General Chang

The 2014 program worked as it was supposed to, hence no need for the programs in 2015. Personnelist brothers on this forum: I know you don't get a lot of love here, but thank you for what you do every day- this announcement validates your efforts. And for everyone else...Gen Welsh's vision of quick cuts has paid off, as the spectre of cuts no longer remains as the elephant in the room. Enjoy your careers--it's a good time to serve our country.

Not sure 53% will end up the final number...TBD... Certainly, we dilute the diversity pool when we transfer more and more -11X/-12X billets to -16G...however, at the O-4 and O-5 levels, the majority of those individuals are mere action officers (very few branch chiefs, no div chiefs), so from a strategic perspective, the damage to the staff resulting from a lack of action officer diversity is very, very minimal. This will push more rated guys back into the cockpits, which is what most of you want anyway, if this BODN sample is representative of the whole.

Well...the good news is that he's going to school, which fewer folks are these days. The bad news is that he's essentially going 3rd look, which will likely damage opportunities for BPZ to O-5. My take...he's got no control over it...be the best doggone SOS instructor that school has seen, work his tail off & pick-up DG at ACSC in three years, and start mentally preparing for the awesome leadership opportunity that is Squadron Command...it will be here before he knows it.

I admit it's not the most elegant solution, but if the determination is made this FY to drastically cut back on 11Ms in staff positions (and all other flyers, to boot) in order to avoid cutting back on readiness for the required missions, then yes, it's a workable solution. Not all flyers will lose opportunities...the cream will still rise to the top.

"Bureaucratic"

DON'T DO IT!! Biggest scam in the world used by personnelists...trust me on this one...I would know. You will NEVER regret NOT taking the money. Herk/3-Hole/Lear/39 all correct. Officers should not only be convicted of this truth and never doubt, but they should be counseling their NCOs/SNCOs as well.

This is a huge opportunity for this individual that I'm betting 95% of the smack-talking pilots on this forum wished they had the record to compete for. My hat's off to your friend, Skitzo. Good work.

Tnkr, Reserving judgment until final bonus take rates are posted. There are several ways to tackle the aviator staff issue, to include using a much greater percentage of non-rated officers in rated staff billets. This would be particularly effective at the higher staff levels (HAF, CCMD, JCS), where rated positions are "over coded" as such. As a result, flyers with HHQ/Joint staff positions will have it made come board time...it will become an even bigger distinguisher.

TT, Without delving too deeply into "how we mix the batter," you'll find the take-rate numbers in October to be generally similar to last year's numbers. As for the "why," I ask you, "why not?" The ACP is a rounding error for the Air Force...a (nearly) free way to lock-down people's lives for 5-9 years. Nobody truly knows what would happen if we killed it (although I see a lot of "smart guys" on this thread that think they know exactly what would happen, when they really don't). Think of it this way: The AF is creating a "known" out of an "unknown" for a relatively cheap price. And wouldn't you know, for all of the banter on this site...we're still seeing plenty of takers. And we are grateful to those takers, because it helps our out-year programming in immeasurable ways (especially hard-to-fills).

General Condition, Just. Stop. Typing.

The coolest part of this thread is Champ offering thoughts on the same topic nine years later

Man, you are cynical! I'm sorry, but stop messing with people's minds. It's just not right. No CC worth his salt would hold this against someone. I'm not saying they're not out there, but for the sake of the young guys reading these blogs, either you are the most unfortunate son-of-a-gun to see all of these horrible things during your AF career (reference, um, nearly everything you post), or most CCs out there aren't nearly as evil as you think they are. For heaven's sake, Rusty...

The board members don't see ADSCs.

Most staff officers will likely be safe. The denominator on these published numbers is deceiving because of this. Wing-level guys with zero staff experience are likely more vulnerable to a RIF.

Bait & switch? Really? I don't think so. There's zero mystery when you sign on the dotted line that you lose all control. Zero. Say this with me: "I do not have to take the bonus. I do not have to take the bonus. I do not have to take the bonus." No slavery here. Would I take the bonus? Heck yes! But I recognize that a personal price is paid if I do. I trade power for money, just like 60-70% choose to do every year. Trust me, personnelists never have and never will make promises to get you to sign. We don't need to, and besides, it's unethical. Your complaints above fall on deaf ears.

ZB, how else would you propose we strat people? Doesn't a senior rater know better who the bottom-rung officers are than a random board member?

What?!? C'mon, the bonus means providing an extremely important measure of stability in the personnel planning process for the AF. Think about it guys--if you were a CEO of a private company & could lock down your absolute best-of-the-best, top talent for 5-9 years for a mere $25K/year, you would do it IN A HEARTBEAT. That's a ridiculously good return on investment. If you end up cutting some later on because you kept a few too many, who really cares? You (the CEO) bought the right to be able to control the destiny of your workforce, just as they signed away their right to control their destiny...again, for a mere $25K/yr. No, my friend, the bonus will not be going away for pilots. It's way, WAY too cheap of a price for guaranteed, long-term control of highly skilled assets. Now, if you want to discuss whether pilots should take the bonus...that's an entirely different philosophical discussion.

There will be a bonus. No question. Only question is how much. I anticipate little to no change.

If I were an -11U, I would not automatically assume that I can apply for various separation programs based upon a mobility aircraft RDTM, despite the guidance. That mistake will likely be rectified; keep your eyes peeled for potential future updates. Thanks to everyone for your candor over the last 2 weeks.

In all seriousness...and I know, I'm usually extremely sarcastic (which drives Champ and Rusty nuts), but not in this instance....please give me straight-forward, honest feedback on why you (if applicable) are so confident that things in the civilian world will be significantly better for you, your family, your sense of purpose, your paycheck...your life. Is there nothing redeeming anymore about a full Air Force career? Is "Air Force Career" a dirty phrase? There's so much anger on BODN, I don't think General Welsh could do anything to please many of you. I don't see that much anger in real life, so I'm trying to understand the disconnect. Thanks in advance for the straight-forward, specific responses. And if you love what you do, please don't be afraid to post as well. Edited for spelling- thanks Barnes.

I hear you, but transparency can be dangerous too (at times when rumor control is difficult). Trust Brig Gen Grosso- I promise you, she is a leader of great character who has the Air Force's best interest at heart, as should we all (core value #2). Patience my friend, patience. Reference my post above.

Look, everyone needs to just take a deep breath and relax. This delay is a good thing. Have faith that the personnelists in the Pentagon are taking a second look at the $$ and AFSCs involved based on the ever-changing fiscal realities. You may not be required for VSP selection and (consequently) have the opportunity to continue serving your country! In through the nose....out through the mouth....everything will be ok....

I tell you guys MONTHS ago that these programs were coming, and now you are calling Liquid and me out? Really? BL: We must get smaller. Our senior leaders have determined that 10% fat legitimately remains to be trimmed. These programs are the first steps in that multi-year fat-trimming process. We serve at the pleasure of our senior leaders, and when our usefulness expires, so do our careers. Just the facts, nothing personal.

The Air Force does care. Have you seen the money we're throwing at fighter pilots this year? Incredible opportunity!

Thank you.