Leaderboard

Because senior leadership fires them when they oppose stupid ideas. This whole witch-hunt isn't really serving the purpose it is intended to. You know what I think will happen? I think you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams in making the Air Force a purely professional organization, like any civilian company. When I worked for civilian companies (I joined the Air Force late, through OTS), I did not hang out with my co-workers. I did not mentor them, they did not mentor me. If I had a problem at home, I didn't say a word about it to my co-workers. None of my civilian co-workers, aside from my immediate boss, knew my wife was pregnant (and my boss only knew because I needed a day off for one of her medical appointments). You say you want us to be super-professional...ask yourself if this is really the Air Force you want to build. Next time you see hand-wringing over fighter pilot retention, ask yourself why so many people are so eager to quit a job that most Americans would love to do for free, despite a 6-figure retention bonus. Why is morale so low? Well, you've got a whole group of people here that are telling you exactly why morale is so low. Shall I enumerate them for you? 1. One size fits all policies. Or, as I've said before, "If you can't do something smart, do something visible". The Wilkerson case and the Smith case generated some bad press for us in front of congress. The result is that we've done these sweeping inspections and destroyed a lot of heritage in the process, not because it will solve the problem but in the name of showing civilian leadership that we've done SOMETHING. How successful has it been, I wonder? Are reports of sexual assault up, or down, since the purges? 2. In line with number 1, senior leaders have destroyed any ability for SQ/CC and below to lead. When you impose these types of policies at the highest levels and tell every subordinate commander to get on-board, you aren't exactly leaving a lot of room left for leadership. It's not just the purges, although that's a big part of it. It's WG/CCs calling people out on the color of their socks or their gym bags at the gym. It's fostering a culture where everyone is equal, everyone should call everyone out, that destroys any CGOs ability to lead and command respect from the enlisted force...because the enlisted force is now cleared hot to call out officers on any infraction, no matter how small. I used to see this as a problem with shirts in the deployed location, but in appears senior leadership likes the model so much we've brought it home. 3. Unrelated to SAPR, but the level of queep just continues to grow as we do more and more useless things in the name of "training". We also seem to have no real long-term plan when it comes to things like RAP, flying hours, budgets. I get that some of that is driven by the lack of a budget from our civilian leadership...but I spent September flying 8.0s every other day to "burn" our flight hours, only to be stood down for three weeks in October because we didn't have flight hours. Really? 4. Finally, the purges and the high-profile cases are creating a Cold War-era attitude of distrust, where the people who work and fight together are now constantly suspicious of one another for fear that a wayward joke or misplaced word will end their career with an accusation of sexual harassment, real or not. I know what the company line is, but from a crew dog perspective, we all know that if you are even accused of sexual assault or sexual harassment, your career is over, no matter what the investigation concludes. This is not an environment conducive to the open communication that senior leadership keeps telling us we need for mission accomplishment, suicide prevention, DUI prevention, keeping someone from becoming and active shooter...every interaction where I talk about my problems now leaves me vulnerable to my colleagues, so I'm better off just keeping my problems to myself. You are right about changing the culture, I'm just not sure you're going to get the culture you want.

The irony that a senior leader would even need to care, much less be worried in some way, about it being publicly known that he was having straight talk with the rank-and-file is staggering.

Anyone that says a Runners World cover wasn't about sex, you are out of your mind...there is a reason they display a woman with running shorts and a sports bra on the cover instead of a woman with full leggings, long sleeve shirt, ear muffs and gloves running in the winter...sex sells! The point about what the young ins are talking about is spot on!!! When I entered the Air Force in the 90's, no one dared talk about getting an ATP, and no one would even mention an airline by name...hell, you were fined for even saying "airline"...only appropriate term was " a-word" Now, all you hear is where to get an ATP, when is the next SWA app window opening, guys asking to upgrade to SEFE or FCF because they hear it helps get points with the a-words...dudes/dudettes walk into the Reseve office weekly to ask about palace chasing and the next AGR opening. Cap-10

Fixed it for ya...

