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And if we needed any more evidence to know Chang is a troll, there it is.

Well, In cyber we got a Viper driver as the 24 AF/CC and it has been fantastic for getting us towards operational and really getting the rest of the "3" community to pay attention. Doubly so for the awful network that's been flogged for years that's just been blamed on "Comm." for not doing well enough. When the bag-wearer tells the 4-stars, "You've deferred MX on the network, doing spot fixes only, for a decade." People listen. Watching him tell SES's that he didn't care if their pet application had 4-star support, he's in charge of cyber ops and running Server 2003 wasn't allowable anymore, was fantastic. Doubly so w/ Gen Bender backing him up. Far cry from the awful space-O's who're somehow also considered "ops." Having worked with EWO community and how it works/attacks in the "the cybers" has really helped me develop something approaching an operational mindset. Unfortunately, they're stuck with Intel in 25AF now, but we're all headed to ACC and can hopefully break them into cyber. Cyber NEEDS operational (re: rated) leaders to come over and teach us, advocate for us, and point out and ostracize the support-minded fucks who're holding everything back. We need those leaders as Maj's, so we can educate our junior O's, and not try to convert these Col's who grew up in traditional Comm and scoff whenever I point out how flyers operate and say, "This is cyber, we're different." For example - "We need an office or something to coordinate these teams movements when they head out to do missions/sorties." I say that sounds like a scheduling office, and should be done in the wing/units responsible and not as a staff function. Just like a flying wing does. Reply was, "Well, this is different. We've got to coordinate clearances, and sometimes they go overseas. A lot more than a flying scheduling office does." Not. Fucking. Kidding. Having to deal with CC's saying they're unsure if their "Mission Ready" presented crew is experienced enough to do a tasked operation. Watching them disregard our WIC's inputs out-of-hand because they don't align with Group leadership's plans. Sq CC's not knowing what their people do, or their own processes for execution. Saying people on cyber crew need crew rest...CREW REST. They use flying ops AFI's for it. K, getting to work pissed for a Saturday. Later all. PS: I hate this job.

Pulling 4 Gs at a cabin altitude of 10k' without supplemental O2? Yep, that's bound to give you a headache.

Long article but worth the time: https://warontherocks.com/2017/04/playing-moneyball-the-scouting-report-on-light-attack-aircraft/ Major Bier did the math. As discussed, the math is only part of the argument for a LAAR but a big part (sts) with others: force development/sustainment, BPC, etc... but a well thought article on the subject of LAAR acquisition.

I got ahold of SD and the announcements are in the mail. Good luck everyone

So 19 people at a time and 1095 day flying deployments to other CONUS bases. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

And then we'll put that special operations in the most special part of America.

Re: the article Clark posted...low-cost direct fire is great and all except that the GFCs want single-pass clean kills in very small windows of opportunity. Taking multiple strafing runs to kill a target, while much more cost effective, isn't going to fly IMHO. This is the driving force behind PGM use and why A-10 dudes don't get to use the gun as often as they would like. The necessary innovation to break the upward cost spiral needs to happen in the lower-cost PGM space, a la APKWS, as well as in volume discounts for things like the Griffin, SGM, SDB, etc. Honestly laser weapons are the ultimate low-cost, endlessly renewable, zero-time-of-flight, low-CDE weapon we all really want and need for precision strike against soft targets. Re: needing a separate COIN/LIC command...it's almost as if we need a component of the Air Force that's not undertaking conventional operations. Perhaps we could call this newfangled type of deal "special" operations? IDK, just throwing spaghetti against the wall here... If we can create that at scale, man, what a place to stick a light attack fleet!

Yepp, and and any reasons we need NCOs handing out towels in the gym? And let's be honest, most base gyms don't even hand out towels! Why not hire civilians to run the gym while these NCOs can make sure my PCS orders aren't consistently months late.

