Leaderboard

So hot take but the AF does not promote people for being good leaders and does not necessarily want good leaders at the top. Rather, they promote pedigrees. What upgrades have you accomplished? Been a flight commander? Been a squadron commander? Had staff experience? Have an AAD? They want people at the top that they think have the appropriate pedigree to make big picture decisions. Some of these people just happen to be awesome leaders. A lot, and I mean A LOT, don't. The AF doesn't need them to be good leaders though because they have the power of the UCMJ behind them. They can always order people to do things. However, things go smoother when they are good leaders and they don't have to micromanage their forces with written orders. So they "hedge" themselves by creating an environment that allows these senior officers to develop into good leaders by providing education experiences, guidance, etc... but there is nothing that's going to "force" that officer to become a good leader. And you can definitely see this because some of the best leaders in the AF never get promoted. Their leadership was never valued. Their pedigree was and they didn't have the pedigree. Rather than focus on getting good leaders pedigree, they take good pedigree and try to make them into leaders, which doesn't work.

My $0.02 on this one. I think if you’re an engineer and get a masters in engineering, you should get a boost on your PRF as a result. If you’re an engineer and get a MBA, it shouldn’t matter. If you’re a rated aircrew, a masters degree shouldn’t matter until O-6. I know tons of bros that got one (myself excluded) that have never used the degree directly. HOWEVER, the ability of an officer to be able to write effectively, think critically, and examine complex problems is absolutely vital as one increases rank and responsibility. I understand the idea that a Masters degree would be an indication of those skills, but we’ve demonstrated that most certainly isn’t the case with the degree mills. The real root cause here (IMO) is the Air Force’s confusion that education = leadership. I liken it to a dude that gets a masters in exercise science and nutrition getting put in charge of a bodybuilding academy but has never lifted weights. It’s honestly sad to see those types get put back in charge of a squadron and flail because now their cohort is a bunch of John Q Pilots that just want to fly jets and kill the enemy and DGAF about all the stuff that their new commander just went through to become 1/690*. I’m not against education at all and personally think it’s very important. But the type of education needed to truly lead an effective fighting force doesn’t show up cleanly on a SURF. *This is discussed beautifully in a book called “The Captain Class”. TLDR version is the author looks at dynasty teams from every sport out there and finds the one thing they all had in common is a Captain that led by doing the dirty, challenging, and selfless work instead of getting the glory.

Reportedly about 600 Russians met Señor HIMARS just after midnight, during a Putin speech. That probably would tip the scales here, but I doubt it moves the needle much in Russia.

Lloyd, I think we're all on the same page. Nobody is advocating for abortion and deadbeat dads. We're highlighting the hypocrisy of this issue in America. A woman can kill her unborn child and go to Applebee's right after. She's not held to the same standard as a man who doesn't want his child. If a drunk driver kills a pregnant woman and her child, they can charge the drunk driver for 2 counts. Why is one murder/manslaughter and the the other not? That is the question.

Let’s lighten this thread up a bit…

That’s exactly right. There’s no connection between our system’s desired pedigree for career success and actually winning wars. And until our nation holds accountable for failure “leaders” like Miley and Austin, this practice will continue.

I honestly don’t see what the problem is. I mean, the three dudes grilled on Capital Hill about the Afghanistan pull-out/debacle/abortion have a very impressive graduate education resume, and I think they showcased that higher level critical thinking during the withdrawal operation. It’s common knowledge more degrees make a better leader. /s SECDEF He holds a Master of Arts degree in counselor education from Auburn University, and a Master of Business Management from Webster University. https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/2522687/lloyd-j-austin-iii/ Chairman of the JCS In addition to his bachelor’s degree in political science from Princeton University, General Milley has a master’s degree in international relations from Columbia University and one from the U.S. Naval War College in national security and strategic studies. He is also a graduate of the MIT Seminar XXI National Security Studies Program. https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/614392/general-mark-a-milley/ CENTCOM Commander at the time Gen McKenzie is an honors graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the School of Advanced Warfighting. He was selected as a CMC Fellow in 1999, and served as a Senior Military Fellow within the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. He has a Masters in Teaching with a concentration in History. https://www.centcom.mil/ABOUT-US/LEADERSHIP/Bio-Article-View/Article/1798987/commander-general-kenneth-f-mckenzie-jr/

