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I’ve told 3/4 stars a few times a COA was bad, why it was bad, and what COA should be executed and why. I’m about 50/50 success rate. The one thing I did note across all of those interactions is the GO was genuinely interested in my thoughts and appreciated my effort whether they went my direction or not. The O-6 level was pissed I would dare to speak. It made me realize how much good things are filtered away from GOs at the O-6 level and replaced with yes man bullshit.

Good evening, fellow members. Major Osman here, and I've had the privilege of working closely with General Chang as his Aide-de-Camp. It's quite alarming to see the lack of decorum and respect for a dedicated officer of the General's stature on this platform. While I understand the nature of a forum is to allow for open discussions, I'd urge everyone to engage with facts and respect rather than unwarranted attacks. General Chang has dedicated his life to the service of this nation and has firsthand experience in many of the situations and decisions being debated here. Labeling him as a 'troll' or 'keyboard warrior' not only undermines the essence of constructive dialogue but also demonstrates a lack of understanding of the man's qualifications and experiences. I've been with him on the field, in strategy meetings, and during crisis situations. I've seen him advocate for the best interests of the force at every level, making tough calls when needed. His 'quals' are beyond reproach. If you have genuine concerns or seek clarity on specific issues, I urge you to approach them constructively. We're all part of the same team, with the same ultimate objective: the security and betterment of our nation. Instead of sowing discord with disparaging remarks, let's engage in meaningful dialogue that uplifts and educates. Remember, it's easy to critique from the sidelines, but understanding the gravity and nuance of decisions taken at the top echelons requires a deeper perspective. Respectfully, Major Osman

I should say - to be 100% truthy - I’ve worked with some great O-6s. But they were in the minority, and at some point almost all of them said something that made me think twice. Never let your guard down. The really good O-6s we’re the ones that shielded you from bullshit so you could remain of pure heart and mind and give them the best information possible.

The same people that get upset when people call a T-6 a jet are the same people that will call tally on traffic in the NAS.

Just get 100 hours in a Cessna, get your restricted ATP, and get hired by a regional. Fly there for a year and then get hired by a legacy. In three years you'll be making bank.

There I was, standing on the flightline, getting ready to step to the turbofan.

94 days waiting on my eForm 1 approval as of yesterday, so I reached out to the ATF via email and surprisingly, I got a reply... "Your background is in a delayed status with the FBI" Well, that could mean a myriad of things! First, I hope it simply means the FBI is constipated with all the background checks it is having to conduct surrounding this debacle of a ruling from the ATF concerning AR pistols, but I've known several others who have gotten their approvals in half that time! Honestly, I still hope that is the case as I was cleared for my first TS over four decades ago, ]been vetted by the FBI at least twice for programs I've been involved with them over the past ten years, and have also been cleared by numerous state and municipal agencies and organizations for other activities and operations. I also hold a TX LTC, which allows me to bypass the NICS check when purchasing firearms from a FFL. Another issue is I have a fairly common first and last name, but with the other PII requested with my application, that shouldn't an issue; but according to the ATF, it can be! Regardless, ATF Final Rule 2021R-08F is a complete clusterfuck. Anyone who claims we are getting a "free" SBR obviously isn't be subjected to the process to do so. Plus, fingerprint cards alone cost me $60 (from the same local LE agency I volunteer with, for what it's worth). Still, I am taking advantage of this "offer" even though I know I will eventually have to transfer the NFA item to a trust as under this current method where trusts cannot be involved, there is too much risk as to what happens to my SBR if/when I pass away... Simply put, the ATF, the NFA of 1934 and GCA of 1968 all need to go away. They are pointless and don't protect a single citizen with their unconstitutional mandates and restrictions which haven't reduced criminal acts one iota!

I have the utmost faith in the bros and broettes next to me that are putting iron in the air and hacking the mish. I have extremely little faith in often extremely disconnected senior leaders and in our political officials. The later more often than not affects the former in getting anything meaningful done.

Regarding the "life in general" bucket, I'm going to assume you're a heterosexual single male. If those descriptors don't apply, then feel free to ignore. Be cautious about the woman you decide to attach yourself to. For sure, a lot of the common bar room wisdom is "never get married, stay single forever." But for most of us out there, you eventually find yourself wanting to put a ring on a woman's finger, for one reason or another. Be advised, women have changed in the last ~25 years or so. I feel like anyone in their mid-40s or older today has had a front row seat to it happening. The last couple of decades has seen an incredible rise in the number of women whose entire identity revolves around the following: Anything they succeed at in life is due to them overcoming the Powers of the Patriarchy. Anything they fail at in life is due to the interference of the Powers of the Patriarchy. It's frustrating and soul-sucking to be attached to these kinds of women. Whatever you do, don't put a ring on one of them.