I've seen this type of scenario play out several times, only one of which was directly from AFPh. The hand is a current O-6 who will probably make O-7. Some were good folks. The hand is a despicable human being, but that doesn't have to be the case. :-) Based on the last AFPC webinar for the Reconnaissance world, the only flyers going to staff are being placed by their OG/CC's. Roughly the top 25% will go at all, half of those will go before or after IDE. Obviously, the IDE crowd are on the short list for DO/CC. The rest of the staffers are the backups for fallout. If you weren't picked up for staff but want to command, this is theoretically a route to get the staff experience you need... the problem are all the other personnel system dynamics I talked about before. Thus, the "best route" for that person is to execute a dramatic turn around and find a senior leader to sponsor you. IMO, that theoretical person's best route is to transition to the guard/reserve and try a fresh start over there.

Move along folks.

Ok...now I realize that Chang is a pilot with awesome trolling techniques. A personnelist (regardless of posistion in a wing) would never have the power/authority to "non-vol" a rated flyer to any deployment. This would have to go through the OG and ultimately be cleared by the wing commander. Well played, Chang, well played...

He blew it. I was in doubt for the longest time, but it's not even fun anymore.

10 Taliban fighters kill 163 Afghan soldiers. Oh yeah, the security situation is improving, sign me up. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/at-least-160-dead-after-taliban-attack-on-major-afghan-army-base-official-says/2017/04/22/239aa398-2750-11e7-a1b3-faff0034e2de_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_afghan-attacks-830am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.f12298bcb95d

Exactly! Since we all know that the FAC was merely a force shaping tool to begin with and had absolutely nothing to do with making our Air Force "fit to fight" lol. It's time to force shape that shop and put those cats to work on filing my travel voucher and doing my adls training for me. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Nope, he has to remember. Put the jack and cokes down and fill us in DFRESH. I don't tell them, I drag the stories out of BOPS folks. Like Toro.....come on buddy, we want to hear the fallout.

Maybe......

MPF was closed all day today (0800-1600) at MacDill due to an on base carnival. So that's my reason.

13 years later. I've since flown two MDSs in two MAJCOMS, retired, and am now flying for a civilian cargo outfit. I stand by my statement.

That isn't a lot of money. At all. The npv of that is under $40,000. Total.

We have a pilot shortage? At least morale is good.

I was a snacko once as a Lt Col, and I was the best goddamn snacko that squadron ever saw.

This. A much higher percentage of our society is being paid to do nothing. Why in the hell would we take from the 1% who sign up to put their lives on the line? Bullshit flag: raised (P)

He recently completed his 3 acceptance flights...currently in U-2 training. Hail Dragons.

Anybody who came in while the Post 9/11 GI Bill existed would still have the benefit, so nobody is breaking faith. I paid into the GI Bill before the Post 9/11 existed, but then utilized the Post 9/11 because it's a far better deal. Far better to the extent of being a ridiculous benefit. We're $20 trillion in debt and the moment anybody tries to trim a tiny piece of anything everyone loses their fucking minds. Something has to give. I think it's reasonable that the program be fractionally subsidized by the benefactors, just like it was with the GI Bill. This is a perfect example of how government becomes bloated. Once a program exists, you can never get rid of it because of this kind of response. If you use the benefit in a pricey locale and maximized your tuition value out of the Post 9/11, we're talking upwards of $75k in benefit. And for some reason you can transfer that to your family members? The intent behind the (Montgomery) GI Bill was to help soldiers transition back into society by facilitating education that could help them build marketable skills. That was partially a benefit for society-at-large aiming to prevent a bloat of people in their mid-twenties whose only skill was knowing how to kill people showing up on the job market only to get rejected and end up on skid row. How does covering your 2yr-old's college tuition fulfill that goal again? As the benefit exists, I think asking people to foot $1200 or $2400 of that bill is not unreasonable, particularly if it makes it viable into the future. With the exception of your BAH and book allowance, post 9/11 tuition benefits go directly to the institution. Given that it's a government program, payments take a long time to be distributed which will almost certainly be well after your institutions tuition payment deadline. Technically, in that instance you are on the hook to pay the institution by their deadline and when the GI Bill payment processes your account will have a positive balance which the school will refund to you. However, when I used the benefit my institution waived the payment deadline for anybody using the GI Bill because they knew that eventually they'd get payment. That eliminated the need for anybody attending on the GI Bill to have $10k in liquid cash to spare for the 1-3 month differential between tuition payment deadline and the GI Bill payment being distributed. I'd imagine that's pretty standard for any major institution.

