Commanders are dropping like flies this year

[BeefBears]

10 minutes ago, ClearedHot said:

For a while he refused to pick someone to be a Squadron CC unless they were BPZ to LtCol, that was his pass fail test of leadership and fed his plan of trying to build as many AFSOC GOs as possible.  That TTP went up in smoke when AFSOC started getting hammered on promotion boards and he ran out of BPZ folks. 

The incoming CAT 5 is just as bad in other regards.  He HATED the Weapons School (although he surrounded himself with patches anytime he deployed), he actually stood up and clapped when another O-6 WIC hater suggested we close the AFSOC WIC at a senior officer meeting.  As a Wing/CC he tried to shame his SQ/CC patches into not wearing their grad patches..."I should know you are a graduate by your performance."  One of those CC's caved (Pavelow Dude imagine that), he ended up on the fast track and is now a sitting Wing/CC.  That current sitting WIng/CC has pulled all references to WIC from his official bio and exhibits many of the same narcissistic traits as his handler. 

Never heard the WIC thing... that's incredibly disheartening when tactics take a backseat to optics and politics.

Its too bad Elton didn't take his place.  As bad as clovis is, Elton did everything in his power to make the base and community better for the unfortunate members stuck there.

[Sua Sponte]

4 hours ago, BeefBears said:

Never heard the WIC thing... that's incredibly disheartening when tactics take a backseat to optics and politics.

Never heard of AMC, huh?

[Majestik Møøse]

“These WIC guys choosing to be away from their families for six months spending blood, sweat, and tears to figure out how to build, teach, and lead their communities in a fight against China…well, they don’t jerk me off even though I’ve highly encouraged it, so fuck them!”

Edited November 27, 2021 by Majestik Møøse

[Chuck17]

18 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

For a while he refused to pick someone to be a Squadron CC unless they were BPZ to LtCol, that was his pass fail test of leadership and fed his plan of trying to build as many AFSOC GOs as possible.  That TTP went up in smoke when AFSOC started getting hammered on promotion boards and he ran out of BPZ folks. 

The incoming CAT 5 is just as bad in other regards.  He HATED the Weapons School (although he surrounded himself with patches anytime he deployed), he actually stood up and clapped when another O-6 WIC hater suggested we close the AFSOC WIC at a senior officer meeting.  As a Wing/CC he tried to shame his SQ/CC patches into not wearing their grad patches..."I should know you are a graduate by your performance."  One of those CC's caved (Pavelow Dude imagine that), he ended up on the fast track and is now a sitting Wing/CC.  That current sitting WIng/CC has pulled all references to WIC from his official bio and exhibits many of the same narcissistic traits as his handler. 

GO-hate is my favorite kinda WIC-hate.

The level of self-own in AFSOC is epic.  

Chuck

Edited November 27, 2021 by Chuck17

[dream big]

20 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

For a while he refused to pick someone to be a Squadron CC unless they were BPZ to LtCol, that was his pass fail test of leadership and fed his plan of trying to build as many AFSOC GOs as possible.  That TTP went up in smoke when AFSOC started getting hammered on promotion boards and he ran out of BPZ folks. 

The incoming CAT 5 is just as bad in other regards.  He HATED the Weapons School (although he surrounded himself with patches anytime he deployed), he actually stood up and clapped when another O-6 WIC hater suggested we close the AFSOC WIC at a senior officer meeting.  As a Wing/CC he tried to shame his SQ/CC patches into not wearing their grad patches..."I should know you are a graduate by your performance."  One of those CC's caved (Pavelow Dude imagine that), he ended up on the fast track and is now a sitting Wing/CC.  That current sitting WIng/CC has pulled all references to WIC from his official bio and exhibits many of the same narcissistic traits as his handler. 

YGFSM! These stories make the MAF sound not that bad! Based on my deployed experience with AFSOC 0-6s these don’t surprise me.  

[Muscle2002]

On 11/21/2021 at 10:49 AM, DirkDiggler said:

   To your point on leadership "understanding" opt outs, that's probably a pretty tough thing to make happen with any regularity unless attitudes about leadership and what it means to serve change in the AF.  

It is interesting that you mention the difficulty some senior leaders have in understanding a desire to serve but not command. How many times have you heard senior leaders tell a group or an individual that one's service can be meaningful absent command and that not everyone will command even though there are more highly qualified people than there are positions? In effect, the message they convey is that to not command is acceptable, so long as the system makes the choice. Turn the tables, and it is anathema to suggest that someone can serve faithfully while turning down command. In short, I have sensed from some leaders a willingness to use "service before self" as a cudgel to bludgeon people whose desire to serve somehow does not comport with the other's ideal. Certainly, we need people who are willing to bear the burden of command, but I do not think forcing someone who does not want to is good for the service, the person, or the people being led.

