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I’ve steered several friends toward the Ranger Regiment , NSW, the Marines, and AF Special Warfare. They all were worried about transferable skills and I told them if they could handle one of the aforementioned jobs, they’ll be able to get some job on the outside because they’ll be able to make things happen with a winning attitude. What really drove the point home to me was when I went to a recent reunion with a bunch of bros I played college football with. They all were so interested in my stories and a bunch (including 3 former and 1 current NFL player) said they wish they would’ve done that. Do cool shit with your life and don’t rush to being a fucking square.

That's one of the great untold stories in this massive retention discussion. There's plenty of folks that I wish could be retained that have moved onto bigger and better things, and I wish them all the success in the world. There's another large portion of folks that are just absolute buzzkills and drains on the squadron that are net negatives to anything besides being a "1" in the pilots column. I'm thankful they raised their hands and did their job, but it's usually better for both parties to move onto something else.

But, Gotta call a spade a spade: that sound's pretty pessimistic. If financial security and work-life balance were your known goals when you started...why the hell did you join the military? Let's be honest, we all made some rash quick decisions with long reaching consequences when were in our 20's. But I'd say you're doing yourself a disservice with that hind-sight 2020 type of analysis where you say you hated it but imagine that you didn't have a poor attitude. Being miserable is 90% perspective and attitude, and 10% situation. What you choose to focus on is what you focus on. If you focus on the suck, yeah, you'll be hate it. So say that mil flying was only worth it to get to your civilian job is really, really, jaded. If you were so unhappy, trust me, your peers knew it regardless of how much optimism you painted over it. We've all known that guy. I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy it. I was there too, and yeah, there was a LOT of suck. But no amount of wallowing in misery ever improved it, so most of us chose to enjoy what we could enjoy, missed birthdays and holidays included. Frankly, dudes with the "get me out of here" attitude were the ones that poisoned the well and tended to bring morale down. I've worked with enough of them to know that invariably it's something else going on in life. Whatever it is or was, you're not alone.

Takeaway: never work with the Navy. Still applies.

the same people who said trump was going to start WW3 are willingly leading us to WW3...

That one comment caught my attention, and I'd like to share a few (well, more than a "few") thoughts on it.... First, while I will agree that volunteers are more preferable than conscripts (having spent copious amounts of time in countries whose military is made up of the latter); I don't necessarily agree that voluntarily joining makes one of "noble character" as they are fairly well compensated for doing so! I joined the USAF right after high school after discovering stocking shelves at Winn Dixie was not something I wanted to do when I got older (say, into my mid-to-late 20s!). I barely had a education (and it's only gotten worse) and zero skills or experience other than the aforementioned grocery store job. I was just above the minimum wage level and without more things to bring to the table, my chances for making more money and getting a less mundane job were low. Joining the USAF gave me the opportunity to increase my "net worth" considerably while serving. I got two degrees, a commission, and accomplished a long list of things I otherwise would not have had I not joined the military. Yes, we all know the sacrifices required; but we also should have known those risks going into the agreement. Even I, as a 18 year old dumbass, basically knew what would be required of me when in uniform. But the volunteering difference really struck a cord with me after I retired and joined a State Defense Force thanks to a former USAF bud who was already in and talked me into it. If you are not familiar with those, they are military units who operate under the sole authority of a state government as authorized by state and Federal law (in 1940, Congress amended the National Defense Act of 1916 to allow them), and are under the command of the governor of each state. State defense forces are distinct from National Guard units in that they cannot be Federalized, which in turn means no Federal funds can be used to sustain them. So what that boils down to is service in SDFs are true volunteers as they do so pro bono. My TXARNG counterpart across the hall from my office at the armory makes $1,448.24 for his weekend, whereas not only am I unpaid but all my expenses (uniforms, equipment, meals gas, etc.) are out of pocket as well as the amount of time I have to put into my duties (usually in addition to drill, it's an hour or two daily, sometimes more). As you can imagine, it gets to be a very expensive "hobby!" So while I am no disparaging those on Active Duty or in the Guard and Reserves, I now have a second perspective of what "noble volunteerism" is about. Honestly, when I get "thanked for my service" these days, I take it more to heart. And, for anyone still interested enough to be reading this far, our mission for the state is mainly emergency management. We can be activated more easily and quicker than our TXARNG and TXANG counterparts, and are trained to assist state and Federal agencies in establishing shelters and distribution points for disaster survivors. We also have other related missions to include operating emergency tracking networks, supporting comms, security, SAR, conducting wide area searches in disaster areas, medical support, boat and dive crews, and anything else I can get my unit trained and certified to do. Our mission is to initiate and sustain these operations until the TXARNG and TXANG can recall and deploy their troops and equipment into the area, which can take up to two weeks. Just to add, when we are activated on State Active Duty (SAD) orders we are eligible for per diem of $179/day but there is no rank pay at all. So the E-1 is getting the same money as I am. Also, we do have the opportunity to deploy to the Texas border mission (Operation LONE STAR) which has additional compensation to the tune of $84K/yr; but that is mainly offered to enlisted and CGOs. I have about 27 troops on that mission at the moment... So if you think it's tough trying to recruit and retain quality individuals for Active Duty, imagine the leadership challenge to do so for a mission which normally doesn't pay!

