sqwatch

Sums up what a few guard buddies/contractors are experiencing right now. This confirms a lot of speculation floating around out here. Thanks again

Thanks for the inside perspective Interesting idea, but a year or two too late. The 11F shortage is too close. Agreed the bonus isn't owed to anyone - not sure the people with a decision to make this year feel the same way. Since retention goals are higher this year than last year, the 25k for 5 yrs has already demonstrated to be ineffective in achieving this year’s goals for 11F. Was there any discussion about separate promotion boards for rated? Money is only one incentive - have there been alternative incentives discussed (promotion/different assignment requirements)?

A gross undervaluation compared to what? How much should an 11f get paid with 11+ years of service? Is there a job that will pay the majority of us more than what the airforce is offering and give me a pension/healthcare? All this time I thought I was getting paid a decent salary compared to my peers, but then again I do hang out with a pretty blue collar crowd.

11Fs don't go there any more, and if they're there and haven't re-cat'ed, they fill flying 11F billets Nope, just for 11f guys. The rest closed that door by choosing a different path in life or couldn't make it through the multiple weed-out programs. Hard to believe when... Back on track. Before someone blindly signs up for the bonus purely for the money, or stomps out the door because so many "great dudes" were given the shaft, I hope they rationally weigh the pros and cons of staying in the service. It's different for everyone.

Yes. What's more absurd is considering current 11f manning vs cockpits/future MWSs, limited releases for school (because of too few 11Fs), that you will fill a desk for 9 consecutive years. After a few years, I'm getting used to this PCS thing and the uncertainty involved. Holy shlt, he's right! Almost as bad as signing up for service for 11+ years right out of college, except now I get paid like a doctor. and for 225k I may just accept their apology. No one is silly enough to find anything new in your rant. We are well aware of the uncertainty in military service - 9 year commitment or one VML cycle. As always, the decision is made based on family/personal reasons. The extra money can pay for a couple college degrees, give momma the kitchen she wants, or buy a couple years worth of cheap booze/fast women. Only a few examples of personal reasons and the money is in the decision matrix. On the other hand, no one is twisting my arm to stay in (aside from a nice new incentive). There’s something to be said for the family time that comes with a civilian job. BL, I try to imagine what consequences my decision will have when I’m of retirement age. I’ve yet to hear a retired fighter pilot say “I wish I would have punched at the end of my initial commitment”. I have heard guys who punch say they love what they’re doing after the military. I guess I’ll have to make a decision based on what’s available to me and my family, and try to weed out the chaff from the ‘misery loves company’ crowd.

11f and denied vsp It's enticing

Standing by for officer bashing The higher the rank, the higher the responsibility. With that comes the authority necessary to carry out the responsibility that, at the three star level, I am not envious of. Consider for a moment that someone who makes a three star rank is very aware that his decisions will be scrutinized by congress - he knew his decision was a career ender yet made it anyway. Whether or not it was the correct decision, this is quite a display of integrity IMO. Maybe. I understand that I have to earn my subordinates trust. Trust is a fragile thing, and once it’s lost, it's very difficult to get back. However, you painting in such broad strokes is a bummer. I've had good and bad bosses (more good than bad). If I assume that since I had one poor commander that the rest are all of the same caliber and I carry with me an attitude that reflects that, things will become very difficult for me. On the flip side, I hope to earn my subordinates trust, but if a subordinate takes a stance such that you espouse without giving me a fair shot, I will take issue with said subordinate. However, I agree the behavior of a few and the over-the-top attention the media is giving to a few individuals is unhelpful. or FIFY

This ^

Completely inaccurate from my perspective

Honest feedback that should happen more often. On the pilot side, the numbers and trends don't support this TA is a great benefit to have. It's like buying Kate Upton breast implants. More is better, but is it necessary? Do we have the money, especially with our current economy, to continue this benefit when we are offered the post 911 GI bill that is already a great deal (my kid's college is already paid for)? Does TA, and the current focus on a masters degree encourage folks to focus on an AAD that may not benefit the AF while discouraging primary job performance/improvement? When our government invests several million dollars per pilot to get them to a certain level, I'd like to see more encouragement (less discouragement) to maintain that very expensive skill set. As a taxpayer, it's a better return on my dollars. As a pilot, it gives me more confidence in my wingmen.

Agreed. This board needs such a perspective. Brilliant

Exactly Copy. SOS taught you how awesome you are. Interesting way to kill time while at SOS Here's an alternate perspective on SOS. I appreciated 8 weeks away from a tough ops tempo. I enjoyed meeting folks outside my MWS, and made some friends I still keep in touch with. I thought the effort the USAF put forth to spend the money, pull me out of the mission, and have PhDs with different perspectives lecture showed how important leadership considers education, even if this is the last time 90% of officers will see in-res education. There were some folks who struggled with SOS. Some folks took FLEX and the other "competitive" activities way too seriously, started barking orders, and lost the support of their team, which served as another learning opportunity for everyone around them and provided examples of how not to lead. There were some portions of SOS that I thought were boring, or geared toward the lowest common denominator, but some of my peers learned from those events. I also learned some things at SOS. I learned there are a lot of good folks in my peer group, there are also some containercheckers because checking containers is what they have to do when they struggle at leading, and there are some folks who will take the first opportunity to dwell on something that can be improved, and rather than fix it, scream "see, the whole system is f*cked, I'm done".

YMMV. Here are some more AADs that the Air Force will accept as making you a better Officer: Popular Music Studies, Oriental Medicine, Wildlife and wildlands conservation, Buddhist Studies, Folklore, etc. The requirement for an AAD is legitimate, requiring it for CGOs who are just beginning to master their primary job, and taking any AAD to include the very ridiculous, is ridiculous. The fix - mask AAD for promotion to major, and consider the degree attained for promotion to Lt Col. Much like a civilian company would weigh favorably an MBA for a management position, so too should the military consider if the AAD adds to the role the individual will fill. If I hear that "any AAD is considered because it shows you have good time management skills" one more time, my cranium will explode with rage. However, there are some good points in your post that for some are tough to hear. In my limited experience, the folks I saw in my peer group that were passed over were the ones I thought would get passed over. The ones I thought would be passed over weren't the dudes with the boxes not checked, but were the ones that sucked at their primary job and were stratified accordingly. I've seen plenty of folks get promoted with no AAD. They rolled the bones on them having strong enough PRFs against their peers without the AAD and won. Aside from a Masters in Wood products (sts) counting toward your promotion to major, the promotion system works and is no secret to those competing for promotion.https://www.onlineclasses.org/2009/12/20/20-weird-masters-degrees-that-actually-exist/

Shack. Ops tested.