[MCO]

19 hours ago, Muscle2002 said:

It is interesting that you mention the difficulty some senior leaders have in understanding a desire to serve but not command. How many times have you heard senior leaders tell a group or an individual that one's service can be meaningful absent command and that not everyone will command even though there are more highly qualified people than there are positions? In effect, the message they convey is that to not command is acceptable, so long as the system makes the choice. Turn the tables, and it is anathema to suggest that someone can serve faithfully while turning down command. In short, I have sensed from some leaders a willingness to use "service before self" as a cudgel to bludgeon people whose desire to serve somehow does not comport with the other's ideal. Certainly, we need people who are willing to bear the burden of command, but I do not think forcing someone who does not want to is good for the service, the person, or the people being led.

1/4 to 1/2 of O-6 jobs are command, so if you have too many people that make O-6 with no aspiration to command, it turns into a numbers problem. Letting people not command that don’t want to is a good thing I think, but you still have to fill all the commands. Good or bad, O-6 command is also seen as a valuable experience to inform certain future jobs as an O-6, not just promotability, which also makes it tough. I think where it gets weird is how much slack do you want to give the system and how it’s messaged. Plus everyone has their own opinion when messaging.

[Muscle2002]

1 hour ago, MCO said:

1/4 to 1/2 of O-6 jobs are command, so if you have too many people that make O-6 with no aspiration to command, it turns into a numbers problem. Letting people not command that don’t want to is a good thing I think, but you still have to fill all the commands. Good or bad, O-6 command is also seen as a valuable experience to inform certain future jobs as an O-6, not just promotability, which also makes it tough. I think where it gets weird is how much slack do you want to give the system and how it’s messaged. Plus everyone has their own opinion when messaging.

Your last two sentences capture the issue at heart I think. Leaders should not equate a lack of desire to command with something less than selfless service. After all, as you note, there are plenty of non-command jobs to fill. Some of these jobs demand a significant amount of sacrifice and are just as thankless as command (see ClearedHot's description of Pentagon assignments). 

It's not an easy problem of trying to balance AF needs with individual desires, but inconsistent messaging does not help solve it.

[MCO]

13 hours ago, Muscle2002 said:

Your last two sentences capture the issue at heart I think. Leaders should not equate a lack of desire to command with something less than selfless service. After all, as you note, there are plenty of non-command jobs to fill. Some of these jobs demand a significant amount of sacrifice and are just as thankless as command (see ClearedHot's description of Pentagon assignments). 

It's not an easy problem of trying to balance AF needs with individual desires, but inconsistent messaging does not help solve it.

I agree completely with lack of desire to command not equaling less than selfless service, and I think there are GOs that do equate that. There is a point though where you are going to have to force people to command if they want to stay in as an O-6 because we have to fill our command requirements. It’s why officers exist. If you really don’t want to command at the O-6 level, don’t make O-6. Otherwise the possibility is out there just due to the numbers.

[Sua Sponte]

Whoops

https://www.ellsworth.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2855647/ellsworth-command-chief-removed/fbclid/IwAR3FpIt4UTGLo-dbCXsUcoUE-diWvNK_mLuPj1WPZ4gu8YSLu6m8LwDE3uM/

[M2]

1 hour ago, Sua Sponte said:

Whoops

https://www.ellsworth.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2855647/ellsworth-command-chief-removed/fbclid/IwAR3FpIt4UTGLo-dbCXsUcoUE-diWvNK_mLuPj1WPZ4gu8YSLu6m8LwDE3uM/

As usual, none of the juicy details are included; which is why we continue to have such issues...

Honestly, if it's been proven he's done something wrong, then make it known.   

Quit hiding behind catch phrases.

[war007afa]

On 11/25/2021 at 11:03 PM, tac airlifter said:

Agreed.

CH, what would you think about AFSOC reorganizing wings into similar type missions?  Strike wing, mobility wing, ISR, etc.  I’m curious if that would help AFSOC focus more; it seems a lack of focused O6 attention results in a lack of GO focused attention, which allows problems to fester.  Although we would need increased cross flows to prevent tribalism, but in general I think more cross flow is a good thing.
 

