I'll buy that. The one advantage the Army does have is the ability to keep it pilots in the cockpit.
[/quote]
I'd say this is apples and oranges rather than an advantage or disadvantage- let me explain what I mean (and please add/correct as necessary) in an institutional sense. I want to step back and start with a Navy example to help make my point:
Navy pilot (1)
-Gets wings, does FRS, joins fleet squadron (deployable unit) with ~300hrs TT, often gets to 400~500hrs before actually deploying (due to workup cycles, timing, etc.)
-3 years (+/- a few months), finishes with ~1000hrs
-might or might not fly for next 3 years on shore duty (non-deployable unit)
-probably won't fly for next 2 years* but is
expected to apply that tactical experience and expertise elsewhere in the naval service
-* "Super JO" (flying with deployable unit) tours in lieu of this 2 year non-flying ebb and flow over the years but usually ebb
-
probably re-joins fleet squadron as department head for 2-3 years and deploys, otherwise might instruct in a non-deployable training unit instead
-post-department head
operational level staff jobs, possible squadron CO
-In 20 year career might be in a deployable aviation unit for
as little as 3 years (but 5-10 is typical)
USMC pilot (Marines, help me out here)
-similar, but fleet tour is longer with 4-6 years being the norm
-opportunity to reach
much higher tactical proficiency during those extra years
-shore duty/non-flying "B billet" tours are roughly analogous but the timing seems to vary more widely than the typical Navy career path
-re-joins fleet squadron as department head for 2-3 years and deploys
-post-department head
operational level staff jobs, possible squadron CO
Army pilot- O (and help me out with this)
-joins deployable unit with typically less flight hours than Navy/Marine (not saying this is good or bad)
-stays with that unit for ??? years
-moves to brigade and higher staffs and is
expected to apply that tactical experience and expertise elsewhere in the service
-might re-join deployable flying unit or occasionally fly with them (again, help me out)
-later moves to
operational level echelon staff jobs and higher
Army pilot- W
- " "
-tactically focused for entire career
-opportunity to reach
much higher tactical proficiency and maintain it
Soooo... institutional apples and oranges in all three services. Tactics are always important but the big machine will slow down a few days into the war if there aren't institutional mechanisms in place to keep the gas, spare parts, and ammo coming, make airspace plans that will actually work or fix them when they don't, and get all the cats and dogs to play nice together and generally be more effective...
Man... I gotta do something better than talk up operational art on my day off....
(1) Navy pilot "W"... still TBD- a similar animal called Flying LDO came and went in the 1990s.