Fuck, we're there. I'm already off base, off duty, off uniform, SOP. Nothing good ever comes out of sponsoring host wing functions or socializing of any kind on base, which my family already boycotts by default.. See how that unintended consequences bit works? Just doing my 9-5 jerb, boss..... Drinking or socializing inside the fence, are y'all fucking new? LOL Now let's all sing the NEW Air Force Song everybody! Sure got a catchy tune to it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-gqMpZroy8 Workin' 9 to 5 What a way to a livin' Barely gettin' by it's all takin' and no givin'...............

The feeling is mutual. I don't care for skydiving.

  Read TSgt Smith's complaint - the assaulters at the core (the MSgt at Sembach, the John Doe in Iraq, or the flight surgeon) could have been investigated and punished without the AF - wide thrash for "offensive" material that did not address any of the horrible things that happened to her. Instead we have this - https://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=254177. Maybe I'm wrong but you'd think if the AF was prosecuting the sex offenders responsible they'd trumpet it in the national news. Re the Wilkerson case - was it not dynamic leadership by Gen Franklin to review the evidence and conclude that the LtCol was falsely accused? One would assume if the AF gave convening authorities (including yourself possibly) the ability to review convictions, it was because of their trust in dynamic leadership to make the right decision on a court-martial appeal.

The weather must be pretty nice up there on your high horse with your rose-colored glasses. I suppose being an informed voter, a good parent, a regular volunteer, and a tax payer doesn't qualify me to have an opinion about where and how I want to live my life after I give 20+ years of service to a branch of the armed forces. Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk

Take pics, put in a file and if you get passed over/career not where you want it, scream harassment and blame it on fighter culture racism.

Your kind doesn't trust us! I've seen it too many times in the last 5 years. So I don't trust you guys anymore. You people have fucked over the good people of the AF with utterly unbelievable fucked up bullshit. I could go on, but I'd be repeating myself and nothing will change. Out.

Yeah. It's the folks that are fleeing (en masse, by the way, the numbers of which even the most delusional of your peers can't deny), yeah, they're the problem. All of those folks in the 2004 and beyond year groups, the ones who don't talk about anything but where to get their ATP, how to best network with the guard/reserve airline pilots, how to best protect themselves from a 365/RPA/etc, when the next VSP/RIF will be, when to realistically apply for Palace Chase... yeah, those people don't exist, and if they did, they're the problem. We don't need them anyway... the Warrior Monk ShoeClerks can fight the next war. You can't make this shit up.

I don't have a problem with the message, but with the delivery of the message. Why not have a CC call or open discussion forum? Not a set-up where a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation that stretches out over hours or days. If she wanted to demonstrate what is acceptable and what is not, then why not do it in a classroom type environment. Display pic-"this is acceptable," show different pic-"this is not" and then discuss why. Leave the guess work/gray area out of it. No tricks, no gimmicks. Your airmen are adults. Treat them like adults.

You make a pretty good argument and I agree with most of what you said. But this? This doesn't make sense to me. The sq/cc selected the picture because she wanted it to be offensive. The whole purpose was to be offensive and see if anyone would speak up. She willfully placed material that she personally felt was sexually offensive in the workplace. You can't have it both ways. Unlike the person who doesn't know they've crossed somebody's line and makes a correction when informed of an accidental indiscretion, she knowingly subjected her subordinates to things she felt were sexually offensive enough that they should have been reported. I'm honestly a little surprised that she's being lauded for her actions instead of being investigated for sexual harassment herself.

It's "amazing horse" not "sweet lemonade" How else are folks going to find it on YouTube if you're improperly referencing it. And it's hilarious.

It was from a 2006 ACSC paper on the effectiveness of pre-UPT screening programs. https://testrakeaviation.editme.com/files/Backupfiles/Baker-5472.pdf

This exact argument was used to mask deployment dates from the Officer Selection Brief. Non-deployers thought the advantage given to deployers was unfair, so we took the information off the brief. You can get the AF wide combat flight hours from the HARM office. I agree with Chuck, including this factual data is a good thing.

I was raised being taught that painting over history was stuff the Soviets and People's Republic of China did...not America.

