Someone transcribed the recording over on reddit.
Colonel:
Iโve won four phase 1/phase 2 exercises in my time here. This is the first time Iโve seen a failure happen. And Iโll be honest, when I woke up at 1 oโclock yesterday morning I checked Mattermost and I saw a slip for 1 oโclock today, thought โshit, the aircraft [inaudible].โ At no point in my mind did I think I would walk in and find out that Americaโs [inaudible], the operational heartbeat of the command and control enterprise for the free world would show up and say โI canโt execute this mission.โ Not once did that cross my mind. I canโt express to you the level of disappointment I have right now and the results tell me two things: either you didnโt take it serious, or Iโm preparing [inaudible]. I hope itโs not the second one, but I think it probably is.
When the mission calls on us to deploy, a [inaudible] by the President, approved through the Secretary of Defense, passed through Joint Staff, handed to the [inaudible] Chief of Staff of the Air Force, coordinated with the Secretary of the Air Force, sent to COMACC, and then handed to our Wing Commander. Everybody in that chain has said โthis is the right thing to do for the best of Ameri- of, of the country.โ You guys have got to figure out when to flip the switch. And I donโt mean going to Doppler. We arenโt going to Doppler.
So I failed you, and I apologize for that. I failed to set the expectation so that you take this as serious as you do. I failed to set the expectation in the mindset of the leaders who are leading this ops group to make the decisions that need to be made, to understand thereโs a different calculation when youโre flying a peacetime training sortie than when youโre preparing to go to war. I will lead you better. But we have a learned lesson.
This is a critical point for us. We are being questioned. Our egos as warriors is being questioned. And I canโt stand that thought. That Iโm leading people that donโt know the difference in responding to a national call for help and flying a T-sortie out of Oklahoma. Is this a realistic better believe it is. Chief can tell you all kinds of stories from his background.
Chief:
I canโt ever remember a time it wasnโt real. You know [inaudible] Iโve been sitting here thinking, [inaudible]. Iโve never seen a whole crew before sit down. [Inaudible]. And the bad things about it guys, this isnโt even the worst type of exercise you can ever see. [Inaudible] in 48 hours flying [inaudible] and spending the whole week and a half down there in MOPP 4, in and off the airplane. [Inaudible] in 10 degree weather โ which is nothing [inaudible].
Is the time frames different from what youโre used to seeing? Yeah. It is. 48 versus 72 hours it was mentioned to me that way. It shifts. We got it in a [inaudible]. Before you got that [inaudible]. It looked like it was good, for real? Thatโs all the [inaudible] we had. Thereโs room toโฆ you canโt ORM out. You have to walk up to the boss and say โyeah, Iโm not going.โ
Did you go? Alright.
And at some point โ I think thatโs what-whatโs going through the most [inaudible] at some point I was reading you had time Friday at the squadron yet here you are, not to let you companions, not to let the rest of your flight crew down. This is the fastest way you get out the door. You fail. We fail. So when you [inaudible] these things after years of flying experience I can tell youโve Iโve been there, Iโve done that.
If you come in at 7 in the morning and hey, youโve gotta be back at 7 at night, you go homeโฆ you go home and you find a way to get that little nap and whatever it is. You pack a bag, youโre good to go, whether itโs [inaudible] resting your eyes, conserving your energy, cause the next 48 hours are gonna be hell. But you find a way to get through it. Every time.
Colonel:
So I think weโve learned a couple things. And Iโll tell you a couple things that Iโve picked up. One is to put the decision in the wrong personโs hand. We will change [cough in audience] if this is in support of a higher headquarters mission. This is not in your decision space. This is not in the [inaudible] decision space. I would barely leave it in the commanderโs decision space. Youโre gonna tell me you canโt execute that mission and Iโm gonna understand you why?
Why you didnโt understand the difference, why you canโt go through, why you canโt set a plan to get to โyesโ, why you canโt put up over the time youโre gonna be airborne opportunities to take a nap so you need to make sure you fly safe this [inaudible]. I need to know that you guys are gonna be ready to execute this.
I know by far you are the most prepared squadron I have seen this entire year Iโve been here [inaudible] phase 1/phase 2. Iโve never seen anybody more prepared than you guys. I applaud you for that. But I guess that why the [inaudible] is so big in my disappointment, because never did I thought I would walk in and hear โops isnโt a go.โ I could not process the words.
So I need you to get focused, youโre gonna need to execute the phase 1 and phase 2, you guys are not flying today. Go get your mind right, go get reset, go get-go get yourselves prepared for what youโre gonna face through the phase 2 [inaudible].
Officers stay back, everybody else youโre dismissed.