General Chang

Why, thank you, BC!

Second core value, people. Just do 20. Payoff is yuge.

Hey now, be nice(r).

Most comprehensive, thoughtful, and truly insightful post I have seen here in a long time. If the leaders behind the glass doors truly internalize these few paragraphs...

Uh, Geesh. Thanks. It's not a mess. It is a disaster. Complete disaster. Supposedly stop loss will not happen. Supposedly.

Why, thank you!

Ok, I'l be your huckleberry. Look, there's a ton of blame to go around. The good news: we have a current CSAF & SecAF who "get it." The bad news: layers of leadership between the CSAF & the common man simply will not break out of their stovepiped thinking. CSAF: "Stop doing stuff that doesn't make sense." Wg/CCs: "Until regs change, keep doing the stupid stuff." For instance, despite the mandate from CSAF that Majors are 100% for the next 3-4 years, Wings are still required to produce narrative-only PRFs for guys going to schools. Why? "Because that's what the regs say." Just one example of many where leaders can't think for themselves...JUST SAY NO!

I will quote myself, since I actually typed something useful for the first time ever on this forum (as General Chang): "Key positions of influence" "All levels, Lt Col through Lt Gen" Never said, "Only rated officers," or anything about "Captain and junior FGO support mission positions." Never said "Only promote rated officers to O-6." Yes, we have a pilot shortage. Yes, the bonus take rate is atrocious (because the bonus is slap-yo-mamma, spit-in-your-face pathetic. $60K/1-9 years, pilot's choice on duration AND re-signable until the day you leave or retire? Umm, that's a way to BEGIN the conversation involving more important topics than money). Yes, pilots that did stick around are bailing at year 20 instead of competing for Colonel at year 21. Yes, morale sucks and there's no short-term solution on the horizon. Got it. HOWEVER, if AF rated officers don't truly start taking control of the "1s" and pronto, there won't be much left to save. I agree with your last major paragraph above. Only way to work toward that is to start where I suggested: Ops retakes personnel policy in the Air Force. And one last thing...don't ever imply that I'm a personnelist. Makes my skin crawl. Can't take it anymore. GC

There are days I would rather be slinging hot dogs at 7-11. More and more each passing year.

Duck/Viper, Thanks for the replies. Solid posts. GC

Ok guys, serious post for once (yeah, shut-up haters; you loved it the past couple of years). Tony recently published an article on his site about dealing with toxic leaders to fix the Air Force. I look around my aviation community (remaining unnamed to protect the guilty), and I just don't see it. Guess I'm either lucky, clueless, or one of the culprits (again, shut up haters. Actually trying to be serious here). Who's in a community out there that actually breeds multiple toxic leaders? Is there a root cause or is it a conglomeration of problems? Is your community on the upswing or trending downward? Conversely, who is in a community with leadership that really "gets it" from Sq CCs on up? What are they doing right to sustain the greatness of your aviation community? Really think about these answers. They could make a difference.

Greg, You are right. I am sorry.

This program embodies everything wrong with the Air Force.

Are you kidding me Brick? The only chance we have in this forsaken state of affairs is to put Operators in key positions of influence throughout the "1" community. All levels, Lt Col through Lt Gen. I know many rated Cols, 1* & 2* who would enact real change through radical personnel policy changes, given the chance. Once rated officers take back these key positions of influence on staffs, particularly in the "1," we may have a fighting chance. The thought that pilots in key staff positions is a waste of training and money is extremely short-sighted. We promote way too many non-rated officers to O-6 and above as it is.

The 2.5 more accurately reflects the needs of the C-17 community. Thousands of hours of research by personnelists went into these numbers. Even more research was done on the 2.0 crew ratio for the C-130. While maintaining the 1.75 was argued, the increase to 2.0 won the day. A minority in the community successfully argued the lack of navigators should create a higher crew ratio, so AMC A-1 caved and agreed to raise it to 2.0 (100%+ manned at the squadron level, I might add). MAF is extremely healthy, again thanks to the efforts of number crunchers to keep the communities healthy.

Absurd and incorrect re: O-6 numbers. Re: community health, yes, younger fighter pilots are short, but all other communities are currently relatively healthy, although we can see some concerns in the distant future (hence stop-loss discussion). Wait to see the bonus take rate numbers in October. Much more money offered this year.

$20T in debt. Should be $200 for four years. Still incredibly cheap for the benefits received.

Precisely why we need airpower leaders in these key positions. I intend to nonvol my absolute best flyers in the Wing here in Asia to these positions. I am confident my fellow CCs will follow suit. We need our best in these critical positions to win this war. And I intend to reward them career-wise on the backside.

Completely incorrect. The first career field listed in the message is "rated," and that is where we will look to draw the majority of officers, for obvious reasons.

