Leaderboard

Close the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy. Have one United States Military Academy where graduates compete for whatever service/job they would like to enter. Expand ROTC programs and OTS. Have more folks entering the service without the "I've been brainwashed since I was 18 that if life isn't miserable then something is wrong" mentality. Have combined USAFA/USN/USMA football team kick Notre Dame's ass over and over again.

I number of years ago while a student in the ASG program I had the unfortunate and very unsatisfying opportunity to sit down and debate the pompous egomaniac that is Tom Ricks. His is single-minded in his belief that everything is done wrong, no matter who does it, it is how he makes his living. His hatred of the Air Force was BLATANTLY obvious as we discussed and debated ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. His myopic view of the world is limited to a boots on the ground approach and after two hours trying to engage it was readily apparent he does not have a strategic bone in his body. I am not a graduate of Air War College, but I dare say this idiot could most certainly benefit from completing the curriculum...if nothing else the PT program would help him shed the 80 pounds of girth that seems to be impairing his thought process.

Wow, how's the view from that ivory tower in the cultured land of academia, General? As someone that spent the last three years wasting my Sundays on an apprently academically-inferior MS in int'l relations, while my family did whatever while I did homework, I offer a sincere FU from the bottom of my heart.

Flipping the safety on after each shot is a poor technique that would get most people killed. The carbine courses have so many different techniques, and some sound totally crazy but happen to work for one guy one time. Great training all, but I think that particular technique would get the majority of people killed. Sky cops fall squarely in the average majority. Bottom line is this guys is a total idiot, whether or not this particular technique is valid and used by someone at Magpul. The conceptual idea that one absolutely must get the uniform standard right all the time or you simply aren't qualified to fight the war is fundamentally flawed. The true professional puts everything on a hierarchy of importance, a hierarchy that changes depending on many variables. As operators we're very comfortable living like this, and we usually call it SA. Sometimes your gas state is the most important thing, sometimes it's the weather, sometimes it's the mission then the icing on your wings, and when the critical part of the mission is over you RTB the area because now the icing is most important. The hierarchy is always changing, and a good flyer stays aware of what's at the top and the handful of items under it. This idea of juggling a group of variables which all slide up and down the priority list used to confuse the shit out of me in pilot training, resulting in my average performance. But with a few thousand hours it's natural to all of us. And I think this is why we all know his argument is bullshit, but an articulate response is hard because the concept is so simple. We think "of course my mission planning is more important than having my sleeves rolled down." Or "of course I put my sunglasses on my head, I'm doing shit with my hands." And that's the issue with this guy, and this entire school of thought with non-operators that if you can't get the uniform right how can you fly an airplane? They think "how can you possibly do the important things when you can't get this thing right?" And we think "how can you possibly worry about the unimportant things when there are so many others that matter?" Of course our perspective is right and theirs is wrong. We prove that by flying successful missions everyday wearing baseball hats with a dip in our mouth; and if they understood priorities they wouldn't correct an officer about a minor uniform violation by yelling at him in public-- a customs and courtesies breach that manifests their inability to differentiate importance levels between issues. The only possible fix to our plight (two incompatible schools of thought) is leadership. Leadership must set the standard and leadership must judge what is most important when. And of course, leadership is what we are mostly lacking. Approaching the end of my commitment, this is a pretty strong argument for me to stay and try to fix it.

If you didn't go to the zoo, then you won't get it. I fail to see how an academy grad separating at 5 years is any different than a ROTC dude punching at the same time.

Who said anything about PME schools producing good leaders? The only school that produces good leaders is Weapons School...just ask any Weapons Officer.

2. Although I'm not sure we can even call his tower "ivory." Outside of the Air Force, an education from Air University and $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. His tower is more like those sofa cushion forts we all made as kids-"make believe." After compulsory "corporate" education (SOS and ACSC), I'm a proponent of sending officers to civilian schools. The gained perspective is incredibly valuable for us and commingling with the civilian population might actually learn them somthin' too. In my experience, while school prestige doesn't equate to graduate competence, it does equate to credibility. The military maintains high confidence among civilians, but I have a feeling that it's slipping a bit-especially as funding for DoD programs is pitted against funding for entitlement programs.

Also, if we're talking saving money, how much money would we save if we shut down the academies? Increase the number of ROTC/OTS students per year to make up the numbers. This would be what, one maybe two students per ROTC det? Paying a full ride scholarship at most colleges would be way cheaper than running the Academy! What do we really gain from the academies...especially with the students that punch at the end of their commitment?

While they're at it, kill ASBC and SOS...Talk about a joke, and waste of $$$$$!

WTF why did they move the camera? kiss cam

Get ######ed, the Air Force needs its University, just to say it has one. Cut the fat from elsewhere. Yea i went to the zoo, but my opinion still stands

Unless you went to MIT, Stanford, or USC for an engineering degree (or maybe a Harvard for fuzzy type degrees), a much better academic program.

I would have hoped the cops stuck around long enough to protect me from from father after that.

Yeah, just wait to upgrade to C-17 IP before getting RPA's.