First female 4-star

[Getzen2]

I caught that too. If she was a dude and a bag wearer you guys would be singing praises about how she didn't play the game and still made it to the top.

zb

if she was a dude and a bag wearer she wouldn't have been in past 2000 because she didn't have her boxes checked, sts

[skibum]

Am I reading her bio right? She has NEVER been a commander. I didn't know there were career fields out there where you could make O-6 (not to mention 4 star) having never been a CC of any kind. Wow. I wonder if her first command will be a MAJCOM. Good for her I guess - I'm just surprised it's an option.

[Cell Dweller]

SOS and ACSC by correspondence...so no Maxwell, ever?

We should all be so lucky.

[HeloDude]

I wonder if her first command will be a MAJCOM.

Well, she has been picked (if her 4th star goes through, sure it will) to be the AFMC/CC so if she has never been a commander, then yes, this will be her first command.

[Shortbus]

With a last name of Wolfenbarger, what did you expect?

Hate to see what happens during a full moon..

[Joey Freshwater]

If she was a dude and a bag wearer

zb

Oh she's definitely a bag wearer

[Rocker]

Her non-Mexican general-esque ribbon rack is clearly not grounded to the left breast pocket, nor is her port side US insignia grounded to the collar seam (and appears to be covered in greasy fingerprints), and I don't mean to pick, but 1986 called and they want their haircut returned immediately. And don't judge me for opening up the high-res and carefully scanning every square inch of it. You've all done it and you've all seen them chicklets up close.

[Guest CAVEMAN]

What a joke. Army and Marine Division Commanders will have fun with this. How can we send people like this to the joint world and get any credibility.

[BolterKing]

Enough! Seriously, venting about [fill in the blank] seems to be the most common pastime on the site, but these kind of personal attacks are just childish. If we can’t muster some professional courtesy how about just some common decency? This woman has been putting on the nation’s cloth for more than thirty years and she deserves better than to have a bunch of keyboard warriors making snide comments about her. BTW, I have never met the woman and don’t know anything about her beyond what’s posted in her bio.

If you want to make your career dodging combat and deployments, fine. Don't get your panties in a wad when the warriors come calling.

On topic:

[Festivius]

If you want to make your career dodging combat and deployments, fine. Don't get your panties in a wad when the warriors come calling.

1. Fantastic picture.

2. You’ve made some broad assumptions about this officer that I won’t bother to challenge (because I really don’t know much about her), but I think the conversation regarding the qualifications for being selected as a 4-star commander and what that says about the AF are great topics. What I object to is the “mean girls” vibe and out and out insults. Trading insults at the club is one thing, but I don’t get how hurling personal insults at a senior officer while hiding behind a keyboard is cool, particularly from what appears to be a bunch of officers (who, I think, should know better). Maybe I’m just too old to get it (STS).

[brickhistory]

1. Fantastic picture.

2. You’ve made some broad assumptions about this officer that I won’t bother to challenge (because I really don’t know much about her), but I think the conversation regarding the qualifications for being selected as a 4-star commander and what that says about the AF are great topics. What I object to is the “mean girls” vibe and out and out insults. Trading insults at the club is one thing, but I don’t get how hurling personal insults at a senior officer while hiding behind a keyboard is cool, particularly from what appears to be a bunch of officers (who, I think, should know better). Maybe I’m just too old to get it (STS).

Sure am glad no senior ranking dude has ever had his physical attributes mocked...

Just how high is that horse and is the view really that much more pristine?

The U.S. Air Force chose to publicize the fact of her gender in her selection to General. It was the lead in the U.S. Air Force's own article, written and distributed by the U.S. Air Force, on announcing the selection of the next AFMC commander. Not her expertise, not her experience in command, but her gender.

Save your outrage for something deserving.

Edited February 9, 2012 by brickhistory

[ClearedHot]

Never met her, don't know much about her, and not defending her, but if you guys want to bitch, at least get the facts right...