I get that from a 30,000 foot view at the end of a solid career it's easy to say "take it easy, these things go back and forth, what do you expect from a big organization." And I understand this was probably easy to predict for a 20+ year old hat. But there are people up for their majors board this year who have been under the masked policy since they were a butterbar and probably didn't even know the significance of the policy the last time it was changed in 2015. Now they have 3 days notice. Legitimate question here. The vast majority of O-5s and up, including you, have at least one masters if not more from various IDE/SDE programs. So it's clear the Air Force has ample opportunities built in for continuing education of people on the command track. So why the emphasis on getting a check the box degree beforehand? Does basket weaving from AMU improve the member or the Air Force in any way? The masters time suck pulls valuable time from CGOs who should be reaching their peak tactical proficiency level in their careers. So if the Air Force will get them a masters later anyway, what's the point? *this question assumes tactical proficiency is something to be valued.

Could not have asked for more than that!!

That was how I read it as well. Males do not enjoy equal protection under the laws we have passed.

The French are cutting short haul flights within their country due to "climate change." The simple fact that the French are doing this, is good enough reason to me, for us to NOT follow suit!

Europeans have done a lot long before now and some high speed rail is actually dated and refurbishment is happening. Bullet train in Japan I rode on when I grew up there actually looked like a bullet compared to most any other high speed system of today. It has morphed over the decades. Bottom line as mentioned before by others, Europe and most of Asian countries are quite small. All of Japan fits in the state of Montana as we were taught during my high school days there (Japan). Now add the population to that state and that’s when the reality of a “system has to change” statement applies. Perspective is everything and one can only gain so much via the internet vs actually living it. Europe is full of “pocket cities” and the countries are once again Small in comparison. Average of 3 days to drive across the US, just see how far and how many countries you can pass thru in that timeframe. Watermelon to a bunch plums comparison.

When people figure out how to do this, they usually have a better life. We think we're so important. A lot of people forget that we are all going to die. In the end, none of this bullshit matters. We're on a spinning rock, floating through an expanding universe, which at this moment, I'm not thoroughly convinced that anybody knows how the universe got here in the first place. Drink a cold Busch Light and relax. Life is short. You never know when you might hit the dirt upside down.

Yep. Wish we did better in that regard, and I’ll continue to work & vote to that end, but you won’t see me emigrating to Sweden anytime soon. Lots of absolutists on the internet these days. If you’re liberal, the Republicans are leading us into oblivion & if you’re conservative, the Dems are marching us straight into hell. Time to give it a rest. Stop letting our own visions of perfect blind us from seeing what a good thing we have. That’s how we lose it.

So what? Men should just remain powerless to the system knowing their entire lives can be ruined by a spiteful or vengeful ex-girlfriend at any time? Did you know you can be ordered to pay child support for a child that is DNA proven not to be yours? Look it up. Also worth noting that selective service registration failed to make it into the NDAA for like the 7th year in a row. Radical feminists' argue for all of these rights but want to take none of the responsibilities that go with them.

The entire conversation is just so sickening. We are talking about mothers being able to kill their babies and if they don’t then the father being able to abandon them. These conversations slowly creep along until you are drowning in evil and don’t even recognize it.

covid and climate change are power grabs of enormous scale

Easier said than done, but the sooner you can adopt a nihilist view of the AF "system," the better. Allow me to wax poetic as an old guy for a minute. I don't mean unprofessionalism towards our craft. I don't mean disrespect for your wingman. I don't even mean insubordination. If you want a masters, great. Get it. If you don't want it, don't get it. The AF might kick you out as a passed over Major at 20 years. Ok. Your check of the month will be $600 less and the gate guard might not salute you quite as crisply when you go to the commissary during retiree hour. Or don't wait around to find out and get out at 12 years. I'd encourage you to go to the ARC, but if you don't want to, don't. If the AF is a lifelong calling for you, great. If it's just a job for your 20s, great. The system doesn't care which camp you're in - it'll be just fine without you and you'll be just fine without it. Your work ethic, intelligence, and expectation of success puts you heads and shoulders above your workplace competition. Unless you go looking for that hot girl Molly, you won't end up homeless on the streets of Portland. If you're panicking about your promotion opportunities with this new bait and switch, I encourage you to go create a LinkedIn account. Seriously. Go look at who's doing ok in the world. Find and follow the people that you think have made it. Masters or not. Promotion or not. You'll be ok.

