panchbarnes

Not to mention how Kelly got sold to the city at a steep discount, only to have the AF rent a majority of the buildings back at a significantly higher cost, all because the AF missions didn't downsize along with the close of Kelly and Brooks. FWA? Look no further than "JBSA-171."

Page 49 of attached document Strange Bedfellows in Afghanistan: New Prospects for a Negotiated Settlement with the Taliban FAO Journal_fall16.pdf

dumbasses... UC Davis student leaders say American flag display should be optional at meetings

YMMV...On the non-rated side, Back when the program was hot and heavy, I've seen a guy get picked for DO, O-5, and SQ/CC (but still lost out the #1 strat to a GO's exec), also know of another one got picked up for SQ/CC and is now an O-6. Then like Lstcause257 described, recently a person got passed over to O-5 and is floating around the Pentagon with no one looking out for him. If I remember correctly, SECDEF Gates was behind the inception of this well-intentioned program, and people did get rewarded for being a Hand early on. Now that Gates is gone, it appears as if the FOGOs don't give a sh*i*t about the program, but the requirements are still on the book...no one wants to be the bad guy to advocate for the removal, so here we are... Slight threat derail...say what you want about Gates, but at least he had the right intentions and appeared to be focused on the mission and not social agendas. At least in his days our #1 threat was not climate change and sexual predators.

It's been a while since I've read up on the JSF competition, but I wonder what the original performance requirements were (across all services!)? This thing didn't get designed/built overnight, along the way it had to through many design reviews (SPOviets)...chaired by fliers. Not defending the decision makers but the potential costs savings enabled these compromises. The thinking was the sensor networks, EW suites, C2 of drones, system of systems (remember that?) was going to make up for the shortfall in performance. The Vietnam lessons were mostly forgotten as one LM engineer was openly touting to me the benefits of removing the internal gun... I vaguely recall the original intent was to buy such a great number of the JSFs to replace the Eagles/Vipers/Hornets/Harriers, that the USG will get a great deal out of this. Once again, the taxpayers got fooled by slick PowerPoint slides by the MBA types. Ever since 4th gen, the challenges (and costs) have always been about software/coding. Aerodynamics, structures, materials, mechanical systems, engines designs process are all very matured (incremental improvements only) thanks to all the test data since the Wright Brothers; in general, aircraft performance is based on a series of cost, weight, performance tradeoff analysis...the real variable is what value the computer can add to the aircraft. Nerd rambling off...

No strat for you LT... Gigabytes of sensitive Air Force documents reportedly discovered by security firm "The security firm MacKeeper came across an Air Force lieutenant’s misconfigured backup hard drive."

Just saw this image on a different website and the message immediately resonated with me. You don't have to be an 11F to appreciate the mindset described here. IMHO, regardless of your job title, this attitude is what separates a leader from a manager and a bro from a back-stabbing careerist. Each person may acquire this level confidence at different stages in life, but once you've gained this self-confidence, "positive aggression," and the burning desire to be better, you just know you are good to go with whatever goals you set in life, in or out of the military.

Thanks for the feedback. We are looking for multifamily units in the great state of Texas, all of the big cities are very tough to invest in due to competition, so looking at the smaller cities for better deals. Curious about Altus, OK as a rental market as well.

Thinking about purchasing rental properties in either Wichita Falls or Abilene, TX. Would appreciate any insights people have on either one of those rental market and economic development or growth potential. Any RUMINT regarding Sheppard or Dyess and future BRAC? Thanks in advance.

This guy knows what he is talking about... bold is mine. A Green Beret's plea to Donald Trump... "Herein lies the problem that Congressman Hunter and the few like him recognize. Remote command centers now consume a majority of our force structure and nearly all of the military's officer corps. Combat has become a spectator sport for senior leaders glued to kill-TV. For too many, their exercise of battlefield command is commensurate with a round in the board game "Risk." And we have witnessed loyalty to the war fighter falter because some leaders fear the risk to their personal advancement." "The nation's war fighters have had their fill of quibbling micromanagers who live in fear of the 24-hour media cycle and the social sensibilities of political elites. The Defense Department has lost its way, and we need a war fighter with the relevant experience, moral courage and youthful energy to lead and refocus the institution."