 

Hey, I remember hearing this idea from some dude in a B-hut once! 😁

[bfargin]

5th commander in 2.5 years. That is some serious turnover.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/12/09/two-leaders-fired-from-dyess-aircraft-maintenance-squadron-amid-investigation/?utm_campaign=Socialflow+AIR&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR33FID_EP8dfgOKljhOikLWqORtzZddhWHlboVwYhcXaGFZ4hciRx25oqU

 

[Sua Sponte]

58 minutes ago, bfargin said:

5th commander in 2.5 years. That is some serious turnover.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/12/09/two-leaders-fired-from-dyess-aircraft-maintenance-squadron-amid-investigation/?utm_campaign=Socialflow+AIR&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR33FID_EP8dfgOKljhOikLWqORtzZddhWHlboVwYhcXaGFZ4hciRx25oqU

 

She was terrible as a -135 Boom. Not shocked.

[FourFans]

On 12/9/2021 at 5:56 PM, bfargin said:

5th commander in 2.5 years. That is some serious turnover.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/12/09/two-leaders-fired-from-dyess-aircraft-maintenance-squadron-amid-investigation/?utm_campaign=Socialflow+AIR&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR33FID_EP8dfgOKljhOikLWqORtzZddhWHlboVwYhcXaGFZ4hciRx25oqU

 

“I knew I wanted a flying job, nothing too dirty or fixing things,” Widman told the Tampa Bay Times in 2005.

[FUSEPLUG]

24 minutes ago, FourFans130 said:

“I knew I wanted a flying job, nothing too dirty or fixing things,” Widman told the Tampa Bay Times in 2005.

Read that too. Great quote for a MX commander. 

[hindsight2020]

26 minutes ago, FourFans130 said:

“I knew I wanted a flying job, nothing too dirty or fixing things,” Widman told the Tampa Bay Times in 2005.

[StoleIt]

On 12/9/2021 at 6:56 PM, bfargin said:

5th commander in 2.5 years. That is some serious turnover.

Not saying the other 5 commanders weren't turds...but at any point is someone (leadership) going to look at the bigger picture here and ask WHY this happening so frequently?

[Majestik Møøse]

“Never talk to the media” is an old Rainman rule that has stuck with me. An easy rule to remember since I get a new reminder of why every month.

Widman was in my OTS class. Universally panned, narcissistic, loud, humorless, mean, prideful, and power-hungry. I think I got them all. Oh, and zero chill.

[Sua Sponte]

50 minutes ago, Majestik Møøse said:

“Never talk to the media” is an old Rainman rule that has stuck with me. An easy rule to remember since I get a new reminder of why every month.

Widman was in my OTS class. Universally panned, narcissistic, loud, humorless, mean, prideful, and power-hungry. I think I got them all. Oh, and zero chill.

Friend of mine did a Phoenix program with her before she took over command and said the same. Sounds like she was a perfect fit to command in AMC. I firmly believe the only reason why she was fired is due to her poor leadership going viral, which forced senior leader’s hands due to optics. Had it not gone viral, she’d be in command today.

Good riddance.

[dream big]

13 hours ago, StoleIt said:

Not saying the other 5 commanders weren't turds...but at any point is someone (leadership) going to look at the bigger picture here and ask WHY this happening so frequently?

So to be fair, only 2 of those 5 actually got fired, I know still terrible but the Air Force times conveniently left that part out.  That being said, not many senior leaders have a vested interest in rooting out toxic leadership, all they need to do is look in the mirror.

[Muscle2002]

On 11/25/2021 at 10:25 AM, ClearedHot said:

The situation at AFSOC is horrible but NO ONE CARES.  The system encourages what has happened and the internal AFSOC politics made it even worse.   There was a big purge of AFSOC O-6s a few years ago but nothing really came of it other than some very talented people ran for the door.  You would think Big Blue leadership would pay attention when the sitting Group Commanders of your two premier AFSOC Wings bail at the same time.  Both were on the Wing/CC list and they said nope...adios.  Wait until the CAT 5 hits AFSOC....the current guy is horrible, so convinced he is right he do anything to preserve his legacy including getting rid of all the AC-130's...sadly this is not a joke.  The incoming dude is pure hate, a vindictive cult of personality who will salt the earth behind him.  Both have lined up their DOJ's (inside joke), and puppets who will continue to do their bidding to perpetuate the evil.  I still talk to many folks on the inside and there is one overriding theme from all of them...dark dread.  It will take AFSOC a generation to overcome, if it ever does.

The White House just announced the President's nominations for the next USSTRATCOM/CC, USAFE/CC, and AFSOC/CC.

 

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3056641/general-officer-announcements/

[BashiChuni]

gross, guess the rumor was true...good luck to my AFSOC bros! you're gonna need it

[Best-22]

1 hour ago, BashiChuni said:

gross, guess the rumor was true...good luck to my AFSOC bros! you're gonna need it

What's the RUMINT on the new guy?

[BrightNeptune]

I'm surprised no one brought up that Laughlin fired another squadron commander a few weeks ago...