Friday, October 08, 2010

Not Your Father's Air Force VI... or Not As Bad As We Thought

Back in August of this year I put this lil blurb up:

The Fifth Installment of Not Your Father's Air Force (I Counted)

From today's AFA Daily Report:
Into the Wild Blue Yonder: The Air Force leadership intends to announce USAF's new motto at the conclusion of the next Corona senior leadership summit in late September. The process of identifying a new motto began in February with airmen given the opportunity to voice their suggestions. Service officials are now close to having a list of 10 candidate mottos that airmen will get the chance to rack and stack in a survey. The top three selections will then be carried into the Corona in Colorado Springs, Colo. The leadership will then decide upon the winner. "The intent is to create a phrase that captures the spirit of the Air Force, is inspirational, and serves as an enduring rallying cry for airmen, from airmen," said Gen. Howie Chandler, USAF Vice Chief of Staff. (SAF/PA report by TSgt. Amaani Lyle)
Facepalm.
There was more to that post than what you see above; we went off on a bit of a rant.  That said, the day has arrived and here we are:
Say Hello to USAF's New Motto: Airmen spoke, the leadership listened, and, as a result, the Air Force's new motto is: "Aim High … Fly-Fight-Win." (ed: emphasis mine) USAF officials said the new motto is a two-part expression meant to be an enduring statement of airmen's pride in their service. It contains the call to action, "Aim High," and the response of commitment, "Fly-Fight-Win." Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said the leadership did its best "to give voice to how airmen feel about serving this nation." CMSAF James Roy added, "This is for the hundreds of thousands of airmen who now serve, who have served, and who will serve in the future." The motto will be gradually incorporated in Air Force presentations, correspondence, and products as well as training and education courses. The search for the right motto incorporated extensive inputs over the past eight months from all ranks and career fields. (SAF/PA release)
Like I said:  not as bad as I thought.  It could have been worse, Gentle Reader... much worse.   There's nothing like the bureaucratic hive mind when it comes to developing and institutionalizing inanity.  Speaking of bureaucracy...
The chief master sergeant of the Air Force, the director of Air Force Public Affairs, the Air Force director of force management policy, and the commander of Air Force Recruiting Service provided the leadership oversight for the motto team research experts.

In early 2010, the motto team engaged in almost nine months of hands-on research that began with extensive face-to-face meetings with nearly 300 total force Airmen from all job specialties and in every major command. Airmen described to the team what they thought it means to be an Airman, to serve and what is unique about the Air Force.
[...]
An Air Force-wide survey to validate and quantify input from discussions indicated Airmen have a shared pride in their abilities to adapt to meet any threat, and they feel empowered to bring innovation and excellence to the mission of national defense.

After understanding the shared identity, the motto team began transforming words and concepts into a unifying, enduring and credible motto, said Lt. Col. Clark Groves, Ph.D., the lead scientist for the project.
  
WTF?  Doesn't that just REEK of Harvard Bid'niz Review?  But leave us not not belabor the obvious.  Color me old fashioned, call me a fuddy-duddy, or just assume I'm not fully caffeinated at this hour but taking senior leadership's eyes (if PA and such can be called that) off the operational ball for "nine months of hands-on research," not to mention eating the time... however small it might have been... of "nearly 300 total-force airmen" to develop a frickin' motto tells me the kids ain't all right. 

(Sigh) We'll get out of rant mode and look at what's been done.  The new motto has a back-to-the-future ring to it, as "Aim High" has been around at least since the early to mid '80s and the "Fly Fight Win" bits are a respectful nod to the old unofficial USAF motto... "To Fly and To Fight!"... which was in place for my entire career.  I'm thinkin' a whole helluva lot of time and money could have been saved by NOT fixing what ain't broke.  At the same time one wonders what Col. Groves' next project will be.

11 comments:

  1. Yeah -- I'm not sure from day to day what the Army's motto will be. Doing that research would have to be a sweet gig, though.

