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Does not address my need to have my zipper half way down to my crotch but it is a start. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dude, it's a step in the right direction. I'll take it. It won't solve all the problems, but it's a damned easy kill and serves to boost the morale a little bit, so let's take it in the spirit in which it was intended and build on this victory to try to get our morale patches back.

Does the new one break your neck when you have to get rid of the jet, or will that be a thing of the past?

https://www.tehachapinews.com/news/edwards-air-force-base-pilot-dies-in-san-antonio-crash/article_bd4f2c2c-e423-11e6-aad2-0bf8c6e8a090.html To SWAB

The MC was a JS coord. The 52 guy was non-rec'd to fighters. Not sure on the other three. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is this real life?

No idea man. I was just there. All that AFPC voodoo is well above my level. One would imagine they need pilots if they are dropping...

Businesses generally only pay interest on their loans (sometimes the principal will amortize) and landlords generate monthly income from their properties. Taking out a loan where you are repaying the principal and interest on a monthly basis to invest in the market you won't be able to match the cashflow as well as those other two. That said, if you're in a position where you can make the monthly payments and your cash flow is low risk (both should be true on a $4k loan and military employment) then it really isn't a bad idea. It's the same reason lots of people with high paying jobs and 6 digit investment accounts only make the minimum payments on their student loans. No matter what Dave Ramsey is selling you in his books, a little leverage isn't a bad thing.

Yup, it's really a good movie, particularly Shatner's speech at the 45 minute mark. A pretty good explanation on how we rationalize tolerating the injustices we encounter in systems where people misuse their power.

https://www.acc.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/5725/Article/1029543/f-16cm-thunderbird-accident-investigation-released.aspx

I think we should have caged our expectations to reality. Desert Storm was such a success because we did just that. The campaign was to remove Iraq from Kuwait. We removed Iraq from Kuwait, crippled their ability to try it again, and we went home. We could have done something similar in Afghanistan...attack the Taliban's strongholds, destroy as much of their capacity to inflict fear on their neighbors, and walk away. Instead, we're on our second decade of trying to build a nation where one has never really existed in a form we're familiar with. Same with Iraq take-two...we invaded the country, dismantled every part of the functional government, then we were caught off-guard when we had a hard time building a democratic government from scratch. My point isn't that we should never get involved. It's that we should take a cold, hard look at whether that involvement is in our own interests, rather than the pursuit of some noble and unattainable ideal of "liberty" or "justice". When we get involved, we should do so on the smallest scale possible. At our current rate of progress, we'll be in Afghanistan into the 2050s, and that's probably being optimistic. In short, we need a more pragmatic approach to our foreign policy. Saddam was a terrible person, but because he ruled Iraq with an iron fist, he kept groups like ISIS from emerging. Qaddaffi was a long time antagonist of the US, but he was willing to work with us on getting rid of WMDs. Now Libya is just a giant, messy civil war (much like Syria)...perhaps the US needs to recognize that foreign dictators don't have to be good people to be useful to US interests.

maybe he wants to be a future umpire after honorable service in the Navy?

I've not seen the brief you've seen, but a few things just don't make sense to me: - There should be no 11F required 365s? I agree that requirements need to be scrutinized, but c'mon, man--if 11F experience were that valueless downrange, Big Blue wouldn't be quite so concerned about 11F retention. The point is to have competent folks in force application/other 11F-relevant billets. Who else would you suggest fill those CAF-type downrange billets? 11Ms? Intel officers? Space officers? It ain't like the 11B community is awash with extra bodies. - Re: IDE, I'd say this should be the other way around--follow the Petraeus model. If one wants to go to IDE, or especially SAASS, he/she should have a meaningful overseas deployment under his/her belt. Too often the bright and shinies find ways to avoid ever doing much of anything operationally relevant as they work their way up the ranks - Airline hiring is a major factor. I'd say you need to think a bit bigger-picture: -- There is a very clear historical negative correlation between a-word hiring and AF pilot retention. This is true in all AF pilot communities -- Going back to the discussion above, even if a-word doesn't necessarily make a direct difference in 11Fs' decisions to take the bonus, the indirect impact is huge. Let's say Big Blue works to limit the number of 11F-required billets downrange, and adds other sweeteners (beyond pay) to encourage 11Fs to stay on AD. Guess what--the billet will likely still be filled. Problem is, it ends up being filled by an 11M or perhaps 11R--which our primarily fighter pilot leaders have blithely decided are somehow healthy on manning. Hmm--11Ms have the choice between either getting beaten down on active duty, or heading for the exits and within a year enjoying better pay, better quality of life, and freedom from getting tagged with downrange deployments that should in fact be filled by folks with force application backgrounds (not to mention the many other 11M-required billets). At a very minimum, the airlines drain the Air Force of all the other folks that are backfilling 11Fs in jobs around the globe. -- I would be curious if the survey only focused on those approaching the ends of their SUPT commitments, or if they also surveyed those hitting the 20-yr retirement decision. The choices then are even more stark--one can remain on AD and effectively work for half pay and postpone building airline seniority, or get out at exactly 20 years, and within a year be making more--between AF retirement and a-word paycheck--than they ever would have on AD. In sum, I get that 11F manning is a substantial concern. I agree the Air Force needs to make a number of changes--not all of them costly--to encourage folks to stay in (reviewing AFSC requirements for various billets, minimizing unnecessary PCSs, pushing back against stupid COCOM requirements, etc.), no argument there. The above said, AF senior leaders are rightfully acknowledging that airline hiring is a big deal, and they need to continue working to find ways to minimize its negative effects on retention. Perhaps just as importantly, they need to stop insulting our intelligence. All the public handwringing over 11F shortages (with little mention of other pilot communities) implies that other AF pilot communities are somehow fat, dumb and happy. Nothing could be further from the truth, and a-word hiring is just getting warmed up. A sure way to keep retention low is to stay on this fighter-myopic track the USAF is currently on. TT

The "indefinite detention" language needs to come out of the NDAA. It amazes me that anyone who has taken the oath to the Constitution that we all do could possibly vote for such a thing. It is one of the most repulsive things to come out of Congress in decades (that is unclassified, at least).

This. Don't give a drunk a drink. Until they tell you they are ready to quit growing the blob of non-mission relevant bullshit and the shoe clerks who feed on it. Make them squirm and publicly state what will be dropped, eliminated and changed. The SECAF & CSAF made a step in the right direction with the attempt and some success in the elimination of excess / unnecessary additional duties but it has MUCH further to go. You're going to have get him to strategically change the career intent, focus & development in the officer corps to level the wings. There are issues in the enlisted cadre also, careerism at the expense of primary duty competency, but the lion's share of the problem is that the AF stuck in an Industrial Style HR system (particularly in the officer cadre) that strives to maintain a force structure not really suited for today's workforce, operational environment or financial realities. Also, make them buy a LAAR - that would be the cherry on top.

Thankfully the 3-stars are all over the important shit going on in today's Air Force. Meanwhile at the squadron level... the experienced guys/gals are racing out the door so fast it makes your head spin. WAKE THE FUCK UP, GENERAL NOWLAND!