Leaderboard

Sadly, your statement is true. Regardless of what some well meaning senior officers will say, you are just a number in the endless machine. YOU can change that at an individual level by leading, teaching, and mentoring. After 24 years those interactions at a personal level are the thing I am most proud of. At this point in my life I have one simple litmus test to grade my career, can I look at myself in the mirror, thank god the answer is yes. I was FAR from perfect, but I did my best to lead, teach, and mentor and I hope I made a difference in a few lives. Good luck with the next chapter.

From what I have seen there is a gaping whole in the RPA incentive pay program. Under the current rule set 18's who go to the staff lose their flight pay, EVEN if they were prior rated. What Einstein came up with that idea when you are trying to develop a professional community of well-developed RPA operators?

What's the incentive for the Air Force to change the personnel system? We put bombs on target, provide air superiority, and move a ton of shit through the air and we do it better than any nation ever has before. It's all because of the people. Maybe..just maybe..the Air Force gets it right. Maybe the people that leave AD for the Reserves or the corporate world would provide too much chaos to the system that achieves its objectives better than everyone else. In the end, box checkers and ass kickers that are toxic leaders climb the ranks (Rhat, CZ); however, so do a lot of really good bros (maybe Welsh?). Is that any different than Exxon Mobile, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, or Coca Cola? I don't know. People/systems change because of the incentives available to them. For now, we are all incentivized with job security, pay, retirement, and authority. The personnel system is incentivized because it is still an all volunteer force that, contrary to popular belief, does not have an attrition problem. Until those incentives don't align with the goals, there is no reason to change. Now, I don't agree with any of that but it is certainly worth noting. I hate Chang more than my mother-in-law but if you can look through his pompous bullshit there is some value. The people I have found that I enjoy working for and have made me better, do not always get stars on their shoulder. Instead, the "mentors" that "mentor" me by telling me how make Colonel, even though that's not my goal, are the ones that make rank. It's mindless but I could do it for 20 years and drive nice cars, own a nice house, and have a solid retirement check, A1 does that for me so thanks. I have little to no stress and it is an easy paycheck if I can tolerate TDYs and deployments. The biggest losers do get kicked out as they should (great job A1). The next group of losers are able to stay because some of the top tier of leaders bail voluntarily because they do not feel valued. They in-turn give up their slots to that second group of losers that are now allowed to stay. That's where the Air Force can improve. It would be great for the all the best leaders to stay because they feel they are valued. They feel the decisions they make influence the direction of the organization. They trust the system. Until the Air Force is incentived to keep all those great leaders, the current system works and it works damn good. All that being said, I'm headed to the Reserves and the corporate world. Thanks AD for the opportunities, but I am tired of being a faceless ADSC, DOR, SSN, etc.

Craigslist.com/casual_encounters

Fire till you hire? Isnt that the air force way since the end of the cold war ?

So why is there talk about waiving DAV 81 at my base? But I guess there was a 2 month period after they closed Manas but before ISIS cropped up that was nice...

'Sigh'. We can debate the resources aspect, but non-stop ops? Really? The numbers simply do not back that up, my friend. Dwell times continue to get better and better. I'm rooting for you to get a Pentagon job out of ACSC this summer, hopefully here in A1. It will really open you aperture.

I appreciate your post and recognize some communities face assignment difficulties that others do not. It is unfortunate, but I don't anticipate key strategic personnel decisions being made divorced from the spreadsheets and the numbers. It's the ultimate Moneyball. How can we retain just enough talent for the cheapest price to get the win? Tough, tough questions with tough answers. However, it's what our bosses, the taxpayers, expect us to do.