$15K a year for 4 years is quite tempting for the non-rated folks. It's a well-compensated prison term is what it is. Just like the flyers, it's not really about the money. 17D Guy is spot on with the career field being incompatible w/ the current promotion system. You are going to pay a bunch of skilled folks to continue to do the same CBTs/green dots/resiliency/dog and pony show queeps. Any self-respecting talented person would say fuck that and get out. Also, DoD cyber as whole is progressing very slowly and it's still a giant clusterfuck (even for the sexiest missions). If you have any kind of skills, you are better off starting your own company and filing for IPO like snapchat.

market was almost even by the opening. yuuuugggeee disappointment. still expecting the feds to raise interest rate next month, the amateur investor in me thinks that will drive some sort of stock market correction/irrational panic selloff. i'm thinking with trump in office we will see more pro-real estate investment measures.

pre-market down 600-750 points, what are you buying/shorting?

My bad. I am not going to post the e-mail, but essentially the intel DT boards candidates every year for the various intel leadership slots out there. You are supposed to submit a SOI to indicate whether or not you want to be boarded for a leadership job (which can lead to career advancement), but my guess is that the 06 YG didn't have enough O-4s and/or people are turning down the leadership opportunities en masse. As a result, the DT boarded all 07 YG selects (along w/ the 06 YG) despite the fact they haven't had a chance to submit a SOI. So board the candidate first and then ask them whether or not they are interested.

"The DT identified a significant candidate shortfall, which resulted in the inclusion of the 2007 YG during the candidate boarding process. As a result, all eligible 2007 Major selects were boarded during the DT. The final step in being selected as an O-4 leadership candidate is to submit Statements of Intent. You are receiving this message because you are eligible to be an O-4 leadership candidate. As such, you need to submit a Statement of Intent NLT 14 November 16. The DT was impressed with the 2007 YG as they scored records..." We are officially broken...

RIP Mr. Hoover My old boss was good friends with Mr. Hoover (as well as being one of his trusted mechanics). On several occasions at KTOA, I was privileged enough to pump 100LL into Ole Yeller. This might seem insignificant to some folks, but it was a huge deal to us that knew about his accomplishments. Edited to add: We "raced" our fuel trucks to Ole Yeller in order to pump gas for him. That's how big of a deal it was.

Some countries require official visa for official passport, so if your visa doesn't match the passport type it *may* cause an issue. Also if you get pulled into the secondary, you might have to explain to Customs, State Dept, Embassy, and first O-6 in chain why you are using USG passport for personal travel. I want to say if you are traveling on official passport, you are supposed to put in for country clearance via the GCC to the local embassy. I'm not smart on the country status of those places you mentioned. not worth it man...

I'd argue against the notion that the O-6s - O-8s are "powerless." I accept the previously posted anecdotes as truth, but I say you will always have a choice to do something and not merely be "powerless." It's a matter of how far you are willing to go for your cause and believes. The AF CGOs, for the longest time, were thought to be powerless and replaceable, yet they've successfully got into the Big Blue's OODA loop by exiting, turning down IDEs, and etc (yeah it took several years to get here)... I have to believe If the AF senior leaders/managers really wanted to see changes, they would have made it happen already, provided they are willing to put their careers on the line like the CGOs (imagine O-6s exodus en masse). The problem is everyone has aspiration to further their career, especially at the higher levels when so much more is at stake (and more risk adverse). Nobody wants to be known as that senior guy who quit/got fired based on principles (it would be hard for me as well). I'm not faulting them for their choices/decisions to not challenge the system, all I'm saying they do have a choice and are not as powerless as they seem to be. If the CGOs can take a stand then why can't the O-6s? If you are going to enjoy the DV perks & benefits that come w/ the rank, then you better accept the responsibilities that come with it as well. Additionally, the O-6s and O-8s do have a plethora of power and authorities to motivate Airmen/improve QoL/do good. But what have they done when given the opportunities? 1. Made local PT/uniform/leave/TDY/alcohol... policies more stringent than the AFI (just about every base/levels) 2. Pushed out excessive voluntary/involuntarily tasker/programs and task saturate the entire Wing (every Wing) 3. Reclama'd (against AFPC and MAJCOM for 2+ years) entire staff and group from all deployments and PCS w/ less than 4 yr TOS regardless of circumstances. (we call you Maj Gen "No"). MAJCOM CC only did something about it right after the 2-star retired and claimed ignorance. 4. Restricted an entire AFSC from cross-flowing into other AFSCs (again, Maj Gen "No") 5. Allowed lower-tiered toxic leaders and sexual misconducts to fester and deny any knowledge when challenged (AETC bases *tsk tsk*) 6. Allowed your E-9/E-8 goons to undercut officer authorities unchecked (AF-wide) The list goes on and on but the point is that these are the QoL issues that are w/in the O-6s - O-8s control, and when given the chance to do something about it, they usually keep it status quo or deny accountability. I can't tell you how many times I have heard O-6 commanders said that they are at the end of their career and have nothing to lose, only to fall inline w/ the rest of them and not rock the boat until retirement. So no, I don't believe O-6s - O-8s are "powerless."