Indeed, and mark my word, in another decade we’ll be bombarded with the attempted normalization of pedophilia. They’ll even use the same playbook…”I was born this way, so how can it be wrong?” “I feel like a child on the inside, so why can’t I be with one?” “Who are you to get in the way of my happiness?” “Love is love” If you had told any one of us 10 years ago that dudes would be competing in NCAA women’s competitions, we would’ve said you’re crazy.

Dude, stop. I only get so many down votes a day...

This is a logical move though from the people who believe there are no differences in humans at all and as such you can just pick whatever identity group you want more representation from. The idea that you're going to find a bunch of recruits from a political demographic that fundamentally believes that America is more accurately characterized by it's flaws rather than it's strengths is silly. They're called Social Justice Warriors because they already believe they are in a war. They don't need a real one to feel like they are doing something.

I'm not sure there's a point in joining during the post-war periods. Obviously if you don't have other options, sure, but I started at the Academy in 03 when military appreciation was sky-high and the budget was booming. By the time I got out in '17 the silliness was outweighing the serve-your-nation pretty significantly. I was thoroughly unimpressed with the O-6+ cadre who seemed to think mentorship was telling you how awesome it was for them as CGOs and how they didn't understand why my generation doesn't want to stay in (without ever seeming to realize pre-9/11 O-club antics were long dead by the time we commissioned). Then of course the obligatory lecture on how you were a bad officer and bad person if you needed more than 3 drinks to have a good time, from the dude with a bottle of scotch in his desk. Unserious leaders in unserious times makes for a pretty frustrating experience. And if things get serious and scary, there will be limitless opportunities to join a freshly funded and focused military with a renewed appreciation for killing enemies and breaking things. So maybe do something else until then. I'm pretty content in my airline job that the military rolled me into, but someone starting off now would get to the airlines with less time and frustration if they just went to one of the pilot factory schools, and they'd have a better seniority number and higher income to pay off the loans. That wasn't an option in '03-'13. In retrospect, being told that all men are rapists and only women lack the capacity to consent to sex after having a beer was a walk in the park compared to the nonsense now. I had fun, but I don't miss it

I've been seeing a lot of articles the last few days with some shocking statistics. Looks like we may have to sub-contract the defense of our nation to foreign countries. https://www.army.mil/article/260969/secretary_of_the_army_christine_wormuths_remarks_to_the_2022_ausa_opening_ceremony_october_10_2022as_prepared https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/addressing-the-u-s-military-recruiting-crisis/ https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/4087630-recruiting-the-all-volunteer-force-requires-a-whole-of-nation-approach/ The one that really caught my attention was a Wall Street Journal article (behind a paywall) that suggests that Veterans are contributing to the crisis by not recommending military service. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-pentagons-recruitment-woes-army-military-navy-air-force-u-s-defense-11665664019 I've given my kids my thoughts on the issue and thankfully, they've recognized they have better options. If a young person has common sense, intelligence, and a work ethic, you can go out into the real world, name your price, and live freely. As probably most of you have experienced, when someone knows you're a pilot, they'll send a young person your way for advice. A lot. What you experienced is not going to be what they experience. Many of us had great careers, but it doesn't matter. Given the current state, an assessment of the trends, and attempting to forecast what it might be like the next 10-20 years, what do you tell them?

