Semper Angry

[snake020]

For those that were in chat last night, here's the E-mail I was talking about. For everyone else...
Background: In May, the AF had its first round of force shaping cuts, where officers from the 02/03 commissioning year groups were boarded and cuts were made based on a desired end strength. Some fields like security forces, maintenance, and public affairs saw cuts of 50-70% of officers from those year groups. The following is a public E-mail war between an angry security forces officer that got notified he was getting the boot while he was in the middle of a deployment to the desert, and a pilot from one of the -15 squadrons. There is also some bitterness as officers in rated positions (pilot, nav, etc). were immune to force shaping cuts, regardless of any overages in manning.

E-mails to the "CGOC" list represent E-mails sent out to approximately 700 officers between 2nd Lt and Capt on the base. Names have been changed to protect the non-innocents.



-----Original Message-----
From: Elmendorf CGOC
To: Elmendorf CGOC
Sent: 5/16/2006 1:17 PM

Fellow CGOs,

Due to PCSs I am looking for two volunteers to help teach a Core Values class at FTAC. This is an excellent opportunity for us CGOs to interact with young, impressionable airmen and guide them down the road to success. I have been involved with this class for several years and have found it rewarding for both the Airmen and myself.

Although the time commitment is not large—a one hour class about every 6 weeks—the difference you make will be huge.

If you would like to get involved in this great leadership opportunity please let me know via e-mail or phone. Thank you.

V/R,

DOCTOR FRIENDLY, Capt, USAF, BSC


-----Original Message-----
From: Angry Cop 1stLt 3 SFS/SFO
Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 6:57 PM
To: Elmendorf CGOC; Elmendorf CGOC
Subject: RE:

How about we teach them to grab whatever they can from the Air Force before they decide to throw you away as an overage so the AF can afford one more POS F-22 a year? I'll totally teach that class.

semper angry


-----Original Message-----
From: F-15 Pilot Capt 12 FS/DOC
To: Angry Cop 1stLt 3 SFS/SFO
Sent: 5/23/2006 7:18 PM
Subject: RE:

Good thing you replied to all. You've got great foresight - maybe we should cancel the F-22 and fight on a level playing field with the threat.


-----Original Message-----
From: Angry Cop 1stLt 3 SFS/SFO
To: Elmendorf CGOC; Elmendorf CGOC
Sent: 5/23/2006 8:03 PM
Subject: RE:

forgot to put my original e-mail in here...

NOW the war is on:

The reply to all was intended... or actually unavoidable. The message was sent from a group account. I was going to re-forward this to all, but I think this looks like a nice one on one.

In case you haven't been paying attention to the past three years of the war, our fight is 90% on the ground. The current air piece consists of C2, Medivac, SpecOps, and the occasional "surgical strike" that can be accomplished cheaper with an AC-130 or 105 howitzers from Army or Marine fire control. That's because we destroyed the enemy air force on the ground (thanks to JSTARS and AWACS detection and relay to current gen AC). When we go to war with Iran it will be joint ground forces and convoys that own the battlefield after day 2. The current AC we have will certainly suffice for the openers.

You don't win wars from the air; you win them by physically occupying territory. The air piece helps for sure, but nobody is really touching us in the air now. We need ground leaders and better armor for personnel and vehicles; we need better ground radio systems, not "stealth" fighters that have no enemies. Two weeks into the next war we'll be using the F-22s like we use the F-15s right now... as stand-ins for AC-130s.

Oh wait... I should be happy that I am getting force shaped for the betterment of our future war machine! Wooo! Go Air Force! I am a part of the greater good. Wonderful.

The age of the fighter pilot as the tip of the spear has passed. Give the job to warrant officers as we should have done years ago. Spend money on protecting the lives of squads of humans, rather than a single human flying a machine that will be replaced with UCAVs in the near future.


-----Original Message-----
From: F-15 Pilot Capt 12 FS/DOC
To: Angry Cop 1stLt 3 SFS/SFO
Sent: 5/23/2006 8:45 PM
Subject: RE:

Like I said, great foresight - interesting that they chose you to be force shaped.