Am I reading her bio right? She has NEVER been a commander. I didn't know there were career fields out there where you could make O-6 (not to mention 4 star) having never been a CC of any kind. Wow. I wonder if her first command will be a MAJCOM. Good for her I guess - I'm just surprised it's an option.

Reading FAIL - "11. December 2002 - July 2005, Commander, C-17 Systems Group, Mobility Systems Wing, ASC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio"

Well, she has been picked (if her 4th star goes through, sure it will) to be the AFMC/CC so if she has never been a commander, then yes, this will be her first command.

FAIL, see above.

[backseatdriver]

On the command discussion - my knowledge of the acquisitions world is extremely limited, but I believe all those "Director" job titles = "Commander" in acquisitions world parlance.

[ClearedHot]

On the command discussion - my knowledge of the acquisitions world is extremely limited, but I believe all those "Director" job titles = "Commander" in acquisitions world parlance.

True...if you ever read a command list you will see folks like her listed as "Senior Material Leaders." The other side of the Air Force does not fit the same mold as the ops side.

[Rusty Pipes]

I had to take a staff tour that detoured me into the DoD acquisitions world and can confirm that Director = Commander. Since about 90% of the folks in acquisitions are either contractors or GS types the Director title makes more sense because you aren't the "Commander" of a bunch of civilians. In the division I worked in there were about 300 people and there were only 4 of us that were in the military... the big boss was an SES.

I know that among the services the AF tends to be known by the other branches as having all the “good looking women”, but in my personal experience dealing with the acquisitions world I am sorry to report... Wolfenbarger was probably the “hot chick”!!!

[Cap-10]

Looks like she was part of the F-22 program on sevareal occassions including LEAD program monitor at the 5 sided wind tunnel....we all know how that program has turned out so far!

I am sure she will have a firm grasp on the needs of the warfighter considering she has never been downrange (at least according to her lack of ribbons and no mention in her official bio).....since 1980: El Dorado Canyon, Just Cause, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Provide Comfort, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Restore Hope (Somalia), Deny Flight, Allied Force, OIF, OEF...just to name the big ones (STS) and other than the standard PCS medals, I see the National Defense (everyone gets one for playing) and GWOT (not GWOT-E), which again, everyone gets for playing stateside during time of confilict.

Someone please explain to the guy in my squadron (not in his bucket/tempo band and married < 30 days) that got 7 days notice (non-vol) that he was leaving for 3 months of stateside TDY's prior to his 7 month MC-12 deployment or to the WSO that got non-vol'd (due to manning) to deployed again 5 months after returning from his own squadrons 6 month deployment due that people like this haven't paid their deployed dues in 30+ years....UNSAT!!

I HATE THIS F@CKING PLACE!!!

Cheers,

Cap-10

[Vertigo]

Enough! Seriously, venting about [fill in the blank] seems to be the most common pastime on the site, but these kind of personal attacks are just childish. If we can’t muster some professional courtesy how about just some common decency? This woman has been putting on the nation’s cloth for more than thirty years and she deserves better than to have a bunch of keyboard warriors making snide comments about her. BTW, I have never met the woman and don’t know anything about her beyond what’s posted in her bio.

[ClearedHot]

Someone please explain to the guy in my squadron (not in his bucket/tempo band and married < 30 days) that got 7 days notice (non-vol) that he was leaving for 3 months of stateside TDY's prior to his 7 month MC-12 deployment or to the WSO that got non-vol'd (due to manning) to deployed again 5 months after returning from his own squadrons 6 month deployment due that people like this haven't paid their deployed dues in 30+ years....UNSAT!!

Because they volunteered to be an operators...

How would you deploy someone like this and why??? She can't be the guy in your squadron or the WSO. I understand the desire to have everyone feel the pain, but we DESPERATELY need experts who know how to get the shit we need. Not saying she is the answer and this is not about her personally, but we are constantly bitching about our shit being screwed up thus proving the point that we need people who do this for a living and do it well. Deploying someone like this to some other type of job just doesn't make sense.

[Cap-10]

Because they volunteered to be an operators...