I am going to address the younger people reading this forum who are scared to death. Ladies and gentlemen, there is nothing wrong with your Air Force. We are leaner, meaner, & more powerful than at any time in history. If you are thinking of joining, please join; this is a great time to join, and you will feel the rush of patriotism every day you put on the uniform. If you are already in and worried because of these threads, ignore the negativity. There are pessimists in every day and age. Unfortunately, because of social media, it is far easier to see what's on their minds as they hide behind avatars. The people here are not your friends and truly don't care about you & your family. I am proud & honored to lead the men & women under my command each & every day, and I have full faith and confidence in the highest levels of leadership. You should as well. You will know I am right when the vultures on this thread immediately attack this position. Stay true to yourselves, look for opportunities within your career fields to better yourselves (see the AFPAK Hands thread), and go out there and lead! Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

For those on AD, I take it you saw the AFPAK Hands solicitation we sent out today. I hope you give strong consideration to volunteering. We are ramping that program back to full capacity, and A1 will facilitate. ISIS is altering the battlefield and we must have many, many more air power experts on the ground with long-term continuity, earning the trust and respect of the tribal leaders, especially in the remote mountainous regions of both countries. Many amazing carrots to participating: attend NIU for IDE, work at the Pentagon with some of our greatest minds of our time, free language training, and likely early promotions to both Lt Col & Col. Finally, a real shot at General Officer down the line. Truly, we will see many of our future Sq/CCs come out of this program, because they will be the most relevant/qualified in the current state of affairs. This is a big, big deal; don't miss your opportunity. If you really don't want to participate in this program, please encourage your friends who are on the fence. We have a very small volunteer window and many slots to fill; it will not be long before Wing Commanders will be racking their senior Capts, Maj(s), and Majors (esp post bonus) for these opportunities. Even the non-volunteers will see some of the carrots (because of the importance of this program, we will target the highest performers in the Squadrons; this program will accelerate even their careers and give them new perspectives on leadership). No doubt this thread will get bashed and trashed, but it will reach its intended audience anyway. Honestly, there is no truer way to "take your career by the horns" than volunteering for AFPAK Hands. The last 3 CSAFs put their money where their mouths were regarding incentives. If you joined the AF to make a difference for your country, then volunteer for this program. I truly thank you.

Sockpuppet. Nice. I guess when someone posts a positive thought on these boards, they become trolls & sockpuppets. I do not advocate for stop loss. I merely remind it is always on the table, and despite what Gina said, we are closer now than we have been in many years. If it comes, just jump in with two feet, stay positive, and we will end it as soon as able. For those on AD, I take it you saw the AFPAK Hands solicitation we sent out today. I hope you give strong consideration to volunteering. We are ramping that program back to full capacity. ISIS is altering the battlefield and we must have many, many more air power experts on the ground with long-term continuity. Many carrots to participating: attend NIU for IDE, work at the Pentagon with some of our greatest minds, free language training, and likely early promotions to Lt Col & Col. We will see many of our future Sq/CCs come out of this program, because they will be the most relevant/qualified in the current state of affairs. This is a big deal; don't miss your opportunity. If you really don't want to participate in this program, please encourage your friends who are on the fence. We have a very small vol window and many slots to fill; it will not be long before Wing Commanders will be racking their senior Capts, Maj(s), and Majors (esp post bonus) for these opportunities.

Stop Loss always has been (and still is) on the table. It has to be. U.S. citizens are depending on military pilots, some reading this forum, to defend this country and their right to L/L/PoH. We must sustain an appropriate posture to our enemies in this interconnected world. Stop loss, if invoked, becomes a patriotic duty. I sincerely hope we have a few patriots left in the pilot ranks. Your personnelists are working day and night at the highest levels to solve this problem by any other means. Those personnelists are heroes in my book, and I believe they will be successful. However, if they are not successful & Stop Loss is invoked, it will be easier, and shorter, if service members remember their core values & jump on the bandwagon. Young people- do not be disheartened by the negativity on this blog. The future of our Air Force and our country is bright, and you are the beacons. Thank you for serving.

Stop Loss always has been (and still is) on the table. It has to be. U.S. citizens are depending on military pilots, some reading this forum, to defend this country and their right to L/L/PoH. We must sustain an appropriate posture to our enemies in this interconnected world. Stop loss, if invoked, becomes a patriotic duty. I sincerely hope we have a few patriots left in the pilot ranks. Your personnelists are working day and night at the highest levels to solve this problem by any other means. Those personnelists are heroes in my book, and I believe they will be successful. However, if they are not successful & Stop Loss is invoked, it will be easier, and shorter, if service members remember their core values & jump on the bandwagon. Young people- do not be disheartened by the negativity on this blog. The future of our Air Force and our country is bright, and you are the beacons. Thank you for serving.