"And Grosso suggested that the Air Force may eventually change some of its rules regarding HIV. Currently, anyone who is HIV-positive cannot be assessed into the Air Force, but with increasing advancements in treatment, Grosso said that could change in the future. " https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/officer-evaluation-overhaul

Dear AF Leaders and HR, Thank you for letting us know how much you care by nonchalantly dismissing a workplace survey, in which many man-hours were spent to complete. We will now adopt your response whenever we get task saturated: "To be frank, that got lost in the shuffle. There's nothing controversial in it. It just got lost in all the things that we're doing." Sincerely, The Serfs https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/climate-survey-results-not-released 'When asked about the climate survey results after an Air Force Association breakfast Wednesday, Air Force personnel chief Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso said, "To be frank, that got lost in the shuffle. There's nothing controversial in it. It just got lost in all the things that we're doing."'

Valid explanation, thanks for the insight. In my experience, some officers grew up believing in order to be competitive for strats/DPs you need to have: 1. continuous duty title progression with increasing leadership responsibilities (valid) and 2. close physical proximity to Sq/CC (face time) for influence. Might explain the ADO phenomenon you are hearing among the junior folks. I will add that the flyer ADOs I worked with (small sample size) have been nothing but good dudes/dudettes.

Time to put the HPO program to sleep. I opine, that it is the root of AF's woes. We do not need to groom butterbars to be politicians. Good tacticians (personnelist, finance, flyers, and etc...it is AFSC agnostic) will make better senior leaders then some arbitrary shinny penny that never worked the issues at the lowest level. How on earth are we still advertising O-2 exec jobs via the AMS Robot in this manning environment? That is FWA worthy right there. As an O-3, you are not competitive for strats and DPs if you are not an ADO or an exec (sq level blah, better to be gp and higher). As a matter of fact, you are doing it wrong if you are still at the Sq level by the time your O-4 or O-5 board meets (unless you are a legal DO). Probably shouldn't be at the gp level if you are meeting the O-5 board. But I digress, eliminate all the legal and illegal CGO exec billets (looking at you Lt Col), let the O-3s and below focus on tactical proficiency (again regardless of AFSC) and evaluate them accordingly. if you are truly sierra hotel, you'd still ace the exec jobs at the O-4+ levels, and go on to be a great DO/Sq CC/Joint Staff superstar. Lastly, if you can't get by without an Exec as an O-5 then you need to tell your boss the ground truth and fight for more people or step up and drop the least essential tasks *gasp*. Sorry if I offend any HPOs on this forum, but we have repeatedly seen poor leadership, planning, and execution across all levels for the past decade or so and look where we are at now as a service.

I remember when the SOC Commander showed up first day with the wrong uniform, made up an awkward story explaining the screw up. Tried to redeem himself at the next all call and proceeded to insult the SNCOs in attendance with his apology...later on, tried to work an European family vacation permissive TDY in the middle of SOS instead of attending one of the key events. Dude got picked up O-7 later on. Reminds me of a certain regional manager at the Scranton branch of Dunder-Mufflin. Thank god I had a flight with good peeps, had a good time and it reflected in the final squadron standing.

Redacted CDI report in its entirety released...It's only a glimpse of how toxic it was. And from one of the Facebook comments: " Can't agree more. As an Captain Reservist, I hated seeing my 2d Lt classmates talk about how this is how the Air Force works, that you had to suck up and party with the Patch in order to get a good assignment. A newly divorced, highly inappropriate Patch I may add. Rolirad encouraged and covered up for him and the rest of the rotten instructors. There were only a few good instructors, and they were enlsited or civilian." Responsive Records.pdf

