Study: Nuclear Force Feeling 'Burnout' from Work

[Breckey]

They didn't. We are the only squadron unaffected, aside for the need for all new appointment letters.

The three missile squadrons and the OSS commander were fired.

[xaarman]

Ah good, I misread the article when it was talking about the commander who overseas the helicopter squadron!

[ram02]

And here's the ever-so-inspiring resignation letter from the wing commander:

https://timesfreepress.com/news/2014/mar/27/nuke-missile-base-commanders-resignation-letter/

In classic missile fashion, instead of taking personal responsibility, he blames the crew force:

Had just one solitary airman spoken up for integrity, our leadership team would have been able to take action immediately.

Tragically, peer pressure and the fear of being an outcast prevailed. As a result, the misconduct had to be inadvertently discovered by OSI agents.

Think of how different the narrative would be had the silent Airman just come forward. That airman would now be lionized as a hero for casting aside his or her own fear of being made an outcast by a few inadequate peers.

One would think the "leadership team" would be able to proactively ID and fix problems within their own wing without a BRAA point-out from a mystical "silent Airman," but I guess it's the crew force's fault for not diming themselves out.

"All that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing." I highlighted this old axiom as the main point of my change of command speech a little over a year ago. I implored our formations of airmen that it never be said of Malmstrom that "we did nothing" in the face of evil. I can't imagine a more vivid reinforcement of that lesson than what we're going through now.

And the "I told you so" part. The whole letter sounds more like one final admonishment from the WG/CC instead of a mea culpa.

[WAG]

What's the odds no one over O-4 gets even slightly ruffled in the "discipline" and "accountability" to come down from on high?

Don't ever go to Vegas...

[panchbarnes]

And here's the ever-so-inspiring resignation letter from the wing commander:

https://timesfreepress.com/news/2014/mar/27/nuke-missile-base-commanders-resignation-letter/

In classic missile fashion, instead of taking personal responsibility, he blames the crew force:

One would think the "leadership team" would be able to proactively ID and fix problems within their own wing without a BRAA point-out from a mystical "silent Airman," but I guess it's the crew force's fault for not diming themselves out.

And the "I told you so" part. The whole letter sounds more like one final admonishment from the WG/CC instead of a mea culpa.

Wow... People commenting on the article are saying what a great leader he was. Can't be that great of a leader if he is blaming "the silent airman" for not speaking up as the reason he had to resign.

Dear Col Stanley and other senior managers lurking around, people don't speak up because:

1. They don't trust that you care.

2. They don't trust that you will do the right thing based on the environment you have fostered.

3. # 1 & 2

That airman would have single-handedly preserved the honor and dignity of Malmstrom and all the wonderful people who make up this incredible wing.

But it didn't happen. Wrong won out over right ... the voice of integrity was silenced ... and the good guy lost at the end of the movie.

Wow, just wow. Good guy lost? And the "movie" is over? Whatever dude, get over yourself.

Edited March 28, 2014 by PanchBarnes

[Majestik Møøse]

I wonder if OSI stamps little birds on the side of their building every time they get a colonel fired.

[17D_guy]

Don't ever go to Vegas...

Disclaimer: Past performance does not necessarily indicate future results.

I'm happy I'm wrong. I hope I'm just wrong about the leadership that was there in 2011 not getting punished as well.

The wing king sure bitched a lot about nailing himself to that cross. Thanks for taking that bullet for all of us and not realizing why no one wanted to tell you anything.

Is there a narcissism quotient that you have to get to be a Col? It's everything Liquid was looking for in his other thread about what NOT to do.

[backseatdriver]

So who are the other commanders that were fired? All the reports are "nine commanders fired" but even including the #2s mentioned, Wg/CC, Gp/CC, Gp/CD, and 4 Sq/CCs is only 7. And based on the above article it seems like the Wg/CC may not be being counted in that 9 number. So who else got the axe? Are they lumping some DOs into that jumper as well?

[BB Stacker]

So who are the other commanders that were fired? All the reports are "nine commanders fired" but even including the #2s mentioned, Wg/CC, Gp/CC, Gp/CD, and 4 Sq/CCs is only 7. And based on the above article it seems like the Wg/CC may not be being counted in that 9 number. So who else got the axe? Are they lumping some DOs into that jumper as well?

From the previous page:

Edit: It's a bloodbath over here. Four Sq/CCs, two DOs, Chief of OGV, plus the OG/CC and CD are going to be off the base within the next 48 hours. Around 85 missileers will face NJP with 5 or so going to court martial. Apparently there were missile flight commanders that had emails direct from the OG/CC saying that they would do whatever was required to score 100% on their testing.

[backseatdriver]

Copy, thanks. So not actually 9 commanders.

[Breckey]

Also the FE Warren OG/CC has been fired as a result of a separate CDI.

[Fud]

Also the FE Warren OG/CC has been fired as a result of a separate CDI.

They said it wasn't related to malmstrom's investigations, but was it something similar?

[Breckey]

Similar in the fact that he was a horrible mirco-manager and an even worse OG/CC. The CDI covered items outside of Helo Ops but here is a sampling of the policies that he had in place:

-He thought that a Huey performing 180 autorotations (EP sortie item) with the doors open was incredibly unsafe because he could see through the cabin and wanted them to KIO.

-He restricted all fights outside of the missile complex. This included any training flights to off-station airfields that were within one tank of gas.

