Elite Fighter Squadrons?

[ChiccinTendies]

I'm glad this is somewhat anonymous because this might be the dumbest question ever asked, but on the off chance there is an answer, I'm going to risk it.

Why are the no (officially) elite fighter aviation units in the military? In the same vein as special operations, like AFSOC or 160th SOAR, but analogous to fixed wing tactical jets? Wouldn't it be an advantage for the DoD to have a unit capable of carrying out high-risk, no-fail missions? A unit maybe mostly or fully composed of weapons school graduates, with special entry requirements? Or even a fixed wing unit specially designated to provide air support to special operations units on the ground? Or in the same vein as AFSOC's Combat Aviation Advisors, why are the no CAAs that deal with training allied nations to fly fighter aircraft, like we did in Vietnam? They could have the same language and culture training, and be trained in unconventional warfare, etc. I heard about Dan Hampton doing a tour with the Egyptian Air Force, and having to go to the Air Foce's Special Operations School, but I'm not sure if that is something the Air Force regularly does. Or to take it even further, a modern-day equivalent of the Fighting Tigers, a group trained specially to command and fight in a guerrilla air war, where US involvement should be kept a secret? Like I said, the closest equivalents I could find were AFSOC or the 160th, but neither of them have tactical fighter aircraft. Is there anything closer, like deployable squadrons in the Navy, AF, or MC that have a large proportion of fighter weapons school graduates? Maybe some sort of unspoken hierarchy, or preference for sensitive missions by certain higher-ups? Which squadrons would SOCOM be happiest with providing air support for them? Would it be the Marines? I know groups like AvTEG and the Flight Concepts Division exist, but I think it's probably doubtful that they have any fighter or attack planes. I'm guessing the biggest reason why is because there is just no need, modern combat/counter-insurgency doesn't need fighter pilots yadda yadda, but if that was really true, why do we even have any fighter aircraft, or at least as many as we do? Maybe if any one knows how the pilots that flew the OV-10 recently in Iraq got selected, that would maybe come close to what I'm looking for.

PS I know this post will probably give some of you guys a headache at the sheer stupidity, but I needed to do this, sorry.

 

[snake020]

Because this is a solution in search of a problem.

The same can be said for having an elite squadron of destroyers, tanks, etc.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

There’s no need for a special squadron when, if a crisis arises, you can just scoop up the top few newest graduates from a TOPGUN graduation ceremony and rush them to whatever carrier wasn’t properly equipped to handle the situation. Even if there’s a shortage of WSO’s the pilot CO of TOPGUN can fill that role, anytime.

 

[ChiccinTendies]

Because this is a solution in search of a problem.

The same can be said for having an elite squadron of destroyers, tanks, etc.

I think an F-16 probably has more impact on Iraq than a destroyer or even a tank though.

 

[ChiccinTendies]

There’s no need for a special squadron when, if a crisis arises, you can just scoop up the top few newest graduates from a TOPGUN graduation ceremony and rush them to whatever carrier wasn’t properly equipped to handle the situation. Even if there’s a shortage of WSO’s the pilot CO of TOPGUN can fill that role, anytime.

Well I guess my main question to that is, why not set it in stone? Like, what is the general next career step for a TOPGUN IP if he/she wants to deploy again?

 

[HAL Pilot]

@ChiccinTendies

You need to just start google searching Navy squadron missions and start from there. Crisis is handled by whatever ships and whatever squadrons are deployed or available. No need for elite units. It's not like 160 SOAR or SEALs, etc. Your whole post shows a complete lack of knowledge or understanding about Navy and Marines, their missions, their organization, etc. Once you do your research, you will see just how ridiculous much of your post is.

 

[Jim123]

A lot of that guerrilla war/counterinsurgency/spec ops training isn't about one guy or a squad blowing away hundreds of bad guys- it's about working with another country's military to make it more effective. That means either helping them with little details that are holding them back, figuring out how to make them more compatible with our forces (doctrine, communications, equipment, whatever else), and us better understanding their capabilities. When we have a policy in some part of the world and we need a plan to achieve our own objectives, it helps to have friends in the neighborhood.

 

[ChiccinTendies]

@ChiccinTendies

You need to just start google searching Navy squadron missions and start from there. Crisis is handled by whatever ships and whatever squadrons are deployed or available. No need for elite units. It's not like 160 SOAR or SEALs, etc. Your whole post shows a complete lack of knowledge or understanding about Navy and Marines, their missions, their organization, etc. Once you do your research, you will see just how ridiculous much of your post is.

I understand that it's based on who is available, but why isn't there a system set up for certain squadrons to get deployed to hot spots more often than others, etc? I guess the Army just used any old helicopter battalion for their purposes until the Iranian hostage crisis happened, and the same would need to happen for an elite unit to be stood up in the fighter community.

 

[ChiccinTendies]

A lot of that guerrilla war/counterinsurgency/spec ops training isn't about one guy or a squad blowing away hundreds of bad guys- it's about working with another country's military to make it more effective. That means either helping them with little details that are holding them back, figuring out how to make them more compatible with our forces (doctrine, communications, equipment, whatever else), and us better understanding their capabilities. When we have a policy in some part of the world and we need a plan to achieve our own objectives, it helps to have friends in the neighborhood.

I understand that, but language, culture, and counterinsurgency/FID/guerrilla warfare training costs a lot of money, and I'm assuming it's pretty selective in AFSOC.

 

[HAL Pilot]

Once again, you need to research how the Navy and Marines work. Google is you friend. You are asking people here to teach you from the ground up. Do some research and it will be obvious why all your questions are really not applicable.

 

[Mos]

The Navy, and the military in general, has increasingly moved from specialization to multi mission. It makes it harder for us to be good at any one thing, but makes us more flexible and gives flag officers a warm and fuzzy that they have a lot of forces that can solve a lot of different problems. This is driven by, among other things, resource constraints and operational demands.

 

[RedFive]

Why are the no (officially) elite fighter aviation units in the military?

Dude. There definitely are. Don't listen to these guys. Everyone here is just too jealous to admit their existence. That's why I have two sets of wings. Two is better than one. They only give them out to the best of the best of the best. Cougar was the best, but he turned in his wings. Now I'm the best. I am $up3r 3l!tE p!l0t.

 

[Brett327]

Well I guess my main question to that is, why not set it in stone? Like, what is the general next career step for a TOPGUN IP if he/she wants to deploy again?

Where do you think TOPGUN staff goes after their tours there are complete?

 

[Swanee]

The Navy and Marine Corps are task organized and trained to complete certain missions to a competency level before they deploy.

There is not enough of a demand that require service level redundancy in those other capabilities.

BTW- there is a program that the AF has called "Rapid Raptor" where the goal is to rapidly deploy a capability to where it is needed in a short amount of time. That capability is not a group of highly experienced secret squirrel pilots...

 

[ChiccinTendies]

The Navy and Marine Corps are task organized and trained to complete certain missions to a competency level before they deploy.

There is not enough of a demand that require service level redundancy in those other capabilities.

BTW- there is a program that the AF has called "Rapid Raptor" where the goal is to rapidly deploy a capability to where it is needed in a short amount of time. That capability is not a group of highly experienced secret squirrel pilots...

Are you sure? This article makes F-22 pilots sound like everything I've been asking about.