalty” but they mean political loyalty to each other. The shining loyalty to their Boss and to the Boss’s Boss is nothing more than loyalty to their own career. They will not say no to the Boss even when justified, even when required to do right by the people they are charged with leading, or when required to responsibly accomplish the mission set out by our civilian leadership. They are fond of saying it is their job to fit 6 pounds of sugar in a 5 pound sack (knowing that 1 pound of sugar will end up on the floor anyway…and a pound of sugar on the floor in the aviation business is never pretty especially so during wartime). They like to tell non-yes-men, “you have to choose your battles” even though they have never battled or risked their careers themselves. They like to stick together and promote from within their country club inner circles. It’s a goal to keep the leadership of the Air Force inbred and one of the F-15 commanders in the chain of command I mentioned above, when I mentioned the inbreeding of the F-15 fighter pilot world, said, “So what? Every organization has nepotism.” Those placed in leadership positions unable to say no to their bosses risk the careers and livelihoods of the people in their charge. In wartime they risk people’s lives. Today’s leadership will not say not to their Boss even if their Boss demands more than is physically possible to accomplish with the given resources. Instead of pushing the problems up the chain of command and demanding accountability from the leadership above them, they collude with their bosses in creating a false image of success in compliance with their “perception is realty” mantra. But perception is not reality no matter how good the PowerPoint slide or how well crafted the PR campaign. The “perception is reality” catch phrase spoken by Air Force leadership is an invitation to throw out integrity and it has been done so heartily by commanders up and down the chain. ORI inspections are met with incredible creativity as unauthorized equipment is buried, grass is painted green, and every details is examined to present to the right perception to a visiting a GO regardless of the reality that should be presented along with requests for more resources. This lack of integrity throughout the chain requires a lack of accountability. This lack was evidenced very clearly with the handling of Maj General Fiscus (the top JAG in the Air Force) after he was caught in improper relationships with 13 officer, enlisted, and civilian women over a ten year span despite being married. Instead of being punished as the top JAG punished many others for the same crimes (court-martialed) he was instead allowed to retire as an O-6 with full retirement. The lack of accountability within Air Force leadership is staggering and widespread.
Cookie-Cutter Leadership
The reason integrity and accountability have been able to fall to such a low within our Air Force is in large part due to the cookie cutter approach to mentoring and promotion. Conformity is highly prized (especially in non-combatant commands) and as can be expected those in leadership positions mentor and groom those most willing and able to grow in their own image. Even in the fighter community social conformity outside of career progression is highly prized. The F-15 community runs itself like it’s a college fraternity. Pretty boy traits and the ability to work the bar scene are at a premium and any pilot that lacks these social skills despite having superior piloting skills is not allowed to join the group. I have personally seen in the UPT environment inferior pilots given fighter allocations over superior pilots (according to flying and academic performance) solely because the guy with the better hands “wouldn’t fit in.” The F-15 community prides good hair over good hands and this lack of combat concern proves useful to them when competing to be Cosmopolitan’s most eligible bachelor and when in dress rehearsal for reality TV shows like American Fighter Pilot. The misplaced values of the Air Force find themselves in an almost grotesque form in the F-15 community where much of our Air Force leadership is drawn from. It is the ultimate breeding ground for those that “say the right things” and “look the right way” and associate with “the right people” and who have no role and no SA in the wars America is fighting today. The F-15 community is the perfect physical incarnation of “perception is reality” as they pawn themselves off, and are generally regarded as, premiere combat aviators when the reality is they are anything but.
Gates Calls For a New Breed
Secretary Gate’s firing of Mosely and Wynne is a great step forward although there are many more in leadership positions that need to be fired if the credibility of the Air Force is to be restored along with its combat capability. Just as the bomber pilots had their central day at the helm of Air Force leadership so also the fighter pilots should be retired from the leadership ranks of the Air Force. They should be replaced with leaders grown from the A-10, tactical airlift, special ops, and tanker communities which find themselves engaged in our wars today. Regardless of who is at the helm, they must be willing to lose their careers at the drop of the hat to do the right thing. Integrity and courage cannot merely be cute catch phrases written and echoed by moral inferiors lacking combat experience.
Sometimes we are called to give our lives up for our country but more often we are called to give our careers up for our country. The current yes-man culture rarely does either and is a detriment to our great country and our once great Air Force. The removal of Gates and Wynne followed by the removal of those made from the same cookie cutter could be the beginning of great things for our Air Force. |
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"We're going to bomb them back into the stone ages while wearing reflective belts." - Gen Curtis Lemay
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Sparky
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| 07 Jun 2008 8:32 PM |
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Personally, I think we would be better served if we had a total mix of all career fields (including fighters) in leadership positions....a diverse group whose resources could be tapped to get things accomplished. We have seen how well having a certain group in the past has worked....let's try something completely different. Just my two cents.... |
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Rynizzle
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Rynizzle
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Velosprints
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| 09 Jun 2008 10:53 AM |
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| Its aboooooout time. What dumbasses ship nuclear supplies to Korea?!?!? When I'm Chief of Staff of the Air Force, things are going to change. |
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BOT - 0902
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke
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Rynizzle
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Sparky
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| 09 Jun 2008 7:54 PM |
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Great, Just what we needed! Our next war we will be dropping pallets of shit instead of iron.......
