Gen Welsh - USAF Chief of Staff

[Beaver]

It's hard to type while standing in front of congress holding a cane and tophat.

[Day Man]

who cares about a vector when my blues haven't been worn in months...

[RTB]

Despite being an AF Times story, interesting quotes from Gen Welsh's speech at the AFA Air and Space Conference.

Concerns about retention of pilots:

“Expect airlines to start hiring at the end of this year; our rated force has options as they go out of their required period of service,” he said. “They’ve served really proudly, they’ve served exceptionally well and now they got choices to make.”

And reiterating a comment made a few months ago about dumb and outdated AFIs:

“If it doesn’t make common sense, if it doesn’t make the mission better, if it doesn’t take better care of our people, then just don’t do it and tell your boss you’re done.”

Good stuff.

Welsh at AFA

[Liquid]

Despite being an AF Times story, interesting quotes from Gen Welsh's speech at the AFA Air and Space Conference.

Concerns about retention of pilots:

“Expect airlines to start hiring at the end of this year; our rated force has options as they go out of their required period of service,” he said. “They’ve served really proudly, they’ve served exceptionally well and now they got choices to make.”

And reiterating a comment made a few months ago about dumb and outdated AFIs:

“If it doesn’t make common sense, if it doesn’t make the mission better, if it doesn’t take better care of our people, then just don’t do it and tell your boss you’re done.”

Good stuff.

Welsh at AFA

The way I heard it, he said don't do things that outdated AFIs tell you to do if they don't make sense. Then he said to tell your boss about it. I don't think he meant to tell your boss you are done with the Air Force. This is consistent with his prior statements to tell your boss when you were violating dumb AFIs for good reasons.

Has anyone here had the guts to actually do this? You won't always have this level of top cover. If you are not taking advantage of it to make real change in your unit, on your crew, or with your bosses, you should probably STFU about what you think is dumb and doesn't make sense.

Edited for iPad buffoonery

Edited September 18, 2013 by Liquid

[RTB]

Yes, agree. The context was, if it's dumb, you should tell your boss you're done following the outdated, irrelevant AFI, not done with the AF. And that is awesome.

Edited September 18, 2013 by RTB

[BONE WSO]

I don't think you can ever tell your boss "you're done" following some stupid AFI. I think it is silly that leadership at my base is very concerned with us wearing green socks under our flight suits because an AFI says so. Nobody has ever seen my socks and if I wear black socks not one person will know and the mission will not be harmed at all. However, this "issue" has been brought up multiple times and there is talk of implementing "sock checks."

I think this is a perfect example of a dumb AFI that adds nothing to the mission. I wonder what would happen if I told my boss "Sir, this AFI is stupid and contributes nothing to the mission so therefore I'm not going to follow it." I would immediately get a LOC.

[Fifty-six & Two]

I don't think you can ever tell your boss "you're done" following some stupid AFI. I think it is silly that leadership at my base is very concerned with us wearing green socks under our flight suits because an AFI says so. Nobody has ever seen my socks and if I wear black socks not one person will know and the mission will not be harmed at all. However, this "issue" has been brought up multiple times and there is talk of implementing "sock checks."

I think this is a perfect example of a dumb AFI that adds nothing to the mission. I wonder what would happen if I told my boss "Sir, this AFI is stupid and contributes nothing to the mission so therefore I'm not going to follow it." I would immediately get a LOC.

"If I can't trust you to wear the correct socks, how can I trust you to properly employ a multi-million dollar aircraft?" Leadership at its finest.

[Disco_Nav963]

Nobody has ever seen my socks and if I wear black socks not one person will know and the mission will not be harmed at all. However, this "issue" has been brought up multiple times and there is talk of implementing "sock checks."

The Air Force has turned into the dictatorship from the Woody Allen film "Bananas."

[Fuzz]

According to the reg black socks are authorized in FDUs, unless your base went specifically out of their way to make a local sup with only green socks, which is dumb.

[Jaded]

Specifying sock color in any reg is dumb period dot.

[BONE WSO]

https://www.afpc.af.m...-130509-049.pdf

page 92

AFI 36-2903 18 JULY 2011

6.4.1. Footwear (Males). Footwear is required when wearing all uniforms. Athletic shoes will only be worn with the physical training uniform (see para 7.1.5.) unless medically necessary, as determined by appropriate medical authorities and approved by the commander.

6.4.1.1. Socks (black). Socks will be plain without design, clean, and serviceable. Black socks will be worn with low quarters, dress boots and black jungle/combat boots. Plain white socks may be worn under the black socks as long as the white socks are not visible.

6.4.1.2. Socks (sage green). Sage green socks will be worn with the sage green or tan boots. Plain white socks may be worn under the sage green socks as long as the white socks are not visible.

