Master's Degree Madness

[Majestik Møøse]

I figure I'm safe unless the next CoS is a MAF guy. And that's coming from a MAF guy.

[Homestar]

The key is the SURF. As long as AAD is a discriminator visible to senior raters it will be used for strats. Period. I just can't see all Wg/CCs saying "on my honor" and not including it somehow in their process.

[sky_king]

Saw this on John Q Public's fb this morning, anyone out there more important than me that can vouch for this?

Good enough for me. Glad I stopped taking classes 4 years ago.

[Herk Driver]

Saw this on John Q Public's fb this morning, anyone out there more important than me that can vouch for this?

FWIW, I can vouch for the authenticity. I did not go through the blog word for word but looks like what I read before. Have seen the original email in writing distributed from A1 to lower levels.

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

[panchbarnes]

Kudos to Gen Welsh for making it happen.

Agree that it needs to be masked in the SURF or it's pointless.

W/ the DoD-wide downsizing, let's get rid of the excessive "volunteer" opportunities as part of the rack/stack process. It's silly that we need to have a "selected winner" to coordinate a non-mission related event.

I also propose no CGO squadron exec positions (maybe even wings and groups). You are telling me the CC can't function with only DO/ADOs/secretary?

Speaking of MAF CCs... I get the need for a Ribbon chart, but PT score history for an initial meeting w/ the Commander? Really?

[Karl Hungus]

Saw this on John Q Public's fb this morning, anyone out there more important than me that can vouch for this?

Serious props to Welsh if this is true. Hopefully it goes beyond the DQHB... it needs to cease being tracked by the AF completely and eliminated on SURFs or else not much will change.

[17D_guy]

I also propose no CGO squadron exec positions (maybe even wings and groups). You are telling me the CC can't function with only DO/ADOs/secretary?

May work for flying units, wouldn't work in, at least, Comm. No DO's, ADO's and secretary is hit or miss. I generally hate exec duty, but see it as a necessary evil in some positions.

Unless you want more career civilians "supporting & leading" the operational missions.

[Chuck17]

Kudos to Gen Welsh for making it happen.

Agree that it needs to be masked in the SURF or it's pointless.

W/ the DoD-wide downsizing, let's get rid of the excessive "volunteer" opportunities as part of the rack/stack process. It's silly that we need to have a "selected winner" to coordinate a non-mission related event.

Which is exactly why I'm skeptical this this will stick. Downsizing creates a greater emphasis on the small stuff in lieu of the big stuff. Talk to the old farts who saw what happened after Vietnam - Zero Defects, TQM, etc - or after the Gulf War, or read Gen Brady's / Jumper's guidance on this from just a few years ago. Then ask yourselves, what did my supervisors have to do... What was their requirement? And the answer is plain enough.

Until this rests in an AFI, guidance to the boards will only effect things so much. The boards don't strat PRFs at home station. Period.

The war on stupidity is just beginning fellas, this is merely a battle (seemingly) won... When implementation gets down to the squadron levels, rejoice. Until then, color me skeptical, no matter what the CSAF says, and despite his best intentions (which I agree with wholeheartedly).

Don't get burned in your rush to set fire to your BAC+. Be the best operators and flight commanders, etc, you can be - lead your people, take care of them, guide them, and take care of yourself as well - leaders eat last - just don't go hungry.

Chuck

Edit - iPad typing

Edited June 17, 2014 by Chuck17

[Seriously]

If getting advanced academic education makes you a better performer in your job, i.e. STEM and professional career fields, pursue the education and let the improved performance show in your performance reports;

How do people not understand this concept? Lazy leaders are the ones that look for easy discriminators. It's either that, or they are unable to own up to the responsibility of having to look a subordinate in the eyes and tell them why he ranked them where he ranked them, using "well you didn't get XYZ done" as an easy cop-out so they don't have to shoulder the burden of telling someone they weren't ranked as high as they expected.

[busdriver]

Don't get burned in your rush to set fire to your BAC+. Be the best operators and flight commanders, etc, you can can be - lead your people, take care of them, guide them, and take care of yourself as well - leaders eat last - just don't go hungry.

I would tell young dudes to get CMR first, then start your masters. Don't overload yourself, take breaks if you need them for upgrades, or whatever. If you start early you can string that shit out over multiple years with no fear. At the minimum that puts you in a decent spot to be able to surge if the pendulum does swing back. In other words, don't be me. I'm at the point I would have to double up on classes to finish before my O-5 board, saved by the CSAF I guess.

Edit: I skated by the O-4 board, meant O-5

Edited June 17, 2014 by busdriver

[RTB]

Speaking of MAF CCs... I get the need for a Ribbon chart, but PT score history for an initial meeting w/ the Commander? Really?

This really happens?

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

[panchbarnes]

This really happens?

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

Yes.

[Herk Driver]

This really happens?

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

Maybe for some, but definitely not all.