Isn't marijuana federally illegal? Isn't the Secret Service a federal agency and the White House federal property?

I didn’t mean for any of this to be an indicator of how I felt during my time in. I wasn’t upset while I was in. I’m not upset now. I was honestly pretty thrilled during my 12 years on AD. And no one ever heard me say a single bad thing about our jet, ever. Maybe I longed internally for a very different mission, but who ing cares. I had a chance and it didn’t happen. Boo hoo. Not loving your MWS can be kept close to your heart, or realized slowly after years pass. I don’t love the airlines, but damned if I’m not the first to tell my fellow pilots how fortunate we are with a smile on my face, and I’m the first to suggest drinks and day trips while on the road. Anything but a slam-clicker. I merely wanted to be transparent, on an anonymous forum, about my hindsight on if flying in the AF was worth it. It took an enormous toll on my family and marriage. I saw my son for, at best, 1/3 of his life while often flying empty jets across the ponds and in the AOR. The 30 yo me didn’t care nearly as much as the gray haired me. In retrospect I still feel fortunate and am grateful for the friendships, memories and ratings, but I have come to the conclusion that the AF definitely took a lot, and I probably would have gone a different route if I had to do it over. If that makes me toxic, I guess I’m toxic. Judging oneself is never easy and rarely accurate. I definitely felt like I was a solid bro who was always willing to push and smile while doing it. I just felt like deep down it was not as fulfilling as I initially thought it was going to be. I’ll bow out to not clog the thread anymore, just felt like engaging when reading from strangers who don’t know me that I was not an asset but rather a detriment

Everyone who "loves" flying for the AF just because they get to fly.

There’s a difference between anonymously saying you despised your time in your MWS because you didn’t like the style of flying and the life of a MAF pilot wasn’t for you, and making that known to anyone in your sq that will listen. Some of the most liked and high speed dudes I know did not like being in the CAF/AF for various reasons, but you’d never know it unless you were bros with them and specifically asked the question. Plenty of dudes crushing the flying hour program so they can get the mins for the airlines. The AF didn’t agree to train someone to be a pilot, but only if they did it because all they wanted to do was to serve. The AF gets something out of it and so does the individual. I see nothing wrong with someone deciding to join the AF to with one of their main goals being to build hours for the airlines. If they’re a good dude, do their job, and are a good officer then I’d say those are ppl the AF needs.

If you publicly state that you despised your MWS, and think your time spent in service was only worthwhile to build hours for an airline…then ya, the service IS better off with you not in it.

Taking my private student for his first time early in the week, and my instrument student Saturday. They are gonna have their minds blown 🙂

Well, we absolutely must punish the Russians for having the gall to get Trump elected, consequences be damned. We had the glorious Socialist revolution almost in hand until Trump came along. If we get in a war, so much the better, because it will be all of those flyover rubes who get killed off, it's like a two-fer. <sarcasm>

I worked with the TN guys when I was assigned to JFHQ and a friend of mine is the current CC for the state (at the rank of BG, he’s a retired ARNG O-6). Great group of folks!! Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Well, I just learned something today, I had never heard of the SDF. My state apparently has a Naval Militia as well...gotta keep those Cannucks from crossing Lake Erie! Cool stuff.