This sounds like the old GI Bill. It's still a good deal regardless. $2,400 for 36 months of benefits? Some of us have gotten real used to post 9/11 type benefits and they've become an entitlement, but we all should have known this type of treatment wouldn't last forever. They've gotta rob Peter to pay Paul. Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

https://www.dailybreeze.com/business/20170402/as-military-base-cuts-loom-aerospace-leaders-prepare-to-defend-el-segundos-air-force-installment Should this place be BRAC'd? Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Baseops Network Forums mobile app

Now that we've got no-shit dudes who've got the experience chimed in, none of us have to rely on heresay. I meant it when I said thanks for your perspective - it helps everyone steer the ship. That said if a dude really wants to do this, part of my job is to get him in touch, connected with info from the people who have. They're owed as much regardless of personal opinion. Chuck

I see where you're coming from. However please consider, if you have a young Captain asking for gouge about AFPAK Hands, it'd be much more accurate and helpful in his decision making matrix to say: "AFPAK Hands sucks because there is a high likelihood you'll be undervalued and misused during your deployments" "AFPAK Hands sucks because there is a high likelihood you'll never command in this community" "AFPAK Hands sucks because you'll see the tragedy of our mission in Afghanistan up close" No one says "AFPAK Hands sucks because I didn't get promoted." If they do...f*&k 'em.

Nobody gives a shit about T-6's except in the UPT world. In fact, nobody gives a shit how you performed in T-38's after assignment night. Most guys get better with time, so if you make it through, continue to work your ass off and you'll have a blast flying fighters. I can say, with absolute certainty, that how you perform in T-6s has absolutely nothing to do with how you'll perform in a fighter squadron. As Hacker said, at least if a guy flew 38s and graduated, you know he has the potential. If a guy never flew 38s, it's unknown, regardless of if he "finished T6s #1 by a mile." FAIPmafia turned down 38s. Great. Thanks for doing us fighter guys a solid. But now he's bitching about flying 38s being a requirement, and is pretty sure he's going to be "aight"? YGBSM. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

AB - I agree with the majority of your assessment with minor dissenting remarks not worth quibbling about here. The bottom line is APH is not a path for command-oriented flyers, period. If your community non-vol'd you, I'd suggest it is a message about where you fit in the future hierarchy. If you volunteered and didn't get strong counselling from your commander about the repercussions, I'd suggest that is a message also. Anecdotally, if you came into this program a strong performer, you'll leave this program in shape for O-5 with minimal command prospects. The are outliers, especially in the non-rates community. If you came into this program with weak records and hoped APH would give you a boost, you're going to be disappointed. CJ nailed it in his assessment, I will provide more later but bottom line is this program has a high risk/reward ratio. There are some truly unique jobs downrange, but it's pure chance you'll be assigned to them. The AHOB process is broken, and for the most part GO's at RS treat Hands as free-agents to pad their staff. I know of no less than three C-130 WIC grads in the program, none of which advised Afghans on aviation-related issues. WTFO!

I just want to know if the dudes that dropped the MOAB from the MC-130 were T-1 or T-38 grads.