-----Original Message-----
From: Angry Cop 1stLt 3 SFS/SFO
To: Elmendorf CGOC; Elmendorf CGOC
Tue 5/23/2006 10:09 PM
Subject: RE:

Round III

To those that asked not to be included in my e-mails... sorry... no way to remove individual names. Just make a auto delete rule for my name in your mailbox or something.

-----------------------------------------

That's it, cap'n... stick it to the man that's getting kicked out. You sure learned me a lesson or two in how the AF works. Gee... maybe I was wrong most officers being overly self important.

Oh yeah... next time you are musing over the air medals you won during some milk run over Iraq, remember to laugh at all the support troops that allow you to live the AF dream... because that's what heroes do.

My original e-mail to the CGOC was meant to be a sarcastic little trifle on my way out the door. You have turned it into so much more... you've shown me that the AF just may be rotten at the junior officer level... my peer group. Just think... if I hadn't gotten force shaped I would actually be securing the aircraft that you fly. The thought alone makes me throw up in my mouth just a little.

 

[HarveyBirdman]

Trouble in paradise?

wow..I feel for the guy

but the Chair-Force needs to re-vamp its self to survive.

go navy!

 

[greysword]

I had to look up CGOC, and I found this:

http://www.afa.org/members/councils/councgo.asp


[FONT=arial,verdana,helvetica,sans serif]The Company Grade Officers’ Council is comprised of officers from the Air Force’s major commands, operating agencies and direct reporting units. They represent officers in the rank of second lieutenant through captain.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,verdana,helvetica,sans serif]The responsibilities of the Company Grade Officers’ Council are as follows:[/FONT]

1. Develops Air Force policy recommendations on quality of life and quality of service issues, which impact company grade officers serving in the Air Force.

2. Identifies and prioritizes quality of life and quality of service issues, driven by legislative action, which impact company grade officers serving in the Air Force.

3. Prepares input, to include background information, and recommend action by the Air Force on these issues.

4. Makes recommendations to the Air Force through the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel on policy issues which impact Air Force Company Grade Officers.

5. Responds to Air Force requests for study, evaluation, and/or recommendation on issues affecting Air Force Company Grade Officers.

6. Performs such other duties as may be assigned by the Air Force.

 

[snizo]

It has been happening to the Navy (to a lesser degree) for the last two years. Seems like it is calming down now, though.

They aren't trying to save money so that they can buy another ____. They are trying to save money in the AF and USN because the Army is damn expensive right now.

 

[highlyrandom]

Oh, maybe it will happen again soon, but that's not to say it should. Replacing experience, however junior, with variable numbers of new recruits, is a damn stupid way to run a military.

What the AF should do is stash 2LTs in jobs they give to DoD civilians. That way you don't have to pay for new basic training to replace the JOs if flight school is full, and you only need tag a new 6-year committment onto the wings should a spot open up.

End result: instead of throwing the 2LT out on his ass, he gets to serve in as-needed year-long blocks in general DoD duties (R&D, logistics, flying UAVs) as a civilian until flight school has a spot. If there's no spot after 5 years, option is given to either stay in or get out...but the AF hasn't lost money, since that's the same committment a missle weenie would have.

Here's the trick: suspended promotion, advanced pay. There's no functional difference, in this system, between a 24 year old who goes to OCS and is a winged first lieutenant by 26, and a 22 year old who graduates from USAFA, gets "force shaped," works intel or logistics for 2 years as a GS -with permanent rank reverting to 2LT- flight school by 24, 1LT and wings by 26. The pay increase gets tagged on just like O-1E vs. O-1, and you get to pass on 2 years committment after wings because it would be a ground job which you've just spent 2 years doing after college.

Okay it sounds sketch but it would work, and it circumvents the problems with too-senior junior pilots (no Majors as first-tour new guys) as well as payment commensurate with services rendered to the national defense. And it's easier than paying real civilians to do support jobs.

 

[HarveyBirdman]

That actualy sounds good.

why isnt it like that?

 

[snizo]

Actually that is a great idea.