Concur, make a difference, have fulfillment and purpose. You can always make a ton of $ later if that is your goal. You get one life, make it count and leave a positive impact. Having been on the outside for a bit now there is a transferable skill most in the military learn regardless of AFSC, LEADERSHIP. Industry is HUNGRY for leaders and veterans tend to have the type of leadership qualities that separate them from their peers. Most of us view our time in the military as a period where we learned a skill and to follow a chain of command. While that is true the U.S. military at least attempts to train people to execute based on commander's intent. For USAF people here we know one of our basic tenants of airpower is centralized control, decentralized execution. Yes I know we often do a terrible job of sticking to this, but at a basic level we are trained to think, assess, and adjust to accomplish a mission based solely on commander's intent. We are also used to being on a team and the ability to lead and serve on a team sets you apart from the herd. I can't tell you how many projects I've worked where other members of the so called team had information they didn't want to share until they were certain they would get credit. Whether you fly a Raptor, drive a tank or are a TOW missile operator, you have skills you don't yet fully realize and you stand a much greater chance of success on the outside. IMHO one of the main issues on the enlisted side is how liberalism has shaped the image of service. If you are bored take a few minutes to Google LA Times and NY Times articles on JRTOC programs...you will find interesting quotes like "they target us"...."we are a juicy target"..."our kids are pushed into military service"..."a Trojan horse targeting students in low-income minority schools with high dropout rates." Liberal thought leaders and institutions have shaped a negative narrative about military service and used that wedge to drastically reduce if not completely eliminate JROTC programs in most liberal states. Currently JROTC is in just 10% of schools nation wide, in dense liberal population centers that number drops to far below 10% (New England 5% - California 6%). Conversely, upwards of 65% of public schools in Louisiana Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina have JTROC. Not surprisingly 41% of all military recruits come from the south, 45% of all recruits come from a high school with a JRTOC program. In other threads folks have debated the good and bad of JRTOC programs. DoD recently put in a large effort to address many of the problems other have noted. While the programs say they are not about recruiting there is obviously a pathway to military service for those that participate. That being said, numerous studies have shown that students who participate in JROTC programs have better attendance, grades, and graduation rates relative to students who were in general academic programs.

That's nice and all, but the platforms need to change with the environment. Permissive environment allows CAS, and I think we should keep the capability to do that, but specialization that doesn't take into account the evolution of new technologies is doomed to specialize perfectly to fight the last war. If there's something the US is great at, it's fighting the last war. I think the A-10 should say, but with an evolved role. Likewise the AC-130. I think we still definitely need them, but not as they were. Neither of those platforms are going into the shit on week one of a high intensity fight with China. Imagine an AC-130 over Ukraine right now...in YEAR TWO of that conflict. Any Gunship guys here care to speculate how that would go? I'm genuinely curious. I thought that was interdiction? Do you think we stealth platform could do that properly? F-35 simply doesn't carry the right load to make that worth it.

It's all perspective. Most of us here are either in or past our mil experience, and it's always easy to poke holes after you've seen behind the curtain and understand all the mis-steps and mistakes that you did see until you were inside. In the end though, I think recruiting for the military will always be difficult. It should be. "If it were easy, everyone would do it" and we don't want everyone. In the same right, the US military has routinely produced men and women with strong character and solid teamwork skills. It has to do with volunteering to do for other what they won't or can't do for themselves. That take nobility. It always will. What is concerning is this line, which is ABSOLUTELY true. The quality of the members of the military will continue to be of noble character simply because it requires volunteering. The effectiveness of the force, however, can only get betrayed by it's political leaders...as happened in AFG and is still happening with the social woke experimentation bullshit. If someone is joining solely for the benefits, yeah, they're gunna be sorely disappointed that it's not as benefit rich as working for Apple, Google, or Starbucks. Frankly, it shouldn't be. Baristas and coders are in the business of service and providing a product for the prime purpose of getting paid to do so. Soldiers, sailors and airmen are in the business of visiting death and destruction on our nation's enemies. Hardly a comparison there. As to who someone becomes after serving even one four year stint, the results are undeniable. Sure, not all job skills transfer. But self confidence, decision making skills, and the ability to work in a team always do. At the heart of all this is that people need significance in their professional lives for them to care about what they do and who they are becoming. I've definitely seen that need in people I work with in my civilian job. Men and women want to know their work has made a difference. Military operators rarely come out the other end of their service with that problem. What we do matters and THAT is what will ultimately keep younger generation continuing to volunteer. There will always be bad leaders, politicians messing things up, and GO's that are completely worthless. That's what makes the good leaders stand out so much. The work will continue to be awesome and unique in ways that you simply can't get outside the military. I've been completely honest with my kids. They're not at decision time yet, but my 14 year old son has already expressed interest in the cool things about the military, and even expressed that he'd love to fly the A-10. I'm all about it, but I refuse to push him either way. The best any of us can do is be honest and transparent. The job will sell itself to those who we need. It always has, and always will. Hopefully, our political leaders will unass themselves, continue to fight for benefit improvement, and work for their people, instead of expecting their people to work for them.

