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.

Not Your Father's Air Force VIII

No snark or "get off my lawn" stuff with today's NYFAF... just me feelin' like I should break out with a couple o' choruses of Dylan's "The Times they Are A Changin'."  From today's AFA Daily Report:

Hello, Air Forces Cyber: Twenty-fourth Air Force, USAF's cyber operations arm at Lackland AFB, Tex., on Wednesday added "Air Forces Cyber" to its title. The organization is now: 24th Air Force (Air Forces Cyber). The addition is meant to reflect better the numbered air force's USAF mission and its role as the Air Force element supporting US Cyber Command at Fort, Meade, Md. (CYBERCOM is the lead organization for protecting the Defense Department's networks.) The change also conforms to the Air Force's naming practice that aligns its NAFs with the combatant commands that they support. Col. Mark Ware, 24th AF's director of cyberspace plans and operations, said the name change "will not impact the 24th Air Force's mission." According to Ware, Wednesday's move came five years to the day that the Air Force added "cyberspace," for the first time, to its mission statement. (Lackland report by TSgt. Scott McNabb)

And this...

Officers Graduate Cyberspace Course: The undergraduate cyberspace training course at Keesler AFB, Miss., on Wednesday graduated its first class of 15 officers. The students completed six months of rigorous training with the 333rd Training Squadron, learning the fundamentals of operations in the cyber domain. The course is part of the Air Force's vision for a "fully developed Air Force cyberspace operations workforce," according to Keesler's release. "You might not fully appreciate the magnitude of your military service in this mission area right now, but I promise you that if you maintain your commitment and stay in the armed forces, when you look back on your life one day, you [will] realize how unbelievable it was to have had this historic opportunity to be part of such a special, pioneering group," said Maj. Gen. Michael Basla, Air Force Space Command vice commander, at the dinner honoring the graduates. (See also Back to Cyberspace)

I'm sure you won't be surprised, Gentle Reader, when I mention I served back in the 75 baud teletype era, when our computers were massive mainframes housed in blockhouses and driven by big-ass tape drives or stacks of punch cards.  Cyberspace was unknown and the word "cyber" was something you found in a Heinlein novel, not in your vernacular or on your desk. All that said, I have the Air Force to thank for my brief 16-year IT career.  

Like nearly everything else in my life, my first encounter with computers happened strictly by accident.  I was selected to be my office's point man for the roll-out of Air Force Communications Command/Engineering-Installation Division's very first desk top computers.  This happened sometime in  1984, when the AF put spiffy new 5.25" dual-floppy Zenith Z-100 machines on everyone's desk at the EID.  Looking back, those were clunky lil machines with a laughable office automation software package that featured the Peachtext word processor and other nearly worthless applications (by today's standards).  But, Hey!  That was a start and that start got my foot in the IT world's door.  A year or so after that project was over I found myself up in Dee-troit, working for Electronic Data Systems in the beginning of what was to be an exciting and very rewarding career in IT.  Thanks, USAF!

So, to bring it back full circle, I agree with what General Basla told those young officers at their graduation dinner.  There most certainly WILL come a time when these newly minted cyber-warriors will look back on their careers with something like wonder.  I know I sure do. 

The Sunday Re-Run

(Sigh)  I have a classic case o' The Blahs today and don't feel like doin' much o' anythang, which includes writing a new and riveting blog post.  Or even goin' shopping, which is sumthin' I MUST do later on today, assuming the Motivation Fairy flits in and dusts me with the appropriate stuff.  Or hits me with her wand, or however that works.  There are mysteries in life and this is one of 'em.

So... it's a re-run fer you, and a recent one, at that.  Yesterday's snark-fest about ridiculous uniforms is not without precedent, yanno?  And the Air Force provides sufficient fodder every so often to keep the snark machine well-oiled and fully serviceable.  Here's another one of those, in which we start off in non-snark mode until we hit the inevitable ridiculousness.

