It's official-The Pentagon and Air Force leadership have lost touch with reality

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

It's a rumor. I'm plugged into the maintenance grapevine and there's a lot of bitching about new 3 levels screwing up, and training sucking, and being short handed. Some of the pictures of broken parts and what passes for maintenence lately are enough to give me nightmares.

a reply to: wirehead

Sounds like too many big, fragile, egos gumming up the system, and a never ending supply of asskissers to stroke them. Something's gotta give.

NEW conspiracy, All these aircraft crashing has more to do with replacing soldiers. This has to be the obvious reason.





Goodbye Humans.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

It's a rumor. I'm plugged into the maintenance grapevine and there's a lot of bitching about new 3 levels screwing up, and training sucking, and being short handed. Some of the pictures of broken parts and what passes for maintenence lately are enough to give me nightmares.

Sounds like a lot more than the leadership dropping the ball than.
Maybe it's a general problem with the service overall?

a reply to: muzzleflash

The units can only do so much with the money they get. When they cut the maintenance budget when sequestration hit, they made it extremely attractive for high time personnel to take early retirement.

It's more than just Pentagon leadership though. Leadership at the unit level is turning toxic. They don't want to admit their unit had a problem to higher up, so they don't get the problems fixed, and then work their people into the ground.

This game was played in the 80s, and damn near ended in disaster then. Only this time I don't think we have anyone willing to stand up and do something about it like we did then.

It is a combination of things. Budget cuts means less spare parts, less training, stress from repeated missions due to less personnel, etc. I’m sure many of you have read only about 20% of America’s youth today are even physically qualified for military service anymore. Out of that, remove those who started being force fed anti-psychotics (ADD) meds from about age 9 since teachers wanted zombies in classrooms. Those latter folks are removed from many specialties. The answer? Lower and lower standards across the board to meet recruiting quotas.

I retired from active duty in 2004 after 28 years, then did 12 more as a civil servant in a completely different job than I did in the military, but worked with active duty of all ranks every day. I didn’t do formal research, but when you take all physical education out of schools, down play math and science in the interest of standardized testing, throw in video games so almost no physical exertion after about age 10...well, you getba very limited population to recruit from. Even less so since half the country teaches their kids to be unpatriotic.

Is there an answer? Probably not an easy one. I suspect the only way they will fill the ranks with all fully qualified personnel is a full on draft system to pull in the qualified folks from the private sector.

To the OP, you are absolutely correct. In all my time active, mass training never accomplished anything but provide top cover for generals from Congressional questions...

originally posted by: Assassin82
As I’m sure you’re aware, the problems with AF Leadership goes far beyond the aviation community. There’s a sickness that’s infected all levels of Leadership.

I’ve been out a year...and even though I miss my fellow Airman and the mission, I’m happier in life than I’ve been in a very long time. That’s directly related to not having to take orders from a bunch of hypocritical box checkers.

It does bother me to see the direction it’s headed and be so powerless to stop the internal destruction that once was the heart and soul of my existence.

Hint:

There are box checkers in civilian life. Worse is when those above you have an incentive plan. Incentive plans generally lead to doing the job poorly.

a reply to: Zaphod58

The solution is to scale back the military until it is a manageable size. Further, the DoD needs to be audited. It hasn't been audited since...ok, since never.

Note that the Trump budget military increase, yes the increase in the budget, exceeds the entire Russian military budget.

There will come a day when it is patriotic to spend tax money wisely. Given the US savings rate, which is nothing, the more the US borrows, the more it depends on foreign financing. How is that good for security.

a reply to: gariac

Actually they're being audited and will be audited annually.

originally posted by: gariac

originally posted by: Assassin82
As I’m sure you’re aware, the problems with AF Leadership goes far beyond the aviation community. There’s a sickness that’s infected all levels of Leadership.

I’ve been out a year...and even though I miss my fellow Airman and the mission, I’m happier in life than I’ve been in a very long time. That’s directly related to not having to take orders from a bunch of hypocritical box checkers.

It does bother me to see the direction it’s headed and be so powerless to stop the internal destruction that once was the heart and soul of my existence.

Hint:

There are box checkers in civilian life. Worse is when those above you have an incentive plan. Incentive plans generally lead to doing the job poorly.

I’m aware. I always felt that it was especially counterproductive in the military. Tough to defend a country when everyone is stabbing each other in the back to get a leg up on the competition.

To a very small degree, I understand it’s existence in the civilian life. But it would be great if we could all just work and live in harmony with each other. Promotions and pay grades based on a merit based system instead of a “HEY LOOK AT ME IM BETTER THAN EVERYONE” system.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: gariac

Actually they're being audited and will be audited annually.

I stand corrected.
www.npr.org...

I remember the mandate, but assumed it would never actually happen.

Maybe full ADSB will happen in 2020. That is another deadline I believe will never be met.

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed


The leadership is not done on merit anymore, its done like its been done in the Latin American countries. That will be the great flaw. They are all bluff and tell the next one up what they want to hear. I really do hope the West doesn't get into a real War. Because the only reason Russia or China hasn't retaliated is because they don't think that they are ready. What they mean by ready is a hundred per cent chance of winning. At this rate we will get what we deserve.

I can't even respond to this without going so far over the line it's not even funny.

Pawlikowski disagreed that a direct line could be drawn between sequestration and the rise in accidents. Although the Air Force was forced to take cuts to its sustainment budget as part of sequestration, it would not operate aircraft in need of maintenance, she said.

Instead, it would choose to ground the plane — decreasing readiness and aircraft availability in order to safeguard aircrew safety.

AFMC looking at aircraft health.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
I can't even respond to this without going so far over the line it's not even funny.

Pawlikowski disagreed that a direct line could be drawn between sequestration and the rise in accidents. Although the Air Force was forced to take cuts to its sustainment budget as part of sequestration, it would not operate aircraft in need of maintenance, she said.

Instead, it would choose to ground the plane — decreasing readiness and aircraft availability in order to safeguard aircrew safety.

AFMC looking at aircraft health.

And your proof to the contrary?

a reply to: gariac

Nothing that you'd accept, because it's personal experience.