Gen Welsh - USAF Chief of Staff

[17D_guy]

AFI dropped today restricting SOS enrollment until >7 years TIG. Currently enrolled in C are automatically cancelled and D have the "option" to cancel.

I'd call that a win.

[Azimuth]

Now he needs to fix the cluster fuck currently going on with SNCO PME.

[HercDude]

I'm in the camp that totally supports the CSAF's intention here. The problem is, if the chain of command between me and the CSAF doesn't support his initiative, it really doesn't do me a whole lot of good to chaff off the regs...

This is very true. For instance the CSAF has addressed practice bleeding, echoing what has been shouted from the rooftops by CGOs and Majors for a decade. But the colonels and generals between Gen Welsh & I just choose to ignore him:

[Slander]

Jesus people, you're insatiable.

He said 7 months ago or so that he was going to mask the master's for major and fix IDE/SDE for officers. He did. These things take time, you don't make 4-star general without understanding politics and he had to do some politicking at a few coronas to build his coalition to make it happen. He's also fixing the EPR system, or trying his hardest to fix it. I have no idea what the problem with SNCO PME is, I'm sure it's as screwed up as anything else, but if it is I have some faith it's on his (or the CMSAF's) radar and he's/they are going to work on it when he can.

Give the man some credit. He's following through with what he said he would. Are things better in the USAF now than they were 3 years ago? Yes. For at least the following reasons:

1) Mission focus -- he has consistently said his number one priority for performance reports is job performance. So, master's madness is on its way out.

2) Uniform improvements -- no more mandatory blues on monday, and he even did it in such a way that demonstrated delegation and trust in his followers vice micromanaging that we all hate. Although some of the people on this message board complained that he didn't just mandate no more blues on monday. And I can wear a red t-shirt on Fridays. And so can the MXG. And the MSG, and the MDG. I think it's cool that Friday shirts are back and even cooler than instead of it being only the primadonna zipper suited sun gods who get to look different on Friday now everyone can. Reminds me of the photos from the 90s with the baseball hats or whatever you silverbacks wore with BDUs.

3) Honesty and followthrough at the top. Nothing is perfect, but he is, in fact, doing what he said he would and trying to fix the USAF. His messages have been consistent and clear and at least in my little corner of the big blue world it's starting to make a difference.

So I get it dudes, we love to sport bitch. But this is way better than we were 3 years ago. Way, way better. The dude has to keep a lot of plates spinning so there will be things you aren't happy with, but overall life isn't so bad, Really.

<insert "BUT HE NEVER SENT OUT HIS VECTOR THAT HE PROMISED US 18 MONTHS AGO HE'S A LIAR AND AN ASSHOLE11!!111!!" comment here>

Edited August 13, 2014 by Slander

[Bender]

Way, way better.

Better, yes. Way better, not sure. When things are messed up it's too easy to focus on the "low hanging fruit" and avoid the root cause problems. The former gets defenders, increases morale, and is easily reversed. The latter is unrecognized, does nothing for today's morale, and is easily undermined.

Once you get to a certain level in a huge organization, unless you're staying for a long time...what would you choose?

This isn't easy on the most face value. If you aren't happy, what do you think you could accomplish that is worth the effort it would require?

Doing good things is good. Not doing bad things is good. Only doing bad things is bad. It's not what the cliche says but if we could just get more of that strung together. Too bad we'll have the 19AW/CC as a future CSAF instead, eh?

Bendy

[Hacker]

1. So aside from low observable and data linking, what improvement over the aircraft it's replacing does the F-35 bring to the table?

In all honesty, anyone who says this neither has the clearance or need-to-know to even be informed on exactly what the Lightning does bring to the table, nor the knowledge/experience to understand what that stuff it has means to the missions Lightning will be tasked with accomplishing.

There are a lot of things that are not so great about the Lightning. To cast those deficiencies into believing that it is not worthy of replacing the Viper and Hog is just ignorant. To even think that the legacy platforms are even remotely equipped to deal with the threats of the next 20-30 years that Lightning and Raptor will have to deal with it just ludicrous. With that kind of logic, let's go dig out the A-1s and O-2s from the boneyard so we can really go to town in the CAS world. Let's park all of those F-16CJs and whip out the F-4Gs, let's junk the Growlers and get the Spark Varks flying again. These are ALL aircraft where people cried that the world was going to end because the aircraft replacing them wasn't as capable as the aircraft being replaced...and guess what: somehow we've managed to just squeak by with those under-capable "replacement" MDSs.

In a double-digit-SAM and Flanker world, the Viper, Hog, Eagle, and Hornet are just not going to cut it with the margin that we need to ensure that we will win with the least amount of flag-draped caskets.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Hacker

[Herk Driver]

This is very true. For instance the CSAF has addressed practice bleeding, echoing what has been shouted from the rooftops by CGOs and Majors for a decade. But the colonels and generals between Gen Welsh & I just choose to ignore him:

EMS redacted.png

This is an apples and oranges comparison. The comment is not about a guy practice bleeding. It is about pushing a guy for SDE in residence so when he meets his O5 board he has a shot at being a select. Or did I miss something?

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

[HercDude]

This is an apples and oranges comparison. The comment is not about a guy practice bleeding. It is about pushing a guy for SDE in residence so when he meets his O5 board he has a shot at being a select. Or did I miss something?

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

That's not how I look at it.

Everyone gets a PME push on their OPR, don't they? At least 2Lt thru Major. What the Exec or whoever is saying though makes it clear that the Wing's policy is that a guy CAN NOT get a PME push unless he has completed it in-correspondence already. This is 180° out from what the CSAF has made clear he wants to pursue as an AF-wide policy towards PME.

