General Chang

Looking way too deeply into my words. This forum is full of washed-up pessimists telling young people, "Leadership sucks, the AF sucks, get out ASAP." That message is one-sided and must be counterbalanced with a more sensible message from leadership. We have incredible leaders in our AF at all levels, and to get a slot for in-res education is an honor, whether you accept or not. I am disappointed whenever a selectee turns down these incredible opportunities for leadership advancement, but in no way does that denegrate their service, as you seem to think I am implying. Listen carefully...the grass isn't always greener. If you earn a school opportunity, please seriously consider joining the ranks of our honorable AF leadership. You won't regret saying yes, but you'll always have to live with the "what if" of saying no, and that deep regret may last a lifetime. Young man: thank you for you service.

Too bad...these slots are huge leadership opportunities for those who earn them. Money in the airlines isn't everything. The Air Force provides leadership opportunities you'll never find on the outside.

Very mature, Colonel. Now that you feel better about yourself, let's discuss facts. A1 misjudged the effects of the 9-yr bonus. I acknowledge that. From the personnel perspective, however, A1 has a specific playbook and specific rules to follow in these scenarios. The AF is desperately trying to get Congress to approve higher bonuses. If successful, this will help slightly with officers on-the-fence. Next, some stop-lossed officers may rebel, but most will do their duty and uphold the core values (all should...we are officers first, as you learned in your schools). We may have to eliminate some of the extraneous additional duties at flying squadrons or authorize more civilians to help. So be it. Finally, a 15- or 20-year ADSC for UPT will have limited effect on the morale of pilots currently in, and the AF will still not have difficulty finding people to sign-up to fly...the novelty of flying never diminishes amongst a population enamored with it. If AF recovers from the pilot shortage down-the-road, A1 can curtail ADSCs. That won't be anytime soon, however, as AF will need to send more current pilots permanently into RPAs for the foreseeable future to meet Army demand for orbits. Pilots- you can help create a positive environment in your squadrons as we move through these difficult times. Emphasize the positives...flying hour programs are healthy, and pilots moved into the RPA community have the opportunity to establish themselves as leaders in the "community of the future," which can be a huge opportunity to excel. Also, RPA operators are home more, per the spreadsheets. Please help your GO leadership, and we will get through this together. Stay positive. You will sleep better tonight.

Ok, let's all take a deep breath and take the emotion down a notch. Big picture...HAF has bigger fish to fry than keeping pilots on the right side of the happy meter. Top of the list: finding $$ to recapitalize our fleet. We have tools to (short term) solve a potential pilot shortfall and (long term) ensure it doesn't happen again. No hesitation will occur if we cross the red line. Pilot satisfaction is simply not at the top of the list right now with tools like stop loss, expanded commitments, and (good possibility) expanded bonus options available. Hate the messenger all you want...fair warning: heed the message.

Guys, this is easy from the AF perspective...if we start having a significant long-term problem with retention, we'll stop-loss in the near term and move to 15-yr commitments long term. Take it to the bank. And before you pilots start whining on this forum, you knew this would be a possibility when you signed on the bottom line. The more of your friends that take the bonus, the longer we can put off S.L. and expanded commitments.

What's your problem, Spoo?

B-E-A-Utiful analysis. People should read, then re-read, then re-re-read this post. Spot on.

Two very good points.

Jaded, it is an elegant, quick, easy solution to implement and help alleviate some of the personnel pain in the drone community. Aviators should be the FIRST to embrace this idea.

Makes sense, if you think about it. People seeking out these jobs voluntarily are looking to put themselves on a trajectory toward Colonel. If they don't already have their Master's degree complete as a Major (and especially Lt Col), the person volunteering for this job is likely to be working on one in the very near future. The GO for whom he/she will be working wants your undivided attention/no distractions (like Master's degrees) for the 1-2 years the exec asst is in the job. These are not run-of-the-mill Sq/CC or even Wg/CC EA jobs. You guys really needs to open the aperture of your minds a little bit before you come onto his forum and spew about stuff. Critical thinking is appreciated.