None of that has anything to do with telling a guy that answered the call, was a presumably good pilot/officer, and then decided another 10yrs wasn’t for him that the AF is better off without him. The AF is better off without pilots that only want to do ten years? I don’t think the current “needs of the service” as far as pilots are concerned fits that viewpoint. If the AF desires pilots to want to stay in longer than 10yrs I think recent history will show that “don’t worry we’ll find someone to replace you” doesn’t work well as a retention/recruiting slogan. I know many young captains and even LTs that heard the same statements from the bobs and decided they were punching. Not for lack of job satisfaction etc, but because they had no faith in leadership. It shouldn’t be unfathomable to imagine why the trope the bobs are spitting results in dudes telling the younger generation to think twice before serving

It’s military service, not an airline or some fuck-fuck aircraft owners group. If you wanted more financial security or a bigger say in what you were flying, that’s fine…do it somewhere else. The AF doesn’t pass you a 10 year ADSC in a dark alley somewhere. In the same way that you’re aware of the ADSC, you acknowledge the existence of the phrase “needs of the Air Force.” If that doesn’t sit well with you, then don’t do it. For those who choose to gamble their fate against military service, I sincerely hope it works out. My career hasn’t gone the way I envisioned, but it is what it is.

It’s not a shitty personal jab. I’m glad you’ve gained clarity after service. You didn’t think it was worth it, and that’s fine. In the same spirit, I think it’s better for the service that you moved on. I haven’t discredited what you did, nor was I being sarcastic about the appreciation. That being said: the institution doesn’t need people staying beyond UPT ADSC when they are clearly unhappy with their lot in life. Bring on the downvotes folks. You know the rules when you go to UPT…nobody’s fault but your own if you get dealt a subpar hand. Not everybody gets their #1, and we can’t all be stationed at some tropical island in some flying club.

If Standby is doing a GenChoad impression, then it was spot on. If not, then youngins’ take note of how to spot the Bob perspective.

The Air Force forgets that to get those pilot wings in the first place you had to be in the top 69% (I’m sure the actual number is higher) of your ROTC class (or get into the Academy, or however OTS works). Bottom 1% of the 69th percentile is still the 69th percentile. When I got passed over for O-5 I was pissed but shrugged it off. I had figured I was a coin toss to make it. When I saw the list and saw some of my more deserving friends missing from it, I realized the whole system is fvcked. The Air Force does not value its pilots; Welsh and Goldfein made that much clear, and CQ has done nothing to reverse course. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He’s not. What you are saying tank drivers can do in the civilian world are the intangibles that pawnman listed; (self discipline, etc) Tank drivers can do well in the civilian world, but it ain’t gonna be by driving a tank. My brother in law was Marine artillery and he had a helluva time finding a civilian employer who needed idf. He did get a good job working with the VA though, mainly due to him being a smart, hard working dude.

Zero chance the USAF invests a dime into new CAS capes. And with good reason. Bigger things to focus on. CAS was a popular buzzword after 9/11 and brass wanted a piece of the pie back then. Now it’s a min run effort. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Fixed that for you. I keed, I keed…

Well the canopy bow serves the purpose of being fucking retarded and annoying to the pilot…as is tradition.

But will he actually? I would say he's starting 4 years behind the guy who got into an actual apprentice program in a trade. Tank driving guy may have some intangibles (self-discipline, ability to suck it up, respect for authority), but he has no actual transferable skills from that job.