    I'm not sure what I think about the new USAF motto.

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  2. I like the new motto just fine. I mean, what's not to like? Other than the retarded process, the time wasted, and the monor that decided one was badly needed...nothing!

    Dunno! Maybe Airmen do need a motto to remind them that they should aim high, and fly, and fight, and win.

    I'll bet there was some confusion there, and many probably thought that their job was to shoot really low, and crash, and surrender, and lose.

    Glad the Pentagon took note of your blog again, Buck. I'm sure you are way up there on their reading list. Ain't The Net grand? I mean, one man's thoughts can be relayed in an instant to the powers that be, through a few simple clicks, and a friendly Gooble.

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  3. I'm not sure from day to day what the Army's motto will be. Doing that research would have to be a sweet gig, though.

    Well, ya piqued my interest, Moogie, so I went googling... and found NO definitive answer. I thought the current motto was "Army strong!" but that's apparently more of a PR message than anything else. There doesn't appear to be an Army motto everyone can agree upon. That's weird, innit?

    I'm not sure what I think of the new Air Force motto, either. A subject for future beer-fueled discussion, this.

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  4. For a while they were using that "Army of One" deal in PR campaigns. I thought that was pretty ridiculous.

    Hell, I don't want to be in no Army of one.

    I wonder if the squids have a "motto." The Gooble says "There is no official motto for the U.S. Navy. "Non sibi sed patriae" (Not self but country) is often cited as the Navy's motto, however."

    I guess the jarheads "Always Faithful" is pretty good.

    But, I'd just recommend a service-wide motto, especially with ObozO in charge. How about we just steal the old Boy Scouts motto...

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  5. That Fly-Fight-Win part -- where's the cheerleaders??

    I know I'm in football mode, but doesn't that kinda sound like some high school cheer? Odd. Oh, well, I'm not in the AF.

    Wasn't Army of One something the Army was using for a while, too?

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  6. I don't recall the Navy having any motto, at least not during my tenure.

    Maybe the time and money could have been better spent concentrating on the mission.

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  7. Like Kath, I thought of the cheerleader thang. So how many airmen does it take to change a lightbulb...

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  8. I mean, what's not to like? Other than the retarded process, the time wasted, and the monor that decided one was badly needed...nothing!

    Egg-ZACKLY! And I agree about that "Army of One" thingie... stoopid to the MAX.

    The Marines have it right, as you noted. The rest are still looking and thrashing around, the sign of a mature, full-blown bureaucracy.

    I know I'm in football mode, but doesn't that kinda sound like some high school cheer?

    You don't know the half of it, Kath. I could be wrong, but I think it's SUPPOSED to be a call-response thing. As in one person shouts "Aim High!" and the massed group responds "Fly Fight Win!" Aiiieee.

    I don't recall the Navy having any motto, at least not during my tenure.

    I think you guys are "A Global Force For Good" now, ain'tcha? ;-)

    Lou: Heh.

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  9. dude! for that motto, ya gotta be happy those on the team WERE NOT in charge of real personnel, true?

    :)

    hope the cake was nice - say "Hi" to the old girl for me, she's treated you well on the open road, Chief!!!

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  10. Dad, just to answer one question above...it is a call response thing. Just like a lot of the others you and I have seen throughout our careers.
    My personal opinion on the whole thing (while not timely!) is exactly along you and Andy's lines. We've had both of those in the past...why was it so hard to figure this out. Found out this week it came down to those two and they couldn't throw either of them out...so...
    From a General's mouth...

    SN1

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  11. dude! for that motto, ya gotta be happy those on the team WERE NOT in charge of real personnel, true?

    Steve! Dang, Bud... LOOONG time!

    Found out this week it came down to those two and they couldn't throw either of them out...so...

    Suspicions confirmed and all that. (BIG-ass sigh goes here) Thanks for the gouge, Buck.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.