College football conference expansion (more like consolidation) is going to destroy the sport. Other aspects in play are already well on the way anyway; NIL, transfer portal, 4 team playoff, etc... What made college football great? Regional rivalries, occasional match ups between big powers, upsets, non-professionals playing the game. All of that is being obliterated. How long is it going to take for Oregon or UCLA to wonder why the hell they're making their 6th trip of the year to a different time zone to play Maryland, Rutgers, and Illinois? Sure the matchups yearly between USC-Michigan or OU-Alabama will be fun for a couple of years, but the novelty is going to wear off fast. Those matchups were great because they rarely happened, or only happened in a bowl game or championship setting. The 4 team playoff has already caused a massive consolidation of talent in college football. There's a huge gap between the haves and have nots. Big upsets are already more endangered and will become nearly non-existent as talent further consolidates into only a couple of teams. As someone who was a D1 college athlete, paying college athletes is absolute BS, even if it is through the NIL system and not direct employment payments. College athletes, especially the football and basketball players, were already paid. Full college education, paid for. All meals and housing, paid for. The fact many of the athletes didn't care about those perks is their own problem. But that's the choice you made when you went to play sports at a SCHOOL. And despite how someone might feel morally over the amount of revenue sports like football and bball brought in and student-athletes not seeing anywhere near it, it was the amateurism that made the sport entertaining. Sorry, but 18 year olds getting 1 Million dollar payments from rich donors to sponsor a local car dealer is just not something I'm interested in watching, and I think lots of others will feel the same, especially when you pile on all the other afore mentioned stuff. Okay, that was definitely TLDR for most people. But I used to love college football, family had season tickets for a few years, and now frankly I don't give two shits about the sport anymore.

You guys can see why I flew helos, my mind operates around 90 knots lol.

Then I guess they're both jets.. especially if it would bother you more

I'd forgotten about the hands! Best part about AFPAK hands was neither the AFG or PAK sides wanted it, leaving us literally not knowing what to do with our hands. It may have been the most out of touch program our forever war wonder strategists dreamed of, which is saying something.

I was in a briefing with a bunch of 3 stars and a 4 star. Our team briefed some COAs and a 3 star asked the briefer why some majors and Lt Cols think they get a say when the proposed COA was presented. As the briefer was trying to find words the 4 star said I’m going with their suggested COA. Briefing concluded.

As always, a little more IMINT is needed to get a proper perspective. The guy she stabbed... And other pics of her...

ARPC says exactly 3 yrs TIG as an O-5 in a participating status (not simply on the RASL bc they want to specifically exclude IRR time) to hold that in the retired reserve, ie (365.25*3) days. So six months prior to achieving that you can apply for transfer to RetRsv. I don’t know if or how good years enter into the equation and ARPC itself doesn’t know or won’t say. It is my opinion that the safest thing is to get at least 50 pts per R/R year while trying to get TIG. And then if you’re past 20 good yrs and it’s your final R/R yr then a prorated partial good year (if you are looking to retire immediately after attaining 3 yrs TIG). You’re correct that once you have TIG it is only a points game. Or you might make O-6, then need 3 yrs TIG for that, then it again becomes only a points game. You’ll max out the pay chart in terms of years bc gray area time counts as TIS (for pay chart purposes only).

General Chang outed himself on purpose a couple years ago. Now it’s more satire than troll, but I still appreciate the commentary. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

I'm old enough to remember a scene in M*A*S*H, where COL Potter stated that other "Colonels are chasing that star that they'll do almost anything"...or something similar. Its a little disheartening that a line from a 70s TV show is the reality 50 years later. But I keep that in mind when I see the Council of Colonels in group-think mode. Most GOs, that I've worked with at least, enjoy the conflicting view point...presented in a unemotional & professional manner. Shoe Clerk Chief of Staffs in particular seem to get bent out of shape when that happens. Or I could just be the asshole who somehow keeps surviving. [emoji1745] Sent from my SM-N976V using Baseops Network mobile app

Out of curiosity, how many troll accounts can get made by current users/random idiots before they start getting deleted?

Why not look into getting hired at one of the AFRC T-6 units?

I took the bait. Thanks for the heads-up man! Biff Edit: I took the the bait from the internet's greatest master baiter. General Chang lol.

