Clark Griswold

New stage in the Border Crisis, mass waves from Central America allowed to move thru Mexico uncontested: https://www.redstate.com/streiff/2018/04/01/mexico-allowing-direct-attack-u.s.-border/ Repeating the mantra: - Fences / Walls in strategic locations (adjoining urban areas, Points of Entry and major roads coming from the border) with augmented CBP patrols. - Military Patrols in rural locations with no ROE restrictions on engagement, arrest, detention & transfer to LE. - Expedited legal proceedings and no release on their own recognizance for illegal border crossers. - Huge fines for employment of illegal aliens ($50,000 per infraction), prosecution under RICO laws. It is conspiracy, tax evasion and enterprise level crime. Businesses under investigation will have privilege licenses suspended during investigation, under RICO the accused must prove first what assets are not / were not gained thru illicit activities. - Bounties paid to local municipalities for arrest/detention of illegal aliens guilty of or arrested for felonies. $10,000 per + flat rate reimbursement for days in detention will start draining the swamp quickly. Use National Guard to expedite custody to ICE, this is DSCA not military members in the CONUS performing law enforcement. - Reasonable period of reduced legal immigration with a merit point process and end to chain migration, reduce to allow assimilation then assess. If the left can stomach watching sovereignty being asserted and the rule of law re-established, then the political climate will become benign enough that a serious negotiation on the status of illegal aliens that have some sympathetic cases (DACA, refugees, long time resident non-violent illegal aliens, etc...) can be had. I can't speak for everyone on the right but you can't work with someone you know is lying, grandstanding, breaking and bending the rules and is trying to subvert our democracy as it stands now. Allow control to be asserted again and there is room for debate and negotiation leading to a compromise that all sides will find minimally acceptable, in other words a fair deal. Keep down this path and we are on the road to ruin...

Yup, there was no plan B even contemplated as far as I know. No doubt, anything open source or unclass released? This (the yuuugge increase) has been the most legitimate critique of the JSF / F-35 program IMO, it was so naively optimistic in its cost projections and had no automatic shutoffs if the program began to run away that we are now so deeply invested we can't stop even if the political will formed to. So playing Devil's Advocate, how do you exit a death spiral if a program / system grows in operational cost that it cuts procurement of tails which then rises the cost per tail rinse lather repeat? Can you cap the tails at X number (less than the original buy) and work with the contractor to minimize the growth in per tail cost to exit a potential spiral as gently as possible? Do you just rip the band aid off and prepare for the short term extreme pain? I still think the F-35 is going to be the backbone of ACC / USMC (not sure if USN is still really all in) and Allied tactical aviation arms, just how much of the future I think is still debatable.

Copy, I don't deny that QoL could be better at an AETC assignment vs. an AMC assignment (or other MAJCOM) but out of training for your operational skill and this is just my two cents you should want to perform your operational skill, particularly at the beginning of your career, in an operational assignment. Would you join a football team, go thru all the hell and practices and then not want to play in the game? No doubt the need to produce is greater but the Operational Mission comes first, the 3 meter target vs the 10 meter target. Basically the AF has to do both at the same time, to me that would be shifting resources from non-core missions / lower requirements to boost SUPT production while maintaining delivery of quality SUPT graduates. AMC (or any other Operational MAJCOM) may have personal challenges and costs but that is where the missions to defend the nation, defeat the enemy, deter aggression, support the team and secure our interests are being executed, the rush should be to be a part of that. It will be there after a FAIP assignment but it just seems odd to go thru the marathon to get a pilot slot, get thru SUPT and then not want to get to the mission. I did both. I got far more airmanship from being a FAIP. Roger, have not been an SUPT IP so I will respect your opinion and keep mine.

The needs of the AF and to fulfill our military missions for the Joint Force Team. Not sure if you are trolling or not but serious question: Do you think you will or would have more airmanship and particularly military aviator airmanship after a tour as a 3 year 1200 hour FAIP operating out of the same base and generally within about 1-2 hours flight time of that base and some CONUS TDYs or 4 year 2000 hour Instructor Pilot of an MWS (assuming heavy) who would have learned a new more complicated aircraft, more new mission sets, been on multiple overseas deployments, operated with different Air Branches & foreign AFs, mobility missions, alert force duty, large force exercises, business efforts, etc... ?

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a19620889/air-force-may-need-to-cut-a-third-of-f-35-fleet-due-to-high-operating-costs/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-28/tesla-says-cause-of-fatal-crash-not-yet-known-without-car-s-logs BLUF: The U.S. Air Force may have to cut its purchases of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 by a third if it can’t find ways to reduce operations and support costs by as much as 38 percent over a decade, according to an internal analysis. Does this crowd out the procurement of the B-21 then?

Yes, but is that what a SUPT graduate should aspire to? Maybe aspire is not the right verb but just my two cents that everyone just getting their wings at SUPT should be chomping at the bit to get to the operational side of the AF. No offense directed in anyway at anyone who did FAIP or will be FAIP'ed.

