Spartacus

Unfortunately, you couldn't be more wrong. I've seen commanders ask for year group lists that included if they have been a Flt/CC, completed a masters and if they were an SOS DG. Every rack and stack that I've seen at the Group and Wing level had a column for whether or not you were an SOS DG. Oddly, the people at the top of the lists were always SOS DGs. Recently a "nobody" in my Wing went from barely having a crappy squadron level strat to suddenly getting a Wing CGO strat. The only reason that I could see for this happening was that he "returned from SOS as a DG." I can't tell you how much I hate SOS and the weight that SOS DG carries. It makes me sick. Edited because I can't write good.

Because a GENERAL was killed in combat dude. This was the highest ranking person to die in a conflict since Vietnam. Kind of a big deal if you ask me.

I have heard multiple captains complain that their masters work is now for nothing. I agree with the CSAF 100% and hope these new policies stick. However, I call B.S. to anyone that thinks these captains are wrong. I am one of those captains and spent 4 years to get my masters done. I'm glad that officers don't have to worry about doing a masters degree as early as I did, but I sacrificed countless hours away from my family and went through a lot of pain to get mine. Now it's not going to do much until later on. That's fine and good, but damn I wish I had all of that time back now.

Are we waiting on a matrix to see which AFSCs will be eligible for the RIF too or is it going to be everyone? Er, we probably don't know still do we? Big Blue is really on top of this.

Shack! Congressman, for us 11x types this is not good. We get our flying hours cut and even grounded in some cases due to the sequester, the airlines are hiring more, some of us are facing RIFs, AND now it looks like if we decide to stay to 20 that we should not trust in any way that we'll get the retirement that we have been told we will get. Have you seen this? https://complex.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/12/26/air_force_warns_we_could_run_out_of_pilots#sthash.7jYojEtx.dpbs To you I ask this: What has Congress and the Air Force done recently to make us think that we should stay in when it seems like you are breaking faith with us?

I brought this up to AFPC a year or so after commissioning. They said the reg was applied correctly in my case. Here is what DoDI 1310.01, August 23, 2013 says: 5. DATE OF RANK OF SECOND LIEUTENANTS OR ENSIGNS APPOINTED IN MAY OR JUNE NOT THROUGH THE SERVICE ACADEMIES. The date of rank of second lieutenants or ensigns appointed in accordance with section 2106 or 2107 of Reference (f) in May or June of any year who enter active duty during either of those months is the date that the class of cadets or midshipmen graduated from one of the Service Academies. Such appointees who enter active duty before the graduation date of the appropriate Service Academy may take precedence over academy graduates. Within such groups of section 2106 and 2107 of Reference (f) appointees, distinguished military graduates may take precedence. So, I think the interpretation is that if you commission in May and EAD before the academy cadets commission then you "may" get an earlier DOR as a 2Lt than the academy types if you were a DG.

I don't have the reg in front of me but the AF likes to play a lot of games with this. I commissioned beginning of May and was on AD at my first base by 20 May and the AF still put my DOR as 31 May. I was also told that if you are ROTC that your DOR is somewhere in between your commissioning date and your EAD unless you are in the month of May. In that case if you commission in May and enter AD in May it still won't matter. The reg will make it so that your DOR becomes 31 May to put you behind the AFA guys. Seems like a load of B.S. and I know more than one person that this has stung.

I didn't know that that was how it worked. Interesting. Well, if those excluded from VSP are eligible for the RIF it will be interesting to how many of them get the boot. Doesn't really seem wise or in the best interest of the AF to boot people who are in an AFSC that is critically undermanned. Oh, wait we're talking about the Air Force. Disregard.

I don't think anyone knows for sure right now. However, if offering VSP is legally mandated then how can you legally RIF people who were not offered the chance to apply for VSP?

So, is there a consensus as to who is eligible for the RIF? If you look at MyPers it leads you to believe that all officers are eligible for VSP and the RIF, but then the doc added yesterday tells us which AFSCs aren't eligible for voluntary programs. Will there be a similar doc that comes out for the RIF? Or are all AFSCs eligible for the RIF? Or, are you only eligible for the RIF if you are eligible for voluntary programs? (This was my understanding.)

I don't trust the Air Force to get much right with all of this but I was briefed that not everyone will meet the RIF board. I would have a hard time believing that they will have 11/12F/H etc meet a RIF board when they are ineligible for voluntary programs.

So, if this "budget deal" passes are we still going to see the same force management programs that were just announced? Also, who thinks that 11X's will be eligible? 11F's?

I see what you are saying. You make a point, but I think the problem that a lot of military personnel have with this is that there are so many other areas in the federal budget that could be cut instead of military pay and benefits. Doesn't the military already give WAY more than the average person? It's kind of a slap in the face to ask someone in the military for a pay cut when Congress won't do anything to their own pay and benefits? It's kind of like the DOD and Congress complaining about the skyrocketing cost of Tricare etc over the past ten years when in reality have they ever acknowledged that a factor in this might be the fact that over the past ten years a lot of military members have had a limb blown off and are suffering from PTSD? Maybe that is contributing to the higher costs? Maybe the higher personnel costs are also due in part to the increased size of the military? I'm also really tired of people comparing the military to a civilian job. They are in no way the same except with rare exception.