-He required to SOF to personally brief all flights risk assessments and he would change their flight plan if he felt that the risk was too high.

-He had a copy of the Huey -1 on the desk and would quibble any MX issues that the crews said that they had.

There are a bunch others but these are what stood out from my conversations with the 37th.

[Azimuth]

Glad the system worked, however it's unfortunate that had the drug scandal not been caught, this horrible core of missileers would've probably never been caught via the cheating scandal.

[17D_guy]

Glad the system worked, however it's unfortunate that had the drug scandal not been caught, this horrible core of missileers leadership managers would've probably never been caught via the cheating scandal.

FTFY

[Booj]

Wow... People commenting on the article are saying what a great leader he was. Can't be that great of a leader if he is blaming "the silent airman" for not speaking up as the reason he had to resign.

Dear Col Stanley and other senior managers lurking around, people don't speak up because:

1. They don't trust that you care.

2. They don't trust that you will do the right thing based on the environment you have fostered.

3. # 1 & 2

Wow, just wow. Good guy lost? And the "movie" is over? Whatever dude, get over yourself.

Can't wait for this to happen when a scandal about tuition assistance comes out. Then they can blame every Lt and Capt for fraud, waste, and abuse of public funds.

If only one of us had the courage to speak up! /sarc

Edit: writing is hard

Edited March 30, 2014 by Booj

[Azimuth]

60-Minutes is having a special, this Sunday, on the nuke mission.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Azimuth

[Bender]

60-Minutes is having a special, this Sunday, on the nuke mission.

30,000? No shit; That's a lot of missiles.

Bendy

[brickhistory]

Wow, journalism at its finest.

The 30,000 figure is from the late 1960s-early 1970s. And included all flavors of our nukes - strategic, tactical of every kind to include artillery and even a humungus bazooka. I used that line for many a speech for USSTRATCOM in the last couple of years.

Also, too bad the public shuttering of a squadron of 50 MMIIIs was in the press only a few weeks ago and all the cuts are, according to this paragon of intellect, coming from the boomers. Wonder if anyone's told the Navy yet?

Or Ivan and/or the PRC?

"Never talk to the media" I believe is the conventional wisdom...

[albertschu]

"Never talk to the media" I believe is the conventional wisdom...

Perhaps the root of all problems in the Nuke world is the failure to apply "conventional" wisdom.

[panchbarnes]

Props to Lesley Stahl for calling that chode out on his bullshit numbers.

Paraphrasing here:

3-Star: “Less than one percent of 9,600 Airmen violated our core values, there’s no problems here”

Stahl: “How many missileers cheated on the test?” (You know, the ones that actually babysit the missiles).

3-Star: “About 20 percent”

Stahl: “That’s a problem”

Great technique to invalidate everything else you say during the interview.

Oh the irony... I haven't seen the show, but if that's true, the 3-star just violated the first core value.

[Kilgore Trout]

Oh the irony... I haven't seen the show, but if that's true, the 3-star just violated the first core value.

Or it's a symptom of the "everyone on base directly runs the mission" disease. He said "We have 9,600 people... less than 1%..." She had him say it was about 20% of missileers. She then asked "Aren't they the ones that matter?"

The 3 star then said "The cheating only happened at 1 of 3 bases." She asked "Do you really believe that?" And he said "I do, that's what the investigation uncovered." The reporter then said "I interviewed an instructor missileer who worked at this base and separated 1 year ago who said every single person here cheated on those tests..." The 3 star did not want to believe that and said it's not what the investigation showed.

And then she brought up the 100% standard for the tests. She said people said they had to cheat because they were told "90% in passing, but you have to get 100%". He said "Well now it's Pass/Fail. Everyone has to get a 90% or better or else they fail." She looked perplexed and said "Isn't that the same thing that led to cheating in the first place?"

I love when the Air Force machine tries to apply its logic in the real world and people point out that it doesn't make sense. We can't affect change from the inside, but I always hope that things like this force people to change when they get embarrassed nationally.

[Herk Driver]

And then she brought up the 100% standard for the tests. She said people said they had to cheat because they were told "90% in passing, but you have to get 100%". He said "Well now it's Pass/Fail. Everyone has to get a 90% or better or else they fail." She looked perplexed and said "Isn't that the same thing that led to cheating in the first place?"

I love when the Air Force machine tries to apply its logic in the real world and people point out that it doesn't make sense. We can't affect change from the inside, but I always hope that things like this force people to change when they get embarrassed nationally.

That makes for great media.

Are you saying that there should be no standard for testing? Or that there should be no testing at all? Or something else?

[nsplayr]

There's absolutely a difference between Pass/Fail with the bar set at 90% and an implicit or explicit requirement that everyone get 100% on every test in their career.

Pass/Fail with a 90% threshold means you can miss a couple now and then and not see your career go to shit...that in theory definitely should reduce the feeling that cheating is necessary.

Now let's add non-ridiculous test questions and do away with the "No mistake Air Force" mentality (even in nukes) and I guarantee you the problem will be 69% solved.

Edited April 28, 2014 by nsplayr

[airdawg83]

What moving to the Pass/Fail system did was to remove the ability of leadership to see the test scores of individual crew dogs. All that shows up now is "Pass" or "Fail" instead of a percentage. That keeps them from hounding folks about missing one or two questions here or there.