Palace Chase is the program you want https://www.goang.com/is-ang-for-me/air-force-to-ang BO has hiring opportunities listed in the Aviation Jobs and ANG/AFR sections. Good luck!

Don't know of a program to do that but I do know a former male nurse who became a pilot. He became an O in the Guard and went to UPT via that route. My guess is that there is no program.

Just getting older and more opinionated...or rotting...

Not a bad article but after reading this (and other articles like it) on the "problem" of the present day AF, I feel like every well intentioned reformer or reform advocate needs to realize that there are somethings that have happened not just in the AF but in society in general that are to be acknowledged and accepted to go forward productively. There are some fights that are not worth it, not winnable, not even a fight where something can be won and a distraction from that which is attainable and worth time, resources and effort. The "problem" of the present day AF is not a problem per se but a state of being that was arrived at after a particular (and on going) set of operations / conflicts, changes in society (some good - effort to include non-historically represented groups, some bad - egregious PC culture and emphasis on identity at the expense meritocracy and logic) and the corporatization of some aspects of the day to day administration of the AF. That said, there is plenty that could be reformed, changed and made to make an AF that is more mission focused, more challenging for its members and one that inspires an esprit de corps. I think it would be a harder AF to be in than it is now (I'm ok with that) and I think that is probably where to start because that is something we can do now, no money needed, no new laws to be passed. Just the will to do it and accept some of the potentially unpopular and uncomfortable results of dialing up the standards. On the article... 1. Dear Boss... My two cents, some of the "Dear Boss" sentiment is valid, there has been a growing gulf between the Line and Leadership of the AF, loss of confidence in AF leadership when from an operator's perspective we (the USAF) do not seem particularly responsive to a changed operational environment and an apathetic approach to retention. My other two cents, some of the "Dear Boss" sentiment is grandstanding and sanctimonious, only the author of whichever iteration of the "Dear Boss" letter can see the mediocrity & corruption and because said individual is so principled, so dedicated, so pure that they just can't take it anymore and they have to leave. Give me a break, at anytime in the existence of any established, conventional military force there have been cronies, REMFs, butt kissers, busy work and snipe hunts, etc... this is not to say those things are to be tolerated but they're like mosquitoes, you swat one and another arrives to meet the same fate, repeat the process or get eaten alive. Deal with it, annoying things and people are part of life, try to fix them, get rid of them or avoid them but don't expect them to ever go away completely. 2. PC Culture Partially accept some it. Fighting all of it is unwise, not winnable and not even a good idea. Most of it comes from above the DoD, Federal Government Policy for all Departments, Agencies and Bureaus and has to be implemented, unless it is specifically stated how X policy will be implemented, the AF (IMO) has prerogative to deliver X policy in a military applicable manner. The AF can take the best parts of the efforts to build an inclusive society that offers equal opportunity for all, encouragement (not exceptions) for those not historically represented and adherence to universally applied standards without denigrating those in the majority and assuming original prejudice in their attitudes. I saw this in a briefing from a GO on the day the transgender policy was changed for the DoD, he had one slide that clearly stated the policy, said we will treat all members in accordance with professional military standards and that was it. I am not really that on board with the policy but when it was delivered in a non-condescending, short, professional manner it did not generate excessive resentment, I left the All-Call with no more or less cynicism than before. Given the topic, that was probably as good as it was going to get. An example of how to do Social Actions Policy. 3. Warrior / Mission Culture If we want a warrior culture, a mission culture then look at the tools we have available and use them. That will be tougher standards, more rigor and fewer opportunities to leave the cockpit / ops station you are in (if part of the LAF). Be careful what you wish for, you may get it. I am ok with dialing up the heat, not that I am an Air Rambo, but I know that if we want to rid the AF of shoe clerks and meaningless schools, programs and fluff, that is in reality the only way to do it. Thinking that some Bro General is just going to come in, tell the Shoe Clerks to pound sand and that's it is naive thinking at its worst. Swords are forged in extreme heat then beat into shape, afterwards repeatedly scraped with a stone to make sharp, not a gentle process. If we want this type of AF (we do), we need only more strongly discipline and train ourselves. Not the most pleasant rant I've ever given on BO but my honest opinion. Any military or military unit you want to be part of should be tough to be part of, that is where the pride comes from, doing something that is hard to do and not everyone can do. If the AF changes the vector to this, the rest will take care of itself.