This is complicated, and I don't claim to have the full picture, but here is what I think it really takes. TL;DR: Congress, the Joint Staff, and the USAF all have a role to play. All must take unprecedented steps to fix this, but the potential gain is beyond anything we've ever known. Congress: 1. Eliminate the vast majority of queep driven by federal law. 2. Bring pilot pay up to 75% of airline pilot pay with similar seniority/qualification. 3. BRAC Cannon yesterday, everywhere else tomorrow, and mass forces at superbases near major metro areas. Build a DFW-worth of runways to support and make the airspace Class B if needed. JCOS: 1. Inform COCOMs that their staff requirements will be combined (Navy flyer for USA/USAF/USMC/USN rated job, etc) or eliminated, to the scale or 50-75% or more. 2. Annihilate 179s as a thing. One fvcking day? Are you kidding me? Give people the credit for their service. This is one example, but i think the trend is clear: shorter deployments, where the service pays a premium to get people home to their families, and if not credits the time served, rather than allowing a cowardly bureaucrat to steal that credit. USAF: 1. Divorce rated promotions from non-rated. Separate boards, with separate quotas. To make a long story short: you can replace an MPF 0-3 with about 30 grand. To replace a (good) pilot is 100 times that amount. Time to recognize return on investment, kids. 2. Make the non-verbal signals clear: stop the anti-ops "you're all officers and equal" jihad. I won't rant about why. 3. Man the queep positions so that pilots/rated only do DOT, DOV, etc jobs aside from flying, aka those that require their expertise. 4. In Robin Olds' words: "If I can order a man to combat 24 hours a day, he can get paid 24 hours a day." I truly do not care if MSG folks have to work 12 hours shifts; they will support. If they quit, I do not care; I will replace them for the cost of a single aircrew TDY. Run the numbers and tell me I am wrong. However, I will also massively increase incentive flights and the like to connect Ops to MX to MSG and MDG. I would unite the factions so that they would SEE what their worth ethic empowers. 5. Inform COCOMs that their "rated requirements" will be manned at about the 10% level or lower. And see [JCOS] part. 6. Start researching how to finally quit the AEF and move to a better, more cohesive, more predictable model. Don't go full Army, because that is just retarded, but find a way for families to know that "this" deployment is just the one in 4 years, or whatever. 7. Most important: CSAF has to get out there, to every base, and every squadron bar, with nametags off and interview the pilots/CSOs/STS dudes with beer in hand and no entourage. This is the hardest part. He/She MUST establish credibility by allowing the rank and file to speak truth to power at the risk of being disrespectful. This will be a self-sustaining process; if the CSAF showed up here, paid my bar tab and got me a DD, I would whiteboard out the cycle of factors, at the FGO level, that are ensuring our mission failure - but only if I trusted him. 8. I'd overhaul Lackland to look more like an Army basic training unit than the clown show it is now. Kill the "but the queep reg says" buffoonery, and make 50% or more personal combat skills. I could go on on this point, but this is the essence of "expenditionary skills" and would motivate people that want to be part of a warfighting organization. Those who don't: quit. They will be replaced at their least expensive point. Folks, it's time to steal from the USMC model and challenge our people to be part of an elite combat unit, not an office camo welfare unit. And the take-away, folks: trust. This will require huge risks by leadership to change the paradigm, but if they can restore trust, then the rest will follow. Their biggest challenge now is that no one trusts the leadership, even if they make valid arguments and really want to change the culture.

Implement the things in Bleeding Talent would be a good start. Also based priority for all support based on proximity to the fight. For example: Personnelist or finance dude works overtime to get the queep right for the MX troop who's working nights to fix jets. MX troop busts his hump because pilots need the jets to launch on time. Pilots double turn and stretch their min fuel to get a bomb down supporting the JTAC on the ground. JTAC stands exposed on a rooftop to get in comms so that his guys don't get overrun. Find your approximate place in that workflow and demand excellence from those behind you in priority and provide excellence serving those ahead of you.

The only thing that will fix the Air Force is a no-shit shooting match. Within a very short period of time, the weenies will be fired because they can't lead in combat, and the warriors will rise back to their rightful place at the top. The American public has become fat, dumb, and happy and that's why the Air Force is in the state it's in. Excellence is borne of strife, not prosperity.

Fuck you Ram, the world deserves to know! Hopefully the source selection goes with the great white, sure as hell don't want that piece of shirt tiger shark Northrup is pitching - only one laser, bullshit!

If your standards of forming an opinion on a matter is based on what CAIR and SPLC say, I refuse to take you seriously.

Precisely why we need airpower leaders in these key positions. I intend to nonvol my absolute best flyers in the Wing here in Asia to these positions. I am confident my fellow CCs will follow suit. We need our best in these critical positions to win this war. And I intend to reward them career-wise on the backside.