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

[bucky60k]

Quick polling of the CGOs in my sorry neck of the woods indicates no one is willing to stop their masters even if they did have top cover from the CSAF. Only WWIII would fix this disaster

[chim richalds]

The only way this really gets fixed is to show the taxpayers how much money has been wasted on bullshit masters degrees over the years, and even then they may not care unless it involves a Kardashian's ass

[Right Seat Driver]

I would tell young dudes to get CMR first, then start your masters. Don't overload yourself, take breaks if you need them for upgrades, or whatever. If you start early you can string that shit out over multiple years with no fear. At the minimum that puts you in a decent spot to be able to surge if the pendulum does swing back. In other words, don't be me. I'm at the point I would have to double up on classes to finish before my O-4 board, saved by the CSAF I guess.

Good advice. Working casual at UPT was eye-opening. There were plenty of IPs in the OSS that were caught in the "You don't need an AAD, just kidding" crowd that were killing themselves to get that shit done. Heard a lot of don't be me stories. These guys were flying their assess off, working OSS shit, and cramming 3 classes into a semester to get it done. No thanks. The only part that looked fun was flying a shit ton every week.

I started my Masters as a deployed brand new 1st Lt and would take classes downrange and space them out at home to focus on home-station flying. It helped break up the desert down time and when I was home I could scam around for the awesome TDYs to build my bag of tricks. Did I miss out on sport bitching sessions at the chow hall? Sure, but when I checked the Masters container it was one less thing to worry about when I was stopping by the chow hall to bullshit over TCN brewed coffee.

There is a lot that we can't control in our careers. But pubs, GK, and an AAD is some of them.

I applaud what the CoS is doing, and I hope that continues with the next CoS. But there's nothing he can do to save us when he retires. My fear, as it has been stated before, is that other "identifiers" will be used at the lower level for rack and stacks regardless of CoS guidance. Incorporation into an AFI would be a good start.

[Skitzo]

I think the lack of trust in the institution is overwhelming. If I were Gen Welsh I'd be making unannounced popins at the various MLRs for various boards asking the MAJCOM, NAF and WG/CCs to show their work.

The second he finds shit is going contrary to his instructions is when you let the heads roll. For loss of trust in leadership.

Until that happens and until it is reinforced by his/her successor we are going to have this same problem.

For crying out loud, the undersecretary of the Air Force has a bachelors only. So, l can virtually run this organization with only a BS/BA but in order to qualify to be an ADO I have to have a masters degree?

Finally, there are some fields that need officers with masters degrees before Colonel.

For once and for all, divide the LAF into line (operators) and restricted line (non operators) And possibly another category for space guys and other highly technical AFSCs that aren't already JAG or BSC/Med

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MSCguy]

That's exactly what the navy does-aviators, submariners, and surface ship drivers are all unrestricted line and intel, cyber, etc are restricted line.

[Altus Barbarosa]

Anyone seen this article yet? Large detail on the AAD/Promotion process.

https://truemilitaryintelligence.com/node/4

That dude should say "fighter pilot" a few hundred more times.

[Altus Barbarosa]

I will add that you'll never be able to fully mask all masters degrees. Particularly AFIT and other AAD assignments. You can eliminate the AAD line from the SURF but you can't eliminate the "Air Force Institute of Technology WPAFB OH" or "AFIT CI" etc from their assignment/duty history. Nor should you, but understand that if you give someone an AAD via an assignment specification to get the AAD it will be seen by the promo board.

[08Dawg]

Quick polling of the CGOs in my sorry neck of the woods indicates no one is willing to stop their masters even if they did have top cover from the CSAF. Only WWIII would fix this disaster

Flip side of this coin is, I've stopped using TA because I'm getting close to the end of my committment and want the flexibility to unass the area if I decide I don't want to do this anymore. That being said, I'll play the game until the day I decide I won't anymore, so I'm still working toward an AAD, and I've started shelling out of pocket for my ERAU coursework so I don't incur any ADSC for using TA. I figure being already over halfway done, why not finish?

[Fuzz]

Regardless of if people follow the no masters guidance, I see two posotives a) the practice bleeding is going to stop with PME, which will mean young guys like me won't have SOS in correspondence, masters and learning our MWS/upgrading on our plate and b) people may actually start making better use of the TA money instead of rushing to get their Touro degree just to check the box. Its not an absolute win but at least some of the BS queep is getting cut.

[euro2005]

If you start early you can string that shit out over multiple years with no fear.

This is exactly what I'm doing. I'm only taking one class at a time. I'm still a 2Lt so I got lots of time. I'll be a 3rd done with it when I pin on 1Lt in a couple months. Folks think I'm crazy for starting so early but it's a headache I do not want later on down the road. I'm using TA while I can (before it gets taken away again) and since I'm a CSO my ADSC is 6 years anyways so my TA commitment will run out before my ADSC does.

[nunya]

Isn't it a sad commentary that the highest ranking officer in the Air Force says, "Guys, don't waste your time with a Master's," and we say collectively, "Nice try, but no thanks. We don't trust you. We're not going to change a thing." I fear it's a bridge too far to fix the underlying issues.

[Guest]

It's not that we don't trust Welsh. We just don't trust his eventual successor or current sq, gp, and wg Commanders not to strat based on AAD. Now I'm just waiting for an email from the CSAF to tell us to stop planning xmas parties unless we want a future career as an event planner.