What's wrong with the Air Force?

[LookieRookie]

55 minutes ago, brabus said:

"There was an "incredible convergence of stimuli," Col. Thomas Sherman, commander of the 88th Air Base Wing, told reporters Wednesday. "Sounds, yells, sights. All of those things that are really testing the senses."

Hahaha, oh wait, you're serious?  This is one, rare time where I think some leadership deserves to get fired.  Unbelievable clown show.

Strange too since he's a career cop. I'd assume he's trying to provide a scapegoat to mitigate the fallout.

[Seriously]

On 12/19/2018 at 7:14 AM, 17D_guy said:

I've got my grievances with the HPO/Shiny Penny method of leadership selection we utilize.  But there's got to be a difference between the APZ's you guys work with and the ones I do...because the ones I do are awful. 

Maj's that can't communicate, can't lead, can't even manage, extremely risk averse and should just dress up in a Blue Falcon costume.  Never mind failing training requirements, and still demanding to be "first out the door."

Perhaps I'm just institutionalized since I hit 20 early next year.

I can name 5 APZers that would all do well commanding a squadron. There are some shitty APZs, but at least from what I've seen (F-16 world), there are some really good dudes too... far better than the few BTZers I've seen.

[LiquidSky]

Seriously?

"The report said an absence of wing leadership contributed to the officer misconduct. It singles out Velino, who took command of the 47th, for being on TDY for 135 days during his first six months, or about 73 percent of the time. That included 128 days at Pilot Instructor Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, the report said."

Other parts of the report aside it turns out being on a mandatory TDY in order to do your job is wrong. 

Edited December 22, 2018 by LiquidSky

[ThreeHoler]

The 47th also misinterpreted the Air Force’s new policy to revitalize squadrons by pushing down decision-making authority.

“On multiple occasions leadership in the 47th FTW inappropriately abdicated authority,” the report said. “The abdication was both a lack of awareness when leaders should act and a misunderstanding of authorities and delegation of authorities.”

Well there go all the gains that Fingers said to make. I’d like to know more about what happened.


Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

[LookieRookie]

Seems like the AETC/CC wants another star.

Edited December 22, 2018 by LookieRookie

[IMUA]

1 hour ago, LookieRookie said:

Seems like the AETC/CC wants another star.

Towing the party line. Typical...

[Waingro]

1 hour ago, IMUA said:

Towing the party line. Typical...

Toeing. Not towing. 

 

[HU&W]

6 hours ago, ThreeHoler said:

Well there go all the gains that Fingers said to make. I’d like to know more about what happened.

 

A few other gems from the article to consider.  AETC seems to be working hard to keep the retention crisis going.

Quote

In focus groups, enlisted airmen said they didn’t think the drinking culture was professional, moderate or responsible, and most said officers drank more than enlisted personnel. They also characterized student pilots as “frat boys," 

Interesting that the investigators did these focus discussion groups with people that did not have first-hand knowledge.  It makes me question what they were trying to prove.

Quote

Two instructors also said they felt pressured to drink, and three instructors believed Air Force leadership encouraged the alcohol culture.

Out of?  This statement is completely meaningless without a denominator.

And this one made me laugh...

Quote

The report also identified “an environment of hostility and toxic leadership” among a few simulator instructors at Laughlin, which had lasted for years, was occasionally severe, and didn’t do anything to improve their student’s performance.

Especially after this post on TPN a few days ago

Quote

I need your help! 
I’m looking for an honest and open answer to an Open ended question for members of TPN. What would it take to get you to accept a job as a civilian simulator Instructor Pilot at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio Tx? Starting pay is appx $74k with government benifits and there may be recruitment and relocation bonuses authorized for highly qualified individuals. Qualified individuals have 1500 total hours, 500 hours of IP time, 75 night hours and can pass a drug test. If you wouldn’t take this offer, what would it take to get you to apply?

 

[Hacker]

Reading that news coverage of the CDI makes me incredibly glad I am off that sinking ship.

Warrior monks everywhere, pandering to the feelings of the lowest common emotional denominator.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Hacker

[war007afa]

Almost as good as the article shitting on a piano burning, because God forbid anyone be memorialized in a traditional fashion...