Not Your Father's Air Force XII

I found out today that the Air Force Personnel Center has a spiffy web site devoted to what used to be known as AFR 35-10... the bane of my military existence and a perpetual thorn in my non-conformist side... but is now AFI 36-2903.  (Minor digression: Today's Modern Air Force doesn't have regulations; it has "instructions."  This irritates me slightly, an unusual position for a non-conformist to take.  Whatevah.)  I found out about the web site through the (other) usual source, of course.

Eye on Style: The Air Force's dress and appearance standards website is now fully operational and ready to help airmen with their uniform questions. The site is accessible via Air Force Personnel Center's public website (left column under "featured programs"). It's designed for ease of use. "It has both pictures and word descriptions of everything," said Capt. Meghan Liemburg-Archer, Air Combat Command force management officer at Langley AFB, Va. She continued, "So you can click if you have a question specifically on [physical training] wear, or you can type in 'PT uniform,' and it will show you a picture for both genders." The website also has a frequently asked questions page. Personnel officials will keep the site up to date. "The website is going to be your most accurate resource," said Liemburg-Archer. The website debuted last July. (Langley report by SrA. Jason Shamberger)

"Well, cool!" sez I while promptly trotting off to check out all the different unis.  I was suitably (heh) impressed with the site's ease of use, the clarity and brevity of the writing, and the sheer diversity of all things 35-10 36-2903.  A couple o' screen shots:

There sure are a LOT of unis these days!  One wonders how many of these uniforms are part of an airman's original issue, how many are "optional" (by that I mean authorized for wear but bought at one's own expense), and how many are organizational issue.  As an example, the parka used to be "organizational issue" back in my day: you drew one from supply at your cold weather base upon arrival and turned it in when you left.  Those things were expensive, Gentle Reader... and warm, too.  The Air Force gave me the absolute best cold weather gear I've ever worn... period, end of report.

Long time readers know my "Not Your Father's Air Force" series tends to run heavily on snark and/or "Get Off My Lawn!" sorts of comments.  I was thinkin' "Good on the AF" as I scrolled down and clicked on the various uniform combos, read the verbiage, and all that happy stuff.  No snark potential here!  Well, check THAT, coz there's THIS:

O my aching ass... It's the Mr. Rogers uniform!

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

Way t'go, Air Force.

The comments to the original post are pretty good.

Not Your Father's Air Force XII

I found out today that the Air Force Personnel Center has a spiffy web site devoted to what used to be known as AFR 35-10... the bane of my military existence and a perpetual thorn in my non-conformist side... but is now AFI 36-2903.  (Minor digression: Today's Modern Air Force doesn't have regulations; it has "instructions."  This irritates me slightly, an unusual position for a non-conformist to take.  Whatevah.)  I found out about the web site through the (other) usual source, of course.

Eye on Style: The Air Force's dress and appearance standards website is now fully operational and ready to help airmen with their uniform questions. The site is accessible via Air Force Personnel Center's public website (left column under "featured programs"). It's designed for ease of use. "It has both pictures and word descriptions of everything," said Capt. Meghan Liemburg-Archer, Air Combat Command force management officer at Langley AFB, Va. She continued, "So you can click if you have a question specifically on [physical training] wear, or you can type in 'PT uniform,' and it will show you a picture for both genders." The website also has a frequently asked questions page. Personnel officials will keep the site up to date. "The website is going to be your most accurate resource," said Liemburg-Archer. The website debuted last July. (Langley report by SrA. Jason Shamberger)

"Well, cool!" sez I while promptly trotting off to check out all the different unis.  I was suitably (heh) impressed with the site's ease of use, the clarity and brevity of the writing, and the sheer diversity of all things 35-10 36-2903.  A couple o' screen shots:

There sure are a LOT of unis these days!  One wonders how many of these uniforms are part of an airman's original issue, how many are "optional" (by that I mean authorized for wear but bought at one's own expense), and how many are organizational issue.  As an example, the parka used to be "organizational issue" back in my day: you drew one from supply at your cold weather base upon arrival and turned it in when you left.  Those things were expensive, Gentle Reader... and warm, too.  The Air Force gave me the absolute best cold weather gear I've ever worn... period, end of report.