Well... the silver lining is that it doesn't matter. The airline hiring is so intense that if you're a KC-46 pilot, you'll get called for an interview.

And when there’s 2 of those guys, and one says, “well I also shot the shit out of things with an Abrahams and banged hot E-strange in the dorms nightly”…bam, you’ve got a decisive winner!

Great questions. The answer is no. Every GO sold out, repeated the same supportive tripe in public while privately voicing concern at our trajectory, yet continued up the chain of rank and pay. Imagine if we had leaders who said this: “I resign from active service. I love our country but cannot continue in good conscience to lead our men and women into danger with no clear objective or purpose. Indecisive political policies are irresponsible, and I resign in hopes the ensuing attention will cause this matter to be taken seriously and resolved with urgency.” GOs reading this, and I know they are, will doubtlessly guffaw at the simplistic scenario I present above. However, they lacked the courage to take bold action. Everyone with combat experience knows we don’t have bold/courageous General Officers. We have highly intellectual GOs who can stay up 20 hours a day, run miles each morning and work their staff to death analyzing a multitude of variables… but they aren’t bold and can’t win.. So to the GOs readIng this in fury at my condemnation- I’m certain you think I am ignorant of how futile and ostracizing my proposed COA would be. You’d be embarrassed in front of your peers. It would be awkward and socially uncomfortable. But had you played that card, you’d be a hero today. Instead, congrats on the retired rank but you’re forever attached to the ignominy of how those wars ended. FWIW I practice what I preach and burned every bridge on my way out over an issue to help my young squadron members. It was uncomfortable going from #1 to the trash can, my peers and supervisors despised me at the end and I didn’t have a retirement ceremony over this issue. However, I played every card and logged a major win for the young captains 6 weeks before retiring.

Apple gave me more tuition assistance, as a part-time technician working a college job, than the USAF ever did. There was also a lot less hoops to jump through to use it.

These are valid opinions and good insight, but not really relevant, right? You're both pilots, and while opinions vary, being an Air Force pilot has to be one of the most sought after job in the military. There is no shortage of folks wanting to fly. When you hear of a "recruiting shortage," it's generally a shortage of high-school grads willing to sign up for a four year enlistment. A high school grad today was born in 2005. Think about all they've seen growing up (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc). More importantly, and as the WSJ article touches on, someone who thinks about enlisting is going to seek out someone they know who's been in the military. Say your Uncle Joe just retired from the Army. What kind of recommendation do you think old Joe is going to give after spending the last 20 years on an endless series of deployments to the Middle East?

One of my sons ships off to the Navy in Aug. He’s trying out for SWCC. He hasn’t even left yet and the Navy already has his ass up every morning doing pretty intense physical training. He’s pretty stoked. I tried to talk him into being a pilot but he wants to shoot fully automatic guns, drive boats and hop out of aircraft. You can’t do that in the civilian world. My other two sons have expressed zero interest in the military (I’ve taken all of them flying, and none want to be a pilot, lol). I think volunteering for military service has to do with your personality. Not everyone wants to the excitement (or extreme boredom) that comes with the military life. Most news articles want doom and gloom. I trust my son and the kind of dudes he hangs out with to take care of us if shit goes down. The young guys aren’t all selfish dumbasses.

Maybe we stop sub-contracting ourselves out in the defense of foreign nations and we're suddenly hitting the recruiting requirements... I still highly recommend service to my nieces and nephews, but only in the ANG. At least have some control over your life, get your schooling paid for and still get to experience some cool shit. They may not have the career I had, or they may have something way better, who knows. Sure they can walk down to Dunder Mifflin, but I can guarantee, they'll never experience the shit I got to do in service of our nation (and State lol). However, this generation doesn't tick like my generation, that's not a dig on them, no generation is the same. If all they want to do is make money and be free, then ya, the military isn't necessarily for them. Though there is still plenty of opportunity and money to be made in the military, our leaders just need to figure out how to reach this generation. That said, I made way more money in the military than probably 95% of my graduating class (of 36 kids lol), or anyone from my home town/county. For many kids that come from small, poor, farming communities like I grew up in, the military is still a great option. For many of them, it's best option they have. Or they can "live free," and when that doesn't work and we suddenly need a stronger military, their kids will pay the price. Hard times create hard men, hard men create....you know the rest.