[Raul Duke]

If you keep reading to the FDU portion of the reg...on page 111: 8.8. Socks. Socks should be made of cotton or wool. White, Black, desert tan/sand, or sage green socks may be worn with either the FDU or DFDU.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Raul Duke

[Fuzz]

Damn hyperlinks to other areas, still is dumb.

Raul duke look at the hyperlinks at the end which reference you back to hat Bone WSO posted.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Fuzz

[pawnman]

I don't think you can ever tell your boss "you're done" following some stupid AFI. I think it is silly that leadership at my base is very concerned with us wearing green socks under our flight suits because an AFI says so. Nobody has ever seen my socks and if I wear black socks not one person will know and the mission will not be harmed at all. However, this "issue" has been brought up multiple times and there is talk of implementing "sock checks." I think this is a perfect example of a dumb AFI that adds nothing to the mission. I wonder what would happen if I told my boss "Sir, this AFI is stupid and contributes nothing to the mission so therefore I'm not going to follow it." I would immediately get a LOC.

Just appeal your LOC to the CSAF. Sounds to me like he gave us a direct order.

[TheFranchise]

Effective immediately Friday morale masks are authorized.

[Rusty Pipes]

I think this is a perfect example of a dumb AFI that adds nothing to the mission. I wonder what would happen if I told my boss "Sir, this AFI is stupid and contributes nothing to the mission so therefore I'm not going to follow it." I would immediately get a LOC.

Not a single day in my entire career (including ROTC) have I even worn anything other than white socks with a flight suit, ABUs, DCUs or BDUs. Granted it was some SNCO and not my boss, but I was walking into the chow hall at the Deid once and had some douche E-8 First Shirt ask me if he could do a sock check on me... I said, "Hey Senior, if you want to check my socks then I'm dropping my pants right here for you to do it... and don't think I won't!" He decided that a sock check wasn't necessary... and my 1 Star boss that was in PTs who I was having lunch with had a little impromptu "counseling session" with the Shirt about harassing airmen.

[SocialD]

"Hey Senior, if you want to check my socks then I'm dropping my pants right here for you to do it... and don't think I won't!"

Awesome! Although I'm sure today, it would turned into you having tried to sexually assault some poor chick while on the way out of the chow hall. The next day, your name would be drug through the mud, your picture would grace the front page of the AF times calling for the court martial of this despicable officer.

[10percenttruth]

Not a single day in my entire career (including ROTC) have I even worn anything other than white socks with a flight suit, ABUs, DCUs or BDUs. Granted it was some SNCO and not my boss, but I was walking into the chow hall at the Deid once and had some douche E-8 First Shirt ask me if he could do a sock check on me... I said, "Hey Senior, if you want to check my socks then I'm dropping my pants right here for you to do it... and don't think I won't!" He decided that a sock check wasn't necessary... and my 1 Star boss that was in PTs who I was having lunch with had a little impromptu "counseling session" with the Shirt about harassing airmen.

At least you didn't get your shower turned off by some shoe. (I'd link that thread, but I'm too lazy)

We've gone full retard.

[Stitch]

... and my 1 Star boss that was in PTs who I was having lunch with had a little impromptu "counseling session" with the Shirt about harassing airmen.

I would have paid a dollar to be a fly on the wall for that one! Awesome.

[moosepileit]

The U.S. Air Force has a message for Iran: Don’t mess with our drones.

In what only can be described as a scene out of Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun,” Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air Force chief of staff, describes how F-22 stealth jets scared off Iranian jets from a U.S. drone flying in international airspace.

The Aviationist reports that in March a U.S. MQ-1 drone came close to being intercepted by an Iranian F-4 Phantom combat plane, but the Iranian aircraft stopped short after a warning by an American pilot.

“He [the Raptor pilot] flew under their aircraft [the F-4s] to check out their weapons load without them knowing that he was there, and then pulled up on their left wing and then called them and said ‘you really ought to go home,’” Gen. Welsh said.

According to The Aviationist, the Iranians came within 16 miles of the drone.

Read more: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/19/us-pilot-scares-iranians-top-gun-worthy-stunt-you-/#ixzz2fSYjkA9b

[pitts2112]

So we're now having to fly manned escort for drones?

[matmacwc]

End the sock shit, really?

[Toro]

Effective immediately Friday morale masks are authorized.

I thought this was photoshopped until just now.

[Techsan]

I thought this was photoshopped until just now.

Me too.

[backseatdriver]

Video of the CSAF's All Call at Spang. Fast forward to about 17:30 for discussion on a lot of topics we've been debating here - stopping with stupid AFIs, pushing authority down to the lowest level possible, sexual assault, etc.

Edited October 3, 2013 by backseatdriver