I've seen this same thing in multiple places. Of course YMMV, but a lot of patches these days are not "humble or approachable."

I searched around but could not find the school list online. Has this been posted to MyPers? If so how do you get to it?

I don't post often, but I just wanted to say that I am 99% sure that I know who Liquid is, and that he is the real deal. In fact I hope Liquid is on here often and taking what is said here to heart, and maybe even relaying what he is learning as appropriate.

Out of stock.

I scored big time at my local Walmart this weekend. They got a ton of ammo in and I was lucky enough to be there right when they brought it out, and to have a salesman that would sell me 3 boxes and then let me buy more after going to the back of the line several times. (Everyone was doing it too... kind of funny to watch.) Also, does anyone here have much experience with sniper rifles? I've been looking at the Savage Arms 110 BA .338 Lapua as a starter. Yes, I know it costs an arm and a leg to shoot too.

I get that we are the military and physical fitness is important. However, this is ridiculous and the focus that we often place on fitness is stupid. PT God does not equal good officer. I've seen it happen more that once during my career where someone got a DG or was pushed ahead because they could score a 100 on their PT test when they were lesser when it comes to officership. To fire an awesome officer because of failing a waist measurement is stupid. Did he pass the rest of the test? If so... huge foul! Good job AF, you just got rid of a great officer because his waist was a little thick. Nice one.

Out of Stock

In that case there are online programs from respected schools that offer the same exact coursework and degrees that you would get if you were sitting in their classroom. The diploma also won't say "Worldwide online" on it either. There are ways to get normal degrees that actual mean something if you look hard enough.

Well, dude maybe you haven't been looking hard enough? Every base that I have been at has had a brick and mortar school within 15 min to 2 hours away. And guess what? I personally knew people at each location that were willing to make that drive to get their degree. I have known people that took leave to finish up classes, or who drove every Friday to their school to do weekend classes all weekend long. All of the people I am talking about are pilots too so I'm not talking about shoe clerks here. I'm a pointy nose type too so the people I am talking about did have a lot of other studying on their plate as well. Look, like I said before I am not advocating this. I think it is ridiculous how the masters thing is set up and I wish you and I could just focus on our primary job and become better at what we do rather than having to worry about getting a masters. The system is broken beyond repair right now. However, I also think many here are kidding themselves. The bitch of an AF that we are in is not going to let up on the education demands for one minute just because we have a good CSAF right now or because TA went away. Besides, for every step that we take toward making things better will be negated by two steps back in a few years. It will be history repeating itself all over again. So, like I said before the TA being taken away is not a good thing. The shoe clerks will continue to get their degrees while many here will throttle back while they are kidding themselves into thinking that it will all get better. This will all end with a big smack in the face when you don't make Major or Lt Col because you fooled yourself, while a higher percentage of shoes will get the "S" next to their name on the Major selection list. I personally have seen people in my squadron and friends of mine all over the AF throttling back due to this thinking and who have been dropping masters classes left and right because of this TA cut. This is going to hurt them. So, again, and lastly, you all can think what you want and fool yourselves into believing that we need to be willing to give up things like TA, but you are losing a battle for scarce resources that you were promised and that you have earned and deserve. You have less money now because you have to pay more out of pocket while our elected leaders have given up nothing and while more and more people who are doing nothing for themselves are continuing to get more and more welfare.

I know I am going to take some spears for this but here is another point of view. I agree that the box checking masters thing is stupid and I hate the diploma mills. Yes, the whole system is/was f-ed. However, you choose where to get the degree from and when to start it. If you choose to get a worthless box checking degree with your TA and then turn around and say that it is wasting tax payer dollars then aren't you part of the problem? Aren't you taking part in the whole problem that you are complaining about? Believe me, I understand the whole being busy thing and the ridiculousness of trying to become and then stay tactically proficient while having to knock out a masters but that is part of the game that you have to play. Taking away TA does not equal getting rid of the education requirements for promotion like many enlisted people are realizing right now. You can choose to get a real degree and start it early so you only have to take one class at a time. This is doable. I am not advocating it, and I think the AF should get rid of the masters requirement and send you to get one if they want you to have one so that you can focus on tactical things, but that is not reality right now. Hopefully that changes. So, when it comes down to cutting TA I don't look at it like many of you are. There are all of the arguments that have been made but what this boils down to for me is that the government has chosen to cut a military benefit. A benefit that many people were counting on and now it is gone. A benefit that might have played a part in getting you to sign on that dotted line. So, instead of looking at it like we might not have to do masters degrees anymore I wonder what they will be willing to cut next? I have read several times recently how liberals are calling military TA welfare in a nontraditional form and how the military needs to share in the burden of getting the economy back on track. If that does not piss you off then I have nothing for you.

"3" I couldn't stop laughing while my wife was sitting here so I showed it to her and we've been laughing for the last 5 minutes. Hilarious dude.

I see your point but you are missing out on a lot of other factors here. The Scandinavian countries' laws discourage marriage by making it a lot more expensive to be married thereby creating a lot of out of wedlock births. Their culture fosters this much more than our own. Their quality of life is also largely due to oil, hydroelectric power, and fishing industry, which have made the region extremely rich. So, you make a good point but it is moot when these things are factored in.