I don't work at the puzzle palace, hunt pictures or desecrate AF heritage. #### you and your "here you go" bullshit. I am doing something about this.

This one is straight from the top dudes, and it is a breath of fresh air in the form of direction that promotion boards WILL understand and weigh what it means if a dude has a gabazillion combat hours and deployments and zero community involvement / party-planning bullshit OPR bullets. This is the parity that the mission hackers have been dreaming about for years. Hopefully it continues, because common sense breaking out is not all that common.... Chuck

Because unless they are in and actually observe what is happening first hand, everything else is speculation and gossip. Or contrived stories for the sake of an article on a site that is known for making up stories.

I may appear as if I almost always support Obama because I look at things with a neutral eye first, whereas 99.69% of the members here come in with a predetrmined mindset on the president. And Obama was elected when?

As long as everyone up the chain is fine with the 2d and 3d order effects of this change, so be it. Ever since I enlisted in 1991, I was told about how great it is that the Air Force is a "family". It MORE than just going to work, it's people that will fight to the death next to you, it's people that will support you, even if you are flawed, it's people that are worth the extra effort from you. It's not "just a job". I totally bought into that, and really, it worked for me for years. It has been a sad, sad, transition. Many of the policies put in place now are basically making us a sanitized, civilian style workplace. That is fine. I can follow orders. I will also not be playing in any more of that mandatory fun that used to actually be…fun. Holiday parties? Unit events? Esprit de corps? Those types of things that are above and beyond my assigned time at work are reserved for people/institutions that care about me and that I care about, like a family. Will I be hanging out with good friends from work after duty hours? Sure, but not at the Club, not in the squadron. The new USAF that is afraid to let people interact as the flawed humans they are are simply going to create a culture of clicks and small groups…all being politely professional at work, but with no actual substance to their relationships, no true desire to see their community as a whole succeed, just to survive the work day…make sure to keep those feelings in…don't want to show your true self, if for no other reason that someone may take a minor offense to it. Really, it's all good. I can adapt.

You don't think either of them may have direct access, or maybe even still be directly involved with, these types of events?

Can't make those assumptions off the information that was provided. And the info was provided in a sense that perpetuates a way that something should be done. My "f*cking bitching and whining" is done in a very small circle and I am trying to lead the portion of the force that I can affect. But as Bitte says above, senior leadership is not making that easy. There is no place for sexual innuendo in the workplace and I do not condone it. As to the comments "I'd hit that", "finance sucks" and "my wife is hot"- squash that shit immediately and make it clear that is not acceptable in this setting. BE A LEADER!

Innumerable?? Not the adjective I would use. I did do some casual research prior to my post and found an journal article stating that convictions under article 88 are "extremely rare" (pg 73) and there is has been one person charged under article 88 since 1967 (pg 75).. https://cape.army.mil/repository/materials/WhenSoldiersSpeakOut.pdf I knew that masters degree was going to pay off someday. Not familiar with that amendment/article of the US Constitution...please elaborate. I also "googled" this assertion and the top article was titled "7 Bull$h!t myths we believe about police thanks to movies" If you actually read what I said you would realize that I don't claim that publicly disagreeing with civilian military leadership is consequence free. I merely said that it usually (def:more often than not) does not result in a criminal conviction under article 88. I firmly believe that military members should remain apolitical and keep their comments to themselves. However, some senior uniformed leaders have chosen to bring their viewpoints into the public forum to force debates at the expense of their own career.

Heck, if you have a security checkpoint, you need some sort of armed security to actually enforce it. Otherwise it's just administrative. It's not that hard to figure out...although all across the nation we do this every day. "No weapons" is the policy, but they'll have to call 911 for someone to actually enforce it. The only good I see that doing is forcing bad guys to start attacking people earlier in the trip. Give security types guns AND make sure they are trained. Seems we, as a nation, aren't that great at the second half.

That just wrong. The only thing that would of made it worse is a bikini.

I can't believe people are even considering this. Being born American is like winning the lottery, have some pride and loyalty and get behind the Stars and Stripes. We will never be perfect but we are still the city on a hill.