The problem is that the benefits don't look as good as companies are upping their own benefits. Target, Starbucks, and Taco Bell all have better tuition assistance than the military, for example. Congress is going to have to recognize that military pay and benefits are not keeping pace, especially for what we ask people to do.

@Best-22 Why do you only downvote posts, yet never contribute to the discussion? No one cares about your downvotes, least of all me. This isn't Reddit. Likes and dislikes mean nothing. If you have an opinion on these issues, posting is super easy. I'm more than happy to hear you out and discuss your concerns. But if you're going to take pot shots with your BB gun from a distance instead of actually engaging with a single original though, it really makes you look like a giant bonus hole. Edit: I'll give @nsplayer and @Prozac a little credit here, at least they have (had) the courage to put an unpopular opinion out there. You never did. Weak.

A group of us saw Sound of Freedom last night. I thought we'd be the only ones there, and everyone else would be watching Indiana Jones. Our theater was absolutely packed. It was the first movie I'd seen in the theater since Maverick. I was completely unfamiliar with Tim Ballard, the true story the movie was based on, and the obstacles to making the movie. Absolutely fantastic. The story, the message, the awareness it intends to spread. It was refreshing to see a successful move that was made outside the typical Hollywood entertainment manufacturing process. The only caution I would warn of would be that it may inspire some to go on a mission to seek and destroy actual evil in the real world.

@frog You’re not wrong, but also being a truly mission-focused wing/cc who calls out failure and demands ops-like performance out of the MXG/MSG gets shitcanned in 6.9 sec in this AF. So they ask about the grass instead. Ultimately your rated leadership failure is happening at the O7+ level. Of course there are careerist douche wing/cc who stand on their own lack of merit, but hard to be a stand out warrior leader at the O-6 level and not get fired when you’ve got the crop of GOs that exist today.

Now that the door is opening for involuntary activation, ratcheting up the numbers will be easy. I agree with this, though. If we're cheer leading a proxy war that benefits us, let's put our money where our mouth is and see how willing we, as a population, are to risk our people in direct conflict over Ukraine. It's the right thing to do. Within the last week: This, Increasing amounts of military aid, F-16s, cluster munitions, etc. Take a look at the trends here. We're committed to a path of continuous escalation. If Ukraine was capable of defeating Russia, it'd have happened. We can give them all the help in the world, but they still have a finite amount if fighting men. We will never know the real losses being incurred, but in attrition warfare where rates are more or less the same on both sides, Russia comes out ahead unless NATO member countries send their men. Ukraine is being backstopped by us, but Russia is being backstopped by China. If we're calling up Reservists just to sit on the sidelines for Atlantic Resolve, what does it say about our ability to fight a potential second conflict? Let's say Russia is defeated and pulls back. What's next? Do we redraw the old borders after hundreds of billions of $ and countless lives have been lost? If NATO and Ukraine declare victory, do they continue to allow Russia to exist in a weakened state only to pose a threat later? No, our leadership is going for broke on this one. No one financing this war gives a shit about Ukraine. This is about Western economic dominance against the expanding threat of BRICS Plus. One of the big players has to be completely knocked out and Ukraine is a great excuse.

@BashiChuni, your previous two posts have been attempts to change the subject. i.e. they are tacit admissions that you've lost the argument. Can you explain for the crowd why Russia would agree to all those treaties and agreements that placed no limit on NATO's expansion and why you argue that in fact it is, provocative, Russia didn't know what they were signing up for at the time, or something to that effect? Or are you just going to continue to rage white?

If you have a hard-on for war that lasts longer than 4 years, see a doctor. https://twitter.com/AsTheWorldBurnz/status/1679966772219244544?s=20

Thanks for your service. That being said…it sounds like the AF is better off without you.