I just couldn't resist that one Ryno:-) |
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Rynizzle
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frickthebreh
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| 16 Jun 2008 2:37 PM |
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| It seems as if a large part of this debate is whether to spend money on UAVs (current war) or F-22s (future wars with industrialized opponents). While anyone can agree that some balance between the two should be achieved, I don't like the idea of gutting our air superiority element in favor of fighting today's war. They always say that today's generals always fight yesterday's war. I'd hate to fight a war with an industrialized country and only have the technology, strategy, and force structure to fight a terrorist/insurgent force. I know people think that we have come to an age when large nation-states will no longer go to war, and there is some credibility to that argument, but they also thought that during the years leading up to World War 1 (and even after World War 1, hence the gutting of the military then). The main difference between the war we are fighting now and a war against another industrialized state is that the one we are fighting now, while having the ability to hurt us badly geopolitically, could never affectively ruin us as a nation (i.e. taking orders from another country, etc.). We more or less "lost" Vietnam and we have moved on as a nation. Such a thing is not the case with losing a war against an industrialized nation as, in the aftermath, you must absolutely bend to the whim of the winner. North Vietnam did not dictate our domestic and international policies after our failure to defeat them. However, after World War 2, Germany was divided among the winners in regards to governance and rebuilding. Losing today's war would not have the same consequences as losing a war against a future industrialized opponent. And in such a war, it has been shown that air superiority, while not the case in the current war, IS a key to victory. Just something to think about.... |
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matt
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| 19 Jun 2008 6:31 PM |
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| too bad A-10 rapes all. |
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Rynizzle
Team WantsCheck
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| 19 Jun 2008 6:41 PM |
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It's a good point Frick. I agree we don't want to gut our air superiority merely to fight today's war. I don't think, however, purchasing a few hundred less F-22s constitutes said gutting. I will say, however, that because of the F-22 the former leaders of our Air Force absolutely and irresponsibly gutted our Air Force for said future war. That's even less excusable. We've still got air superiority in the bag even with our F-15s and we have a nuclear option.
And it's not just a matter of air superiority versus UAVs. UAVs are the best air superiority option and a better option than the F-22 in both terms of capability and money. |
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"We're going to bomb them back into the stone ages while wearing reflective belts." - Gen Curtis Lemay
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ENJJPTmafia38
Team WantsCheck
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| 19 Jun 2008 11:22 PM |
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It sucks as someone who has dreamed of flying fighters to realize they are
becoming unpopular with people in the AF and by many well educated and
experienced opinons unessary...though I try not to let my dream overshadow
logic, I found a lot of weight in this article: http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/April%202008/0408IssBf.aspx and
would be interested to see what you guys think. Granted it is written
by the AF Times who's stated goal is to advocate air power and the AF's goals
but none the less it shows the numbers breakdown and how short we are coming
with the status quo...I agree AF leadership did the wrong thing by gutting the
AF and a lot of the support personal just to buy some metal.
I think the biggest problem is Congress, and the civilan leadership outside
of the AF not giving the AF the budget it needs to fufuill it's very
substantiated number of 381 fighters, and money it needs to have the right
number of people, and UAVs etc...the article does a good job of showing exactly
how and why we need 381 F-22s to fill the AEFs and no more....it's not like
they are trying to conver the T-Birds to the F-22 or anything stupid like
that...
Remember in the beginning the AF leaders were calling for upwards of 700+
F-22s and after multiple outside reports and analysis conculed 381 was
the correct number the AF conceded to that and asked for the apporiate funds
while Bush and his crew downplayed the substantiated reports and came out with
rhetoric against how the AF was doing bussiness.
Thoughts?
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Rynizzle
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| 20 Jun 2008 5:12 PM |
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As for the article....the only justification they give for "needing" 381 F-22s is due to the Air Force wanting (or it used to want anyway) so they could continue to have the 10 AEF rotations. 10 rotations??? That's the reason I rarely meet a fighter pilot that's actually done anything in combat despite their being two friggin wars. Had the writer explained why we have to have 10 rotations worth so that no one fighter squadron has to pull a deployment but once every year and a half for three months then maybe I'd buy this argument. Not as it stands, though. You say "very substantiated" but I'm not convinced.
I think more numbers are always better but for me the argument is less "how many" and more "what kind" and "how much?" The next air to air fighter should be unmanned. The F-22 is inferior already. An air-to-air UAV is the top dog and we have the technology to make them. We can either buy them (for cheaper) now or we can waste money on the F-22 and F-35s and buy them later hoping that China doesn't send a fleet of them against us first. Like those cheap plastic toys....air-to-air UAVs, cheap, numerous, and unbeatable by the pink fleshy body behind his over-priced and lesser F-22. |
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"We're going to bomb them back into the stone ages while wearing reflective belts." - Gen Curtis Lemay
Click here to view my Pilot Slot Statistics |
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Besides, we didn't have any maps...
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