Based ONLY on this info, without looking at your record or PRF...you are in good shape.

This will go a long way toward ensuring the future of the overall rated community. Chalk up a "W" for team A1!

Gen McDew is a highly-respected senior General at the highest levels of the Pentagon. We should be so lucky for President Obama/ Secretary Carter to nominate him.

Sky is not falling...between rapid influx of 18x and new enlisted RPA program, things will settle in the next few years. No panic in the P-gon.

Busted, not true for a simple overseas PCS. Notice all of the qualifiers throughout the regulation (always includes the statement, "...and was assigned to a U.S. Armed Forces operation..."). Don't count on this regulation saving you unless you've deployed from an overseas assignment.

And you all wonder why there is a rift between those who fly and those who don't. Hmmmm.....

It will come...probably same time frame as last year. Perhaps expanded # of "take" years for RPAs (same as 11Fs).

Don't worry, hardly any of them are cleared for staff duty.

I appreciate your post and recognize some communities face assignment difficulties that others do not. It is unfortunate, but I don't anticipate key strategic personnel decisions being made divorced from the spreadsheets and the numbers. It's the ultimate Moneyball. How can we retain just enough talent for the cheapest price to get the win? Tough, tough questions with tough answers. However, it's what our bosses, the taxpayers, expect us to do.

Yes, the morale problem in some communities is understood and being watched. Not all RPA communities are having morale issues (see Global Hawk). Gen Carlisle is an awesome advocate for the RPA community and will continue to be. Also, UNTIL multiple years of research conclude the opposite of what we know to be true (throw enough money at a problem and you will fix it), we will continue to fix our issues with money. It's easy, it's proven, and it doesn't fail. And, as I've posted before...it's cheap! Bonuses and special pays are so inexpensive for the return that we get. We could spend quadruple on bonuses and special pays, and they would be cheap. (Enough) people's time can be bought for cheap to keep the meat machine going. I know that I rub some of you raw dealing in black-and-white, 1's-and-0's, but that's how sausage is made. If you get away from the facts and start making policy based on emotion, we'll end up so far off-track we won't be able to recover. That's the stark truth, ladies and gentlemen. Is A1 a meat factory? From a certain perspective, the answer must be yes, all day, every day. I don't doubt you are pissed. Unfortunately, in this life, you are not "owed" anything, and I believe that to be the basis of your anger. Nobody thinks they are an underperformer; however, in the overage year groups and communities, we cut the bottom of the eligibles. Again, facts are facts. Don't get caught-up in the emotion of the right-sizing efforts or you will go insane.

Things are constantly changing, but as of right now there are no plans to bring back opportunities like last year. We are just about right-sized (with a few minor balancing issues), and we anticipate sequestration will go away. If it doesn't go away...you will likely see more "opportunities," and quickly.

'Sigh'. We can debate the resources aspect, but non-stop ops? Really? The numbers simply do not back that up, my friend. Dwell times continue to get better and better. I'm rooting for you to get a Pentagon job out of ACSC this summer, hopefully here in A1. It will really open you aperture.

Point taken. The 365 non-vols are a function of the computer algorithm. The slots are a function of overseas & Pentagon GOs, and yes, work continues to make sure the numbers are right.

No system is going to nail the perfect solution, and despite the botched information flow from A1 in 2014...I'd say we hit a homerun on the non-voluntary reductions.

On the contrary, while I acknowledge we are always a work-in-progress, I offer the voice of optimism to the young officers who read the daily sadness that BODN has become. The opportunity to serve in the Blue is a fantastic honor and responsibility...I want our young guys to take pride in that, not become disillusioned and bitter. We are a long, long, LONG way from the problems of the mid-to-late 1990's, and most of the bloggers here weren't around then to even understand how good things are now.