I didn't get my masters (didn't get promoted either lol). I think it's more important to leadership than knowing how to fly. Except, in the civilian world. Nobody cared about a masters for my multi-engine, ATP or type rating. In my limited time at the regionals, not a single Capt asked me about what degree I was pursing or if i did my SOS via correspondence or in residence. They were talking about how the airlines work, how to do the IRONMAN TWO into LAX and how to get into the Majors. For the most part, nobody cared about what I did as an officer, other than my aviation experience and hours. I got treated the same as the 22 year old CFII in my class. If I sucked, they let me know. My sim partner, a civillian who I thought was a good pilot, failed his ATP checkride in the morning SIM with the same Evaluator I was scheduled with in the afternoon. I didn't find out about it until the next morning when the Chief Pilot met with us to welcome us to Compass. He wasn't at the table with us and the Chief Pilot. 2 out of the 5 guys in my class failed their ATP/Type Rating. Once again, the civilian world doesn't care what you did before as an officer. They care about how to "fly" (manage the FMS and AP lol) not about how you were the General's aide with a Masters in butt licking.

Ours are all Title 32 with a Title 10 overlay if the horn goes off.

I agree that the west is a bit too expansive to cover with extended high speed rail networks. However..... most of the US population lives in the geographic bounds of the east coast to the mid west. No reason networked high speed cant connect most of those cities and open up regional travel for the majority of Americans. And I realize that its counter beneficial to our careers to promote alternatives to air transportation but as a consumer I'll be frank.... taking a train is 1000X better than flying any day of the week. Flying (as a passenger) has become a miserable hell of an experience I try to avoid in any way possible.

Sounds like guard bum life for non-RPA units is back if it is wanted Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We have some ACA AGR’s but most of the guys that contribute are on ADOS. None of the ACA type orders (AGR or ADOS) have been USERRA exempt for us. However, some dudes have submitted their ADOS orders through Reduced Retirement and have had luck getting them approved. I really think that simply comes down to who is reviewing your order sets on any given day. But like SocialID said, what’s a brother gotta do to get some USERRA exempt ONE orders?

It's all about controlling the budget. I've only ever gotten per diem for alert when I was sitting alert with other squadrons. We're heavy AGR but have a few ADOS spots as well (each unit can adjust the mix a little year-by-year), but NONE of them are USERRA exempt. There was push a while back, but I think it was shot by the ANGRC/CC or somewhere up there. It's just odd that you guys would get it (not hating...I'm glad you do) but we do not.

Title 10 orders working for NGB. You'd know it if you, or anyone in your squadron were on a stat tour. They're actually a good deal if you're looking to extend MLOA to get to that retirement. The orders are USERRA exempt, which is a good deal the NGB keeps for themselves, but can't seem to extend to various orders throughout the system (cough alert...). ANGI 36-6 if you're really interested lol.

I hope you're right and I'm wrong. I'm pessimistic about the war as I think they (Russians) have enough mobliks now and ammo to launch another offensive, really just to try to get Ukraine to negotiate and accept territorial concessions. Russia Seen as Preparing for Massive Winter Offensive in Ukraine, Including New Run on Kyiv | World Report | U.S. News (usnews.com) Another decent read on the Ukr / Rus war: Putin's War in Ukraine Is Brutal (It Looks Like the Crimean War) - 19FortyFive

Well yeah, since it’s impossible for anyone to quantify leadership capability using any metric on paper. Leadership is only truly assessable in person, by watching and listening. And of course, it’s subjective mostly (though positive leadership traits are generally agreed upon). Seen a lot of great leaders who are enlisted without a bachelors, meanwhile the absolute worst leadership failures have resumes like Milley. AADs are retarded and serve almost no purpose in developing true leaders. There are far better avenues to develop one’s leadership than masters degrees.

Nonsense.

When the Russians started buying back munitions from former customers because they have none left of their own, that was the end of their ability to win a war.

We absolutely should help Ukraine along with assure NATO and defend the Eastern Flank. Perhaps many are questioning the notion of sending blank checks to Ukraine (with no audit mechanism) indefinitely without a larger overarching strategy?

Let's try an academic exercise, starting with defining a few terms. Differing definitions will certainly lead to differing conclusions. Dead beat dad: A dad that doesn't fight for his family, abandons them, or otherwise does not fulfill the role expected of a father. Dead beat mom: A mother that doesn't fight for her family, abandons them, or otherwise does not fulfill the role expected of a mother. Your argument is that dead beat dads are bad and should not be legally empowered to do dead beat dad things. I will ass-u-me that you also believe dead beat moms should not be legally empowered to do dead beat mom things. Is abortion a dead beat mom thing?