[Herk Driver]

That's not how I look at it.

Everyone gets a PME push on their OPR, don't they? At least 2Lt thru Major. What the Exec or whoever is saying though makes it clear that the Wing's policy is that a guy CAN NOT get a PME push unless he has completed it in-correspondence already. This is 180° out from what the CSAF has made clear he wants to pursue as an AF-wide policy towards PME.

Ok, got it. However, that is NOT Wing policy, rather it is AF policy, which is why I was a little slow on the uptake. The exec is taking that right out of AFI 36-2406 para 1.12.3.4.3.1.3, almost verbatim. Although it now only talks about in-residence completion versus correspondence so maybe the exec needs to have that pointed out to him.

What I saw was that there was no PME push whatsoever. He asked the chain to confirm they did not want a PME push in the bottom line. That seems to me to be what the exec was asking and then went on to explain the AFI information above.

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

Edited August 13, 2014 by Herk Driver

[Herk Driver]

After looking at it since the Jan 13 version came out, that AFI reference only mentions in-residence versus any other completion method.

You may be correct especially based on other indicators from that wing. That being said, the old AFI said exactly what the exec spouted. Maybe a bro could point that out to the guy and the Gp and Sq CCs need to address with their boss.

However having some PME push is appropriate and it looks like there is not one based on the comment to confirm that rater and addl rater do not want a PME push.

If it continues after being pointed out, then you probably need to take it to someone other than BO.net to have it looked at.

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

Edited August 13, 2014 by Herk Driver

[Bergman]

You can't help but like this guy. If he can get rid of the managers and find some leaders, I'll be all-in.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Bergman

[matmacwc]

Gotta love him, I know his heart is in the right place. Could you imagine what he has to deal with? We bitch enough here, who can he bitch to?

Edited January 23, 2015 by matmacwc

[Guest]

Gotta love him, I know his heart is in the right place. Could you imagine what he has to deal with? We bitch enough here, who can he bitch to?

Watch this clip from 29:15 to 23:00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb8qvf4x02M#t=1748

That's who he can complain to. How often would you take your problems there?

Their dynamic is obvious. She provides the pretty phrasing for the cameras, heavily orchestrated for political navigation, and as a women, she gives the best veneer for sexual assault reform and equality. He's the one with the experience, knowledge, and gravitas for the tough questions.

For additional proof, watch CSAF Welsh respond to F-35 concerns from 19:00 through 22:30. That man has a silver tongue but he backs it up with facts and spins some slick support of the DOD into it, too. You know the reporter caught him somewhere painful, but he just wriggles away while still looking like a god-damn General.

[pawnman]

You can't help but like this guy. If he can get rid of the managers and find some leaders, I'll be all-in.

That is the trick, isn't it?

[Guest]

I love this reaction:

Edited January 23, 2015 by deaddebate

[tcf5566]

Every time I see that commercial I can't help but feel like we were his real intended audience more than it being a recruiting thing.

[Learjetter]

Every time I see that commercial I can't help but feel like we were his real intended audience more than it being a recruiting thing.

We are.

[Dupe]

We are.

In the outside world, its far cheaper to keep your current employees/customers than it is to get new ones. The same is true for all of you.

[Gravedigger]

Word of mouth is the best way to attract/lose customers/employees as well. Personal recommendations from clients are worth millions in advertising. The way current Airmen convey their service in the Air Force to the outside world directly impacts the composition of the Air Force going forward. If we project a shitty product, the quality of our Airmen will fall. The smart ones will choose to do something else, because they can.

[Beaver]

In the outside world, its far cheaper to keep your current employees/customers than it is to get new ones. The same is true for all of you.

Is this true for the military with our pension system?

[Dupe]

Is this true for the military with our pension system?

For some, I think so. A good example are fighter and RPA pilots. Pipelines are maxed: a loss of a person early costs far more than the $1M-$2M outlay we'd face for the pension.

Word of mouth is the best way to attract/lose customers/employees as well. Personal recommendations from clients are worth millions in advertising. The way current Airmen convey their service in the Air Force to the outside world directly impacts the composition of the Air Force going forward. If we project a shitty product, the quality of our Airmen will fall. The smart ones will choose to do something else, because they can.

Agree 100%. It's more than just officers as well. I have no idea how we are going to attract smart IT or cybersecurity engineers into civilian government service with the AF.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Dupe

[BFM this]

In the outside world, its far cheaper to keep your current employees/customers than it is to get new ones. The same is true for all of you.

Somewhere at A1, there is a slide that challenges this convention.

[LookieRookie]

Pretty solid for only 3 months on the job to release his vector.

http://www.stripes.com/news/marine-corps/new-top-marine-corps-general-releases-plan-to-shake-up-the-service-1.325463

[pawnman]

Word of mouth is the best way to attract/lose customers/employees as well. Personal recommendations from clients are worth millions in advertising. The way current Airmen convey their service in the Air Force to the outside world directly impacts the composition of the Air Force going forward. If we project a shitty product, the quality of our Airmen will fall. The smart ones will choose to do something else, because they can.

So, when will the AF figure out that the bonuses don't make up for the current impression we are making on potential recruits?

[MSCguy]

As long as the economy continues to suck for high school and college grads like it has for the last 15 years or so the AF doesn't give a rip. When you have dudes with law degrees enlisting the supply of new recruits isn't in any sort of danger of going away.

And I was glad to see Gen Welsh wearing ABUs in the commercial. I always liked it when a wing CC or higher wore ABUs to show that they represented all of us, not just the other bag wearers.