Long time readers know my "Not Your Father's Air Force" series tends to run heavily on snark and/or "Get Off My Lawn!" sorts of comments.  I was thinkin' "Good on the AF" as I scrolled down and clicked on the various uniform combos, read the verbiage, and all that happy stuff.  No snark potential here!  Well, check THAT, coz there's THIS:

O my aching ass... It's the Mr. Rogers uniform!

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

Way t'go, Air Force.

Not Your Father's Air Force XXXVI

Yet another brick in the wall we call "Not Your Father's Air Force:"

That's a screen shot of a blurb in AFA's Daily Report.  The subject of the article... changes to the promotion system on the E-side of the house... obviously doesn't concern me anymore.  I noted with some interest the current system has a maximum rating of five in the various evaluation categories; in my day we used a 1 - 9 scale, nine being best, but that's neither here nor there.  I clicked on the photo accompanying the article to get a better view of CMSAF Cody and then went off to AF.mil to read his bio, among other things.  Here's Chief Cody's official mug shot:

And here's a detail from that mug shot:

There's this, for those of you who aren't familiar with what all those pretty pieces o' cloth mean:

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon

Those are the MAJOR decorations, you'll note Chief Cody actually sports 25... count 'em... 25 ribbons.  Contrast the above with the Air Force's first-ever Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (the CMSAF position was created in 1967), Paul Airey:

Chief Airey's decs:

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
POW Medal

(a total of 16 awards and decs)

You'll note both Chiefs were awarded the Legion of Merit.  There's this about CMSAF Airey's LoM:

During the Korean conflict, he was awarded the Legion of Merit while assigned at Naha Air Base, Okinawa. The award, an uncommon decoration for an enlisted man, was earned for creating a means of constructing equipment from salvaged parts that improved corrosion control of sensitive radio and radar components.

Key words: "uncommon decoration for an enlisted man."  Apparently the LoM ain't exactly uncommon any longer.

We've gone on (and on) about "medal creep" a lot here at EIP and this just adds more fuel to my fire.  It's bad enough when our generals walk around with more medals than yer average South American dictator (or Rooshian marshals, see link) but when our senior NCOs sport 25 medals and ribbons, well... I guess my point's made.  And don't get me started about the current CMSAF's ridiculous chevrons.

(No, it's NOT sour grapes.  I know what yer thinkin'.)

Not Your Father's Air Force XXIV

Which is actually a follow-up to NYFAF XIX:

The Russians are Coming, Almost: US and Russian officials continue to hash out the details of a B-52/Tu-95 bomber exchange, Air Force Global Strike Command spokeswoman Capt. Karen Mock told the Daily Report. "Further discussions are presently underway to solidify the details for the execution of exchange visits of bombers, crews, and support personnel," said Mock on Jan. 11. AFGSC announced the US-Russia "long-range aviation bomber exchange program" last August after a command-led delegation returned from a site survey of Engels Air Base in Saratov, Russia, to determine if Engels was suitable to support B-52H operations. The July 21-28, 2012, visit came after a Russian group toured Barksdale AFB, La., from July 11-12, 2012, to gauge its ability to host the Tu-95. Mock said the "site surveys at both locations were found to be satisfactory." The Russians proposed the bomber exchange during annual US-Russia security-cooperation discussions, she said.

Details, details.  I think the Debbil's in there, somewhere.

Just in case ya missed it...