No, I’m pretty sure I know exactly what I meant when I said it’s all relative and it’s you who miss the point. Some here continually argue that the U.S. is a dumpster fire. My point (along with others) is that it doesn’t matter. Maybe we are a complete mess (Though I think it’s a bit hyperbolic to argue that point), but we’re the least bad option out there. And that’s the way it’s always been. We’ll never be perfect, but given all other options, the US is a pretty fuckin’ good place to be. Try and make it better while your here, but also enjoy it because, at the end of the day, your time here is vanishingly short.

Men aren’t entirely powerless. I’m divorced from my first wife and mother of my oldest daughter. That ex-wife is bat shit crazy and did all kinds of things to attempt to ruin my life and my relationships. I fought like hell for my daughter. Because that is what a man does. They fight for their family. They protect their kids. It was easy to get custody of my daughter based on my ex wife’s documented behavior. It was certainly expensive and stressful but it wasn’t hard. I am honestly baffled by the comments here. Been in the military a long time and been around these forums a long time. I’m surprised because the mindset and opinions on this topic runs completely contrary to what most of us stand for. Or maybe I’m missing a few people’s points here. But what I hear is that if a woman can be the sole decision maker when it comes to abortion or leaves their newborn at a fire station then a man should be able to abandon their child. I can’t get behind that. Maybe because I despise dead beat dads.

I think a lot of people want to believe morality is static but I really do believe it's relative. There are some inherent problems with static morality including the ultimate conclusion that a perfectly moral being wouldn't have free choice. War is shitty. You so some things that seem right. You do some things that seem wrong. Was raging war on a country for 20 years only to up and leave them with the fallout moral? I dunno...

Don’t feed the troll…

It’s all relative. Always has been. Always will be. The world’s always been a complete fuck show. It’s a little less so today than it was a hundred years ago, and so on. Bashing one’s head against wall because the world doesn’t conform to what they wish were true may be satisfying for a while, but eventually becomes painful & counterproductive. People have been sure the sky is falling for millennia and yet, the world goes on. Focus on the things you can control, be glad you’re in the best possible place on the planet at the moment, and enjoy the show while you’re here.

Tactical mil dropping isn't my bag, though it clearly happens. Actually, I generally don't ever drop MLOA unless it's to go TDY or a deployment. I can usually work mil around my airline schedule and only drop sparingly. So there is no "feature" for chasing mloa, it's actually a huge detriment for me. The only reason I'm on MLOA now is because of a deployment...working full time in the military is pretty painful to me anymore. On the home stretch though, 6 months! Meh, it's something that was allowed (or forced) into the contract, that has not been negotiated away, likely because it's such a low threat item. I generally spending time worrying about stuff that isn't likely to happen at my airline gig. Happy New Year brother!

Where were all these people complaining about Ukrainian aid when we spent 20+ years of blood and treasure fighting the boogey man with no strategy or will to "win"? We're now destroying what we thought was a peer enemy without any commitment of American blood....yet.

Counterpoint: I think the US is in a great position post-COVID, and pre-COVID we were still unquestionably the global #1. China is getting absolutely rekt by the virus right now due to extremely poor central government policy choices. I truly feel bad for the Chinese people. Russia is in shambles both militarily, financially, and demographically. I don’t see how they recover from the massive loss of young male life and national wealth in my lifetime. The EU is closely allied with us and we’re working together really well on the Ukraine War. No one else matters that much to be in the same conversation yet. Meanwhile the US economy is doing better than basically any other advanced nation, we’re also basically past COVID, we’re smartly re-shoring some critical manufacturing that I think is really beneficial long-term, and we’re super well placed to lead the big energy technology transition that will take place over the next 20 years. Our military is well funded and strong, millions of people want to come here and become Americans, and our culture is globally dominant. I’d rather be us every day of the week and twice on Sunday 🇺🇸🦅

Never seen someone not get out of one, but it does require TAG approval. One dbag TAG could fuck you, but unlikely from what I’ve seen (but our TAGs have been pretty good).

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1303432/total-bilateral-aid-to-ukraine/ We’ve provided the vast majority of direct mil aid, the EU has provided more financial aid. Individual EU/NATO countries have made additional contributions. All well worth it, I’m perfectly happy let the Russian armed forces crash against the hard rocks of Ukraine for as long as those idiots want to do so!

And don’t forget. Guard bonuses generally speaking aren’t binding in a lot of cases. You can get out of them.

Solid info. There’s also Tier 1/2 bonuses for higher amounts if you’re confident you’ll be full time for greater than a year. If you want to stay a free agent after a year of orders, then stick with tier 3.