USAF/AETC leaders missed multiple opportunities to do the right things regarding the 2011 315 TRS investigation. The learning lessons from the "dark ages" are far more valuable than any SAPR, GreenDot, NoFear Act, Suicide Prevention training (yes it's all applicable here). Leadership loses all credibility when they sweep these incidents under the rug. Part of the reasons why Airmen are jumping ship and do not care about your In-Res PME, promotion, bonuses, and toxic leadership "opportunities." https://www.reddit.com/r/AirForce/comments/4k67em/goodfellow_finally_releases_2011_command_directed/ Excerpts: "First off, thanks to the OP for getting this report. I kinda already knew what was in it, but I'm glad that it's seeing the light of day. I'm hoping the individual interviews are released at some point in the near future, as well. I was part of the cadre there for most of the first year of Rolirad's tenure. Quinene showed up later as the flight commander of the officer course. I don't have much bad to say about Lt Col Rolirad; I didn't necessarily agree with some of the things she did, but I understand what she was trying to do. I never personally saw her do any of the things she was accused of. Quinene, on the other hand, is a sexual predator of the first order. I've heard variations on the same stories: how if female 14N students wanted a good assignment, they had to sleep with him; how he'd go in and "hook" a female student briefing because she wouldn't sleep with him; how he reinstated a female student back into a class after she had washed out because she was sleeping with him; how he was sleeping with an enlisted instructor; so on and so forth. Now, I admit, I have no first-hand knowledge of this. But with this much smoke, there had to be a fire. And I'm not sure he only did this at Goodfellow. I was talking to an intel officer who knew him in Korea. This person said Quinene wanted to borrow his car so that he could go pick up some SrA for a "date." And, as this thread alludes to, justice was never really truly served. After his DO tenure, Quinene went to the Marine Corps Staff College in Quantico, a pretty prestigious gig for an Air Force guy. This investigation went down while he was there, so he ended up on admin hold in the DC for a while. I figured he was there until the investigation was completed and the court-martial proceedings could begin. Nope, instead he got sent to the CAOC for a year. That's right, instead of being prosecuted, HE GOT SENT TO BE IN CHARGE OF SOME OF THE SAME LIEUTENANTS AND CAPTAINS HE HAD TERRORIZING AND ASSAULTING 18 MONTHS BEFORE!!! The small bit of justice that was actually done was that, after his deployment, he was assigned to HQ AETC (where, presumably, senior leaders could keep an eye on him). He ended up getting passed over for promotion and had to get out before he was retirement eligible. Last I heard he was in the San Antonio area. He had been working for some local politician, but I'm not sure if that's still the case. As you can probably tell, I feel pretty passionate about this. I can't tell you how many times I've told people that I was an instructor during this time and they ask, "So what was the deal?" The damage that Quinene (and to a lesser extent, Rolirad) did to the Air Force intelligence community will felt for years to come. How many good ISR students (and staff) were totally soured by their experience and bailed at the first opportunity? Worse still, how many of them left GAFB thinking that sort of behavior was OK? So, if any victims are out there reading this, I'm sorry that we, as a staff, didn't do more to protect you. Five years later and it still bothers me." "Finally "we" get to see 30% of the story acknowledged by the AF. I was there for 1.5 years of the terror. The report is missing a vast amount of information. It only addresses infractions against officer students (which I'm not downplaying, all of their complaints are 100% valid; the rape case is also missing). Enlisted students suffered greatly, office-instructors suffered greatly, and enlisted-instructors suffered greatly. Yes, their tenure at the 315 TRS is known as the dark ages to all those who experienced it. In my 19 year AF career I've never personally experienced/witnessed anything like the horror show Karen Rolirad and David Quinene put on. The crazy part is I was never a direct victim of their wrath; but I feel it weighing heavy on my soul to this day. I am guilty of the bystander effect. I saw the transgressions but did not take requisite action. I do not believe it would've done any good given the mountains of IG complaints by other instructors; but that is no excuse, it was my duty. I failed at my duty. I own that. I have to live with that. My inputs may have turned the tide. If you have ever been victim to a toxic leader, a truly toxic leader, it is something that is not easy to cope with; even 5 years after the fact. I saw many peers, friends, and students (officer & enlisted) belittled, unjustly punished, careers destroyed, career altering decisions made, near suicides, etc because of Rodirad and Quinene's dark rule of fear, intimidation, and bullying. I'm not sure what's worse. The fact there are officers like these two in an American military or the fact that they are allowed to get away with it. Where is the courts-martial? TIs at Lackland get prison, as they should. If you're Rolirad (who repeatedly violated several UCMJ articles and USCs) you get to retire honorably and get a job for the city of San Antonio as an AF liaison. I do not profess to know all the reasons why there are morale issues in the AF, but I can certainly attest that the lack of accountability in the officer corps (O-5+) and SNCO corps is a contributing factor."