So a few weeks ago I'm in SFO and saw that the local Whole Foods carries a beer I like. I head over, load up, and as I'm heading towards the checkout lanes, some scruffy looking dude is opening a fridge case with sandwiches. A security guard, wearing a vest, real gun and ammo, tazer, cuffs, etc., quick strides towards the dude, shouts, and the dude tries to run for it as the guard closed the gap. He whips out his baton and whacks the dude across his back, hard! He gets ready for another whack when the dude drops the goods and scampers for the exit. Warnings were shouted. I was a bit surprised, not by what I saw, but where I saw it. Yes, this was in San Fran.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Blues Fridays? JFC. Blues Monday is bad enough but Blues Friday seems designed solely to kick people in the junk. Absolute idiots in charge in so many places.

Obviously the turbo.

I'd definitely take the 0800-1500 option. That's earlier than I leave already. And with no drinking at the squadron bar, a 1500 departure should get you to the local Applebee's just in time for happy hour...

0800-1500 sounds pretty cool

Things seem to be going well at Tinker…

Great post until you got to Ole Tom, I sadly have lots of scar tissue with this turd. Had the unfortunate occurrence of dealing with him when I was in the ASG program and again at War College. While he has written some good books and won two Pulitzer prizes, he is EXTREMELY myopic and rabidly averse to any feedback or push back on his thoughts...oh and is single-minded in thinking warfare is only about those on the ground. Some of the other gems he has proposed since writing Fiasco, Bring back the draft, get rid of American Aircraft Carriers, Politics is an irrelevant art not a science, He launched a personal attack and wrote an op-ed attacking a War College classmate of mine when his paper was about pushing back against illegal orders was published. In short, the paper was about pushing back against immoral and illegal orders and accepting the consequences for doing so. Ricks accused the offer of pushing back against civilian control of the military and wanted him out of the service. Luckily others stepped in to debunk Ricks who in my opinion didn't even read the article. Add to these my personal favorite that he said to my face "Airpower and what Airmen did in Iraq and Afghanistan was of no consequence or interest to me."

I have great faith in our military. They'll get shit done if they're given the keys to the car with little to no cuffs. I do not trust my government to give them that freedom. In the days of live feeds, precision everything, our leaders unnecessarily hamper our efforts. Make it fast, make it violent, get in and get out. Given the opportunity, that's what we do best.

I hate to see an older American in that distress, but it doesn’t surprise me. I belong to the Daedalians along with my dad and attend meetings whenever I can. I’m the only still active flight suit wearing dude there and most of them were Vietnam guys with a few before that (including guys that participated in Ploesti and P-51 pilots with kills that were also shot down). They always absolutely grill me about all the culture war talking points about LGBTQ+ stuff, woke policies, socialism, etc. They then don’t believe me when I say I don’t see that stuff and haven’t seen it. We all then have beers and burgers at the O club and shoot our watches for awhile and have a great time. I recommend pilots look into it and hear some great stories before they aren’t around to tell them. Navs and other folks have fraternal orgs that I’m sure are great, as well.’ On the topic of military confidence, I personally have great confidence in our American military to fight and win our nations no shit wars. If you let the military off the chain with a clear objective and victory criteria, I have no doubt that we will get there. I have way less confidence in our ability to do small, dirty wars successfully that require significant political involvement and clear, consistent military strategy. I also don’t have a ton of confidence in our Generals ability to handle entire campaigns beyond the initial actions. This video from Tom Ricks discusses how relieving Flag Officers in WW2 was much more common and not a career killer. It was based on performance. My $0.02

Afghanistan

The old adage of don’t put yourself in a position that requires superior flying skills to get out of applies - I’m confident leadership will fuck it away and put the bros in a square corner, but I'm also confident the bros will excel and make it happen in spite of the asshatery that got them in a shitty starting position.

I’ve posted this before but I’ll tell the story again. I’ll never forget sitting in the base theatre in the Middle East around Xmas 2020. We had the opportunity to listen to the CSAF, CMSAF and the Sec of the AF. I was genuinely interested in what they had to say. There was a lot going on at the time. Most notably, Covid. We had been through a lot just to get in theatre with quarantines and such. I sat there and listened to two women and a black four star general talk for an hour about social issues, discrimination and how we all needed to do better. That’s all they talked about It was one of many turning points in my long AF career. And it was one of the most disappointing. I can’t even say that they thanked us for being there during the holidays.

Interesting how my recent comments seems to bother some on this site. The point is this: if you’re cognizant enough to put together complaint after complaint in the English language on a website, man up and do something about it! This is the greatest country in the world, despite our flaws, and to have former military leaders/wannabes in this forum whining for whining’s sake is an absolute shame. Get out there and make a difference while you still have breath, for Pete’s sake! And yes, I have more Air Medals than all other personal decorations combined over a very long career, so don’t give me the pity-party “Chang, you just don’t understand my pain.” Be a man.