I remember my MX supervisor telling me that he'll be waiting for me when I fail out of Boom training. This was a few days before I left for training. It was said when we were alone (no, he didn't touch me) and he was dead serious. 15 years later, I flew through Hill, flying my Huey as a pilot. I didn't see him waiting. As a pilot, leadership at the squadron was upset when I wanted to be a pilot first. Being a prior sweaty, I could easily make it to retirement without doing queep. I flew my best but didn't do extra things. I wrote awards for my airmen, I helped several of my dudes with their OTS packages (a few are USAF pilots now) and took care of them as best I could. However, I didn't take care of myself. I refused to write awards for myself and I really thought I'd get that easy promotion to O-4. The other thing I did was play my cards too early. Don't let leadership know your intentions. I was passed over for the first time, when I was the Chief of Stan/Eval. In my 17th year on AD, I volunteered for a 365 in hopes that I could stay at my last duty station so my son could graduate high school at the same place that he started. I was denied because I had previous deployments and they had a volunteer who needed a deployment for experience. I was at 18 years when they said no to the high school senior deferment program. They realized that I was passed over and would be forced to retire at 20 and they still PCSd me. My family stayed in place for my son, who went to 8 different schools, could graduate with his friends. When I PCSd for the last time, I went as geographically separated bachelor. As a passed over O-3E, I got to fly as much as I wanted (😃). I took as many TDYs as I could. On one such TDY, my commander told me I was on the shortlist for a 365. Later that night,when I was pounding a few brews, I mentioned it to some of of the other pilots and two of them essentially fought to take my non-vol. The same non-vol that I volunteered for a year earlier. Two months after I retired (forced out for failure to promote), I received a letter from my CC informing me that I had finally made Major. He wrote, "Sorry Biff, too little too late". I never failed a checkride as a pilot (hooked my first MSN check as a boom). I never got a dui or into any trouble 😉 that required paperwork. I took care of my people as a NCO and as a CGO. My last supervisor was a Lt in my flight a few years prior. When I got out, I got my ATP and flew for Compass (God rest her soul). After Compass, I decided I had enough of being gone and elected to work very little and enjoy my time with my family. In the end, don't trust leadership to look after you if you don't play along. Also, you'll definitely enjoy life if you decide to get out.

I think this is a bit of an oversimplification of the issue. Operations of any large bureaucracy - particularly those that don’t work for profit - are remarkably similar in their shifting-wind policies and tolerance of ridiculousness, inefficiency, etc. But again, this shift is no surprise to anyone who’s watched things change over the last 20 years. If you’re caught in the middle, it sucks. Maybe this change is the last change. Maybe the long safe play is to just get one. I dunno. I copy on voting with your feet/not taking the bonus/not staying/etc. The USAF hasn’t demonstrated it’s serious about retaining pilots yet IMHO. Having seen the impacts of things like this at both the squadron and the staff levels, I’ll tell you each camp is convinced they’re in the right (that there’s a crisis/that there’s no crisis in retention)… Which contributes to fluctuating policies such as masters degrees… I was part of the “gotta have a masters or you won’t get promoted” cohort in the early 2000s. Got the first one via sacrifice of weekends to AMU in 2011. Enjoyed it for the most part but it was a time suck, even for a book nerd like me. Got sent to IDE and got another (had the opportunity to write about something of high interest, ended up publishing…) Got picked up for ASG and got another. Got picked up for SDE and got another. …. But what’s one do with four masters degrees? Retire and write? TBD. I appreciate the opportunity, but can’t argue in good faith that it’s an experience everyone should have. Chuck

Anyone who is surprised or feels betrayed by this development hasn’t been paying attention. Sorry gents, as soon as they rolled out the “masking” umpty years ago there were plenty of old heads who said not to trust that things wouldn’t change once again. The USAF is fickle. It’s not a shock. Do your school. Or don’t. It’ll work out either way. The USAF payed for FOUR - count’em - 4x masters degrees for me. I (still) only need one, and even that is arguable. YMMV. Chuck

Cough, nuclear power, cough…

I agree with you 100% here but there has to be priorities. Is our priorities to secure the financial freedom of our citizens and provide economic liberty or is it to help Ukraine win their war and help Europeans enjoy a better lifestyle then our own citizens?

Ya gotta admit that the short haul airline system has to change..and soon..probably to high speed rail...the Europeans are starting now..The waste of POL to haul a container of people up to ..I dunno 270 ..whatever..cannot be sustained..