Knew Andy also. Dedicated officer, great pilot and good dude. Godspeed

Or a longer legged FB-22... if this is going to be twin engines and lower range go ahead and make an LO KC-21 with probe and drogue or an MQ-25 Stingray AR wingman

Article from WOR on how the AF got slow and below glide slope: https://warontherocks.com/2018/03/air-force-in-crisis-part-ii-how-did-we-get-here/ Worth a read but a cliff notes of his (Benitez) points: 1. The Air Force Got Too Small (People) Concur. Shoot to eliminate redundancy at the top first to save resources to build the base. More Indians, less Chiefs. Cut GO billets in half, Cut O-6 billets in half, etc... look for possible deferments in promotion with targeted retention bonus in critical career fields. Career Fields not just critically manned but critical to the military mission(s) of the AF. 2. The Air Force Got Too Small (Airplanes) Concur. While not addressed in this section of his article, it touches on morale which appears in several sections as it affects everything, an RPA companion aircraft, discussed ad nauseam and requirement is self-evident for airmanship and morale. He addresses 4th gen recapitilization, makes the argument for new 4th gen versus refurbished aircraft, better aircraft, better industrial base strategic utilization, better aircraft at about the same cost, agreed. Investigate a resurgence of a few good deal / golden apple programs to strategically retain key personnel, provide a solution to a requirement and ideally retain selected individuals for the full career. LAAR acquisition in respectable fleet size, ADAIR in desirable locales, flying graduate enrichment programs open to crew/single seat aviators as instructors, etc... I would also not forget about the support folks also, instead of emphasizing in-residence PME, I would look at expanded civilian career education opportunities for them with self-selection of schools/programs to be considered. 3. The Air Force Got Too Small (Lethality) Semi-concur. Argues for shorter rotations to AORs, 4 months preferred to 6 months, for a several valid reasons (experience distribution, QoL, etc..) and I concur but not concurring with looking to Navy / USMC for assistance in the Aerospace Control Alert Mission. They're tapped out anyway and don't like the idea of ceding mission. Internal redistribution of resources to expand capability in core missions seems better, resources from where in the AF is the sticky part (sts)...

Unconstrained by laws, lawyers, a sometimes duplicitous bureaucracy and an investigating and adversarial media... one man in control of a technologically capable and paranoid nation can do amazing / terrifying things...

I keep finding uses for this...

Shit could get real, doubt they would try to use this against a manned asset but unmanned? Maybe

Well damn it...

Legit point but I go with an ours and theirs policy, our LAAR and their LAAR policy. We buy a higher end aircraft that we can afford and gives us the higher end capabilities we want and that our ROE and in general our way of doing business demands (lots of ISR pre-strike, CDE considerations, PGMs almost exclusively, etc...) and their LAAR that is modern and relevant but cheaper (to operate and train) and is more in line with how X partner nation will likely do business (direct fire weapons, unguided munitions, some ISR pre-strike, etc...). Ditto on the AT-6, never flew the Texan but following that thread and the myriad problems (OBOGS, cockpit instrument problems, E-seat problems, etc...) I think that design has "issues". A-29 with open architecture sounds good, an "adaptive pod" (some smaller version of Agile Pod) is what I am imagining. Current 15" FMV ball could stay and this would be the dual sensor capability to up its game... If anybody flying the Super T can speak to this, is the architecture capable of becoming open?

The great Russians weapons demo continues

No gouge but wiki says 2023 and the ref for that was from 2013 (AF Times). Sounds about right for today's FUBAR acquisition process.

Gotcha The War Zone summed up what is likely the truth but again one can hope / rant on BO net Let's Face It, The USAF Isn't Serious About Buying a Light Attack Aircraft Again, AF look at the long term, Scorpion already has the best performance, capabilities and a design specifically to easily upgrade or accept new capabilities with low cost & risk. This is the type of aircraft we used to pursue, the best rather than looking for what is minimally satisfactory. Not sure if this has been posted yet but an article and assessment from The Aviationist after a fam ride: https://theaviationist.com/2017/11/16/we-have-flown-in-textrons-scorpion-jet-heres-what-we-have-learned/

True but all of them seem like a major leap in capability if even only 75% true of their advertised capability

It is impressive and they probably have the inside lane but to balance things out here's Leonardo's T-100 integrated training system page: https://www.leonardodrs.com/products-and-services/t-100-integrated-training-system/t-100-embedded-training-program/ and Boeing's https://www.boeing.com/defense/t-x/index.page?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2snUBRDfARIsAIGfpqHQLQAOEossg9gCAIfC9o6Tg40ukrUC1CBZjiXD5aahfqXskHHzJ7MaAhVjEALw_wcB#/video-player/boeing-t-x-real-as-it-gets-training

True but that is a fact not a reason that AFSOC could/should acquire a jet for this requirement. Interesting, is this requirement and a subsequent requests for proposals separate from these previous RFI/RFPs? https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=b1732e28ed804b5d1cc5c2c7315a92f2&tab=core&_cview=1 https://www.fbo.gov/index?print_preview=1&s=opportunity&mode=form&id=b30065477e7b9159bb2687f2cc2a3667&tab=core&tabmode=list

Why is a prop a requirement?