Friday, August 10, 2012

Not Your Father's Air Force XIX

From the Usual USAF Source:

Members from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and Russian Federation air force personnel pose for a group photo as a Tu-95 “Bear” bomber prepares to land at Engels Air Base, Russia, July 25, 2012. Col. Andrew Gebara, 2nd Bomb Wing commander, and a team of experts visited the Russian base to determine the suitability of the airfield for B-52H Stratofortress operations. (Courtesy photo)

US, Russia Create Bomber Exchange Program: A delegation from Barksdale AFB, La., visited Engels Air Base in Saratov, Russia, establishing the foundation for a US-Russia long-range aviation bomber exchange program, announced Air Force Global Strike Command officials. "We're going to fly B-52s to Russia and they're going to fly Tu-95 Bears to Barksdale," said 2nd Bomb Wing Commander Col. Andrew Gebara, who led the Barksdale group, in an Aug. 8 release. He added, "It's a tremendous opportunity for our two nations to learn from each other to improve aviation technology and skills in our respective air forces." During the July visit, the seven-member US delegation evaluated Engels airfield to see if it was suitable for B-52H operations. "One of the big takeaways from our trip is that while we fly different aircraft and are from opposite ends of the globe, our objective is the same," said Lt. Col. Michael Thompson, 2nd BW director of staff, who was with the delegation. "We all want to have a safe and credible deterrent force." (Barksdale report by A1C Samuel O'Brien)

Oh, my aching ASS.  First it was the rumor that the Rooshians were gonna fly at Red Flag, now this... which is no rumor at all.  It also looks like those (former) commies are gettin' the better end o' the deal, too, what with goin' to Barksdale.  Our guys, OTOH, are gonna be stuck out in the middle o' freakin' NOwhere. 

See?

Well, at least blog-bud Loosy-Anna Andy will get to see some Bears up close and personal (sorta).

I'd kinda like to see a Bear myownself, actually.

Unmanned Aerial Systems

In USAF news… Unmanned Aerial Systems have been getting a lot of attention this past week as USAF rolled out its Unmanned Aerial System Flight Plan last Thursday afternoon at the Pentagon. Here are a couple of items from last Thursday's briefing, courtesy (as usual) of the AFA's Daily Report:

UAV as Sixth-Gen Fighter?: Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, the Air Staff's head of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, said it is not unrealistic to imagine an unmanned aerial vehicle as successor to fifth-generation fighters—the F-22 and yet-to-field F-35—in our national military strategy, however he added that UAVs still require some technology maturation before they would be ready to assume that mantle. "It depends on your definition of fighter," Deptula said during the July 23 press briefing on the service's new unmanned aerial systems flight plan. Terminology has a habit of fixing us in the past, he said. "That quite frankly has been some of our challenges with labeling fifth-generation fighters," Deptula explained. He added that fighters such as the F-22 bring a wide array of capabilities to a fight, from electronic attack to standoff strike and ISR sensors. Today's fifth-gen fighters are flying sensor platforms that will have the ability to penetrate denied airspace and extract information while also retaining traditional strike capabilities. "An F-22 or an F-35 … does not perform the same functions as a P-51 did," he said. UAV systems will certainly be used to deliver weapons on a target in the future, he said, but if the question becomes dealing with controlling airspace filled with enemy aircraft, technology is not yet at the point where an unmanned vehicle can achieve the level of spherical situational awareness, assimilation, and translation of information into action that a human being in a cockpit can. "At some day, we might be able to, but until then, we'll still have manned aircraft," he added.

At the official rollout of the Air Force's new Unmanned Aerial System Flight Plan 2009-2047, July 23, 2009, UAS task force commander, Col. Eric Mathewson, told reporters that the UAV does have a cockpit, what operators call the "1-G cockpit," the ground control station that he said offers one of the UAS primary strengths—its persistence. Here, A1C Caleb Force assists 1st Lt. Jorden Smith in locating simulated targets during an MQ-1 Predator training mission April 22, 2009, at Creech AFB, Nev. Force is a Predator sensor operator and Smith is a Predator pilot. Both are assigned to the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron. US Air Force photo/SrA. Nadine Y. Barclay