[Fuzz]

Also apparently the term "bro-culture" is now social recategorization and using "male-centric terminology to describe team comradery" are a micro-aggressions. So better find a new term because it looks like "being a bro" is now banned.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Fuzz

[Majestik Møøse]

A great example of the “single storyism” that wins the influencing battle in modern culture. One airman says “pilots act like frat boys”. One person is offended by a name that didn’t stick. An IP feels like he is pressured to drink. Each story is only one of a possible 4,300 human experiences at Laughlin (0.02% of the total base population), but that single story will rule the narrative if a report writer can spread it to the masses.

The tyranny is that, if one hundred people are interviewed, any conclusion can be cherry picked from the pile of words. It’s not scientific, and it’s not democratic. It’s reminiscent of Pravda or China Daily, where the approved messages are sitting on shelves waiting for the right anecdotes to flesh them out.

”Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person.”

 

[Homestar]

1 hour ago, Hacker said:

Reading that news coverage of the CDI makes me incredibly glad I am off that sinking ship.

Warrior monks everywhere, pandering to the feelings of the lowest common emotional denominator.

That's probably fair.  But students can hardly fly themselves out of a paper bag sometimes and often don't deserve to be off formal release, let alone throwing keggers in the squadron bar.

[BFM this]

1 hour ago, Hacker said:

Reading that news coverage of the CDI makes me incredibly glad I am off that sinking ship.

Warrior monks everywhere, pandering to the feelings of the lowest common emotional denominator.

Ironic pandering.

Everything I’ve read indicates that the female student in question is straight pissed that leadership has taken it upon themselves to be offended on her behalf.

...can’t say that I would blame her.

[BashiChuni]

Once again why anyone would strive to become a commander in this environment baffles me

[Hacker]

2 hours ago, BFM this said:

Ironic pandering.

Everything I’ve read indicates that the female student in question is straight pissed that leadership has taken it upon themselves to be offended on her behalf.

...can’t say that I would blame her.

She is most certainly not who the PC leadership is pandering to.  They are more likely pandering to some non-existent politically correct standard monster that leadership is afraid is going to come gobble them up and get them fired.

Asking a bunch of enlisted folks who are entirely unrelated to the events being discussed, about how they feel about actions that don't pertain to them in any way and which they didn't experience, is a nice touch and a great way to evaluate behavior, though.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Hacker

[av8tor55]

So Kwast fired Velino for the same UPT shenanigans that have been happening since the inception of the Air Force? Guess what, the same $h!t happened when he was the 47th OG/CC 15 years ago, and he was a willing participant!

[Hacker]

28 minutes ago, av8tor55 said:

So Kwast fired Velino for the same UPT shenanigans that have been happening since the inception of the Air Force? Guess what, the same $h!t happened when he was the 47th OG/CC 15 years ago, and he was a willing participant!

This has been taking place for decades.

[av8tor55]

This has been taking place for decades.

True, but the hypocrisy is even more highlighted when you fire someone in the exact same command billet that you’ve held.

Sorry we broke the AF boys. At least the grass is greener on the other side.

[08Dawg]

If I had any ambition to be a commander (which I did not) after the last couple of months it would be well and truly dead. 

[Lord Ratner]

Ironic pandering.
Everything I’ve read indicates that the female student in question is straight pissed that leadership has taken it upon themselves to be offended on her behalf.
...can’t say that I would blame her.

These crusades always hurt the normal women the most.

[matmacwc]

4 hours ago, av8tor55 said:

So Kwast fired Velino for the same UPT shenanigans that have been happening since the inception of the Air Force? Guess what, the same $h!t happened when he was the 47th OG/CC 15 years ago, and he was a willing participant!

You don't name a student that, you don't name anybody that.  Me thinks VBF would be more tame than what they did.

[herkbum]

I don’t remember having namings during UPT. Does this happen during Tones/-38 or T-6’s?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

 

[Right Seat Driver]

8 minutes ago, herkbum said:

I don’t remember having namings during UPT. Does this happen during Tones/-38 or T-6’s?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

 

We had namings in T-6s at the solo party. No families were invited, just IPs and the students. It was a great party and IIRC the OG/CC showed up for it, at least for awhile.

[Guardian]

You don't name a student that, you don't name anybody that.  Me thinks VBF would be more tame than what they did.

Agreed. However you don’t also force your will others. Since when can be offended for someone else? That just seems very weird.