Harvey - because you're talking about a group who pays $100,000 (or so) per officer's education, then, on a whim, says "oh wait" and fires 100 at a time. I'm sure they haven't thought of it.

It is certainly worthy of a letter to my senators.

For the moment, though, the Navy is not IRADing DORs/attrites.

 

[Fmr1833]

Perhaps I missed something, but aren't they protecting winged guys right now? My brother flies in the AF and says they weren't even considered for this crap.

 

[highlyrandom]

Yeah we're talking about flight school students.

 

[snake020]

highlyrandom: I'm not tracking you.

It's the non-pilots that they are kicking out when they are 1st Lts after 2-3 years in. Not sure how your proposed plan would work with that.

 

[Fmr1833]

highlyrandom: I'm not tracking you.

It's the non-pilots that they are kicking out when they are 1st Lts after 2-3 years in. Not sure how your proposed plan would work with that.

Kind of my point, pilots/navs (student or not) are not getting separated, it's the support guys that are being dealt the blow. Hence the anger in Semper Angry's email. The reality is that the AF is due for some forceshaping. Does that suck? Yes. It happened to my Dad, but it's the nature of the beast. That this guy thinks an unprofessional email is the way to go is just sad. Hold your head up and suck it up. There's life outside of the military.

 

[highlyrandom]

Ah. Noted.

In which case, I reverse my position and side with Johnnie Rico:

"What kind of an army has more "officers" than corporals? (And more noncoms than privates!) An army organized to lose wars - if history means anything. An army that is mostly organization, red tape, and overhead, most of whose "soldiers" never fight."

"But what do "officers" do who do not command fighting men?"

"Fiddlework, apparently - officer's club officer, morale officer, athletics officer, public information officer, public information officer, recreation officer, PX officer, transportation officer, legal officer, chaplain, assistant chaplain, junior assistant chaplain, officer in charge of anything anyone can think of..."

"In the M.I., such things are extra duty for combat officers or, if they are real jobs, they are done better and cheaper and without demoralizing a fighting outfit by hiring civilians..."


See, just then, I came pretty close to resigning my commission. But then I remembered...this isn't the student pool...my fellow JOs and I are in training to command the best tactical crews and the best maintenance people in the world, bringing the Four Fans of Freedom to bear over the nations that seek to do us harm and the oceans that keep our lifeblood flowing.

...and it all started when we all almost got kicked out of API.

Go Navy. Beat Air Force. Happy Thanksgiving.

-highly

 

[snake020]

"What kind of an army has more "officers" than corporals? (And more noncoms than privates!) An army organized to lose wars - if history means anything. An army that is mostly organization, red tape, and overhead, most of whose "soldiers" never fight."

"But what do "officers" do who do not command fighting men?"

"Fiddlework, apparently - officer's club officer, morale officer, athletics officer, public information officer, public information officer, recreation officer, PX officer, transportation officer, legal officer, chaplain, assistant chaplain, junior assistant chaplain, officer in charge of anything anyone can think of..."

"In the M.I., such things are extra duty for combat officers or, if they are real jobs, they are done better and cheaper and without demoralizing a fighting outfit by hiring civilians..."

I think I need to read Starship Troopers. I can't think of anything that summarizes my view better on the current role I have an an "officer" in the chair force.

 

[Carno]

Anyone who has never read Starship Troopers needs to do so immediately. It is a great book that was done a grave injustice by the movie.

/end threadjack

 

[Huggy Bear]

This reminds me of my wife's story. She was an Air Force nurse and got out as a captain after 5 years in. Right before she was commissioned in '97, the air force offered the opportunity for all nurses to walk away, education paid for, without any commitment or payback. She chose to stay, but found herself in a community woefully undermanned. She often found herself as the only emergency room nurse on a floor with 16 patients, and so busy she did not pee for an entire 12 hour shift. I think some states limit patients per nurse to only 5 or 6. The funny thing is, within a couple of years they were so undermanned on nurses they actually started stop-lossing them.

This is just too typical of the military. Let's band-aid a problem because in a couple of years I will be out of this job and it will be someone else's problem.