How would you deploy someone like this and why??? She can't be the guy in your squadron or the WSO. I understand the desire to have everyone feel the pain, but we DESPERATELY need experts who know how to get the shit we need. Not saying she is the answer and this is not about her personally, but we are constantly bitching about our shit being screwed up thus proving the point that we need people who do this for a living and do it well. Deploying someone like this to some other type of job just doesn't make sense.

CH,

I know she's not an operator, but considering the fact that when programs are fast tracked, things tend to get screwed up (things like UAV and MC-12's are growing faster than big blue can fill the seats) is there not a need for someone with acquisitions knowledge to be downrage, see how the end product is being used, what works/what doesn't and be directly involved with acquiring software/hardware that will make said MWS more effective considering they have the knowledge of what is do-able and what is not?

I agree that people need to be experts in their speciality and in a perfect world everyone would bowl in their lane their entire career and truly be the experts we need them to be, but we all know that Big Blue has been deploying people outside their lane like's its their job the past 10+ years...pulling someone from their finance and making them pull convoy security with the Army is just one example....and having said that, I still can't believe that she hasn't got tagged (STS) in some way/shape/form with any type of deployment in over 30 years.

Cheers,

Cap-10

[Catbox]

That's no typo, I used to lurk the halls of AFMC HQ and was pretty shocked by it myself but she was picked to be AFMC/CV and I guess a lowly 2 star can't hold that position (sts). She's career acquisitions though and the differences between the acquisitions and operations side of the AF are like night and day.

Of course they are. I've worked with high speed acquisitions officers. Thier jobs are MUCH more important than operators.

Edit: Too bad I can't edit in the bile induced from my own sarcasm.

Edited February 9, 2012 by Catbox

[ClearedHot]

CH,

I know she's not an operator, but considering the fact that when programs are fast tracked, things tend to get screwed up (things like UAV and MC-12's are growing faster than big blue can fill the seats) is there not a need for someone with acquisitions knowledge to be downrage, see how the end product is being used, what works/what doesn't and be directly involved with acquiring software/hardware that will make said MWS more effective considering they have the knowledge of what is do-able and what is not?

We've done some of that in the past, but not in her time frame. There are other mechanisms to accomplish the same thing more efficiently, although they may not be working given some of our failures. Rather than put someone like this in theater and waste all the valuable training, I would insert a few operators into the AQ business (something that the operators always push back on because it is not sexy). Think of the impact we could have if we linked a savvy experienced captain with an AQ person and let them buy what we really need.

I agree that people need to be experts in their speciality and in a perfect world everyone would bowl in their lane their entire career and truly be the experts we need them to be, but we all know that Big Blue has been deploying people outside their lane like's its their job the past 10+ years...pulling someone from their finance and making them pull convoy security with the Army is just one example....and having said that, I still can't believe that she hasn't got tagged (STS) in some way/shape/form with any type of deployment in over 30 years.

Big Blue has deployed people to backfill the Army, but in most cases it has been enlisted folks who were in somewhat related career fields (SF). Of course there were some who were not related, but I haven’t heard of pilots or navs being diverted to convoy security…

Regardless, our AQ folks tend to work the same program for years on end (thus identifying and underlying problem with how long it takes to procure some of our weapons systems). With her time on the F-22 I don’t find it hard to believe she has not been tagged for a deployed, as a matter of record, he F-22 has the same deployment record she does…

Edited February 9, 2012 by ClearedHot

[brickhistory]

as a matter of record, he F-22 has the same deployment record she does…

[Daredevileng1]

Think of the impact we could have if we linked a savvy experienced captain with an AQ person and let them buy what we really need.

THIS. AF Mind = Blown

[Guest Grind]

Oh she's definitely a bag wearer

Thank you

[Guest CAVEMAN]

Boohoo she is too special to deploy and fill many of the countless staff jobs!!

This notion that we need everyone back to run the program is hogwash. The program will run with or without you. You are not anymore intricate to the mission than the next guy. If you die, we will have someone to step right in and carry on the mission. So please stop.