The Persistence-Plus Cockpit: At the official rollout of the Air Force's new Unmanned Aerial System Flight Plan 2009-2047, Thursday afternoon, the service's vice chief of staff, Gen. William Fraser, acknowledged that most focus on UAS operations is on the unmanned aerial vehicle itself, but he said, "While the operator may not be sitting in the cockpit, at the heart of these unmanned systems, and really at the core of all of our missions, are highly skilled airmen." (Read our initial coverage, which reports the shift to a future in which UAVs are dominant.) UAS task force commander, Col. Eric Mathewson, cast a slightly different light when he said that one of the strengths of UAVs is its "1-G cockpit," the ground control station in which he "can always have a fresh crew, which enables any sort of persistence." Gen. Dave Deptula, the Air Staff's intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance czar, called that persistence capability "first among equals." He said, "What UAS is bringing to the table is the ability to stay in position or maneuver over large areas for a long period of time, and that's where a person in an aircraft becomes a limitation." The Air Force flight plan, they say, is meant to institutionalize USAF's vision for developing and resourcing unmanned capabilities for the foreseeable future. Deptula noted: "We are today, with unmanned aerial systems, about where we were in the 1920s with manned aircraft. Lots of potential out there. And, we have to change the way that we think about using these systems across the entire spectrum of military operations." Mathewson said the document does not lay out specific solutions but rather "concepts and possibilities" that will be filled in as the service talks with industry, academia, the other services, and allies. Initiatives underway include the development of multi-aircraft control by a single pilot (currently undergoing testing at Creech AFB, Nev., according to Mathewson) and a "payload agnostic platform" or a modular platform that could accommodate different payloads to perform a range of missions, from ISR to mobility and strike. "We're thinking about multi-mission in the large sense," he said and added, "We think this is potentially where we are going to go." (Deptula briefing slides)(Mathewson briefing slides) (Air Force UAS flight plan) (Briefing transcript)

In the "Wonders of Modern Technology" Department… C-SPAN was at the Pentagon to cover the UAS Flight Plan roll-out and taped Gen. Deptula's and Col. Mathewson's presentations. And then the wonderful folks at C-SPAN made the video available for Air Force geeks to publish on their blogs to view at their leisure, as well. So… here it is here's a link to the presentations. The video is 56 minutes long and includes some fascinating information. The Q&A session with the press takes up about half of the video runtime. (ed note: C-SPAN's embed code has some issues, the video would not appear on EIP even after considerable messing with it. Thus: a link.)

I'm fond of telling SN1 that he ain't serving in his father's Air Force and that is most certainly true. I didn't serve in MY father's Air Force, either. But I'm thinking my grandchildren (if they choose to serve) will be in a quite different Air Force… if it still exists as a service… than any of their forebears. I'm not making a value judgment here, which is to say the changes coming down are neither "good" nor "bad." But they most certainly will make for a radically different United States Air Force.

Not Your Father's Air Force XXVIII

This is pretty unusual:

Col. Bush (right)

Grand Forks Commander Relieved Due to Waistline: Air Mobility Command this week relieved Col. Tim Bush of command of the 319th Air Base Wing at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., due to his failure to meet the service's physical fitness standards, according to a command release. "Bush was not relieved for alleged misconduct or wrongdoing," states the March 20 release that came out the same day as his dismissal from the post, which he had held since July 2011. Instead, the reason was Bush's waist size, which exceeded "by inches" the Air Force's maximum-allowed girth of 39 inches for men, reported the Grand Forks Herald. "I failed to meet the waist measurement component of the physical fitness standard," said Bush, 47, who stands six feet, one inch tall and weighs 227 pounds, according to the newspaper. He added, "That's the only component I failed." Maj. Gen. William Bender, US Air Force Expeditionary Center commander, took the action since he has administrative control of the wing, according to AMC's release. Bender appointed Col. Christopher Mann, 319th ABW vice commander, as interim wing commander. Bush, who was reportedly a "well-respected" leader, has requested retirement, according to the newspaper.

Looks like Big Air Force (heh) is pretty serious about the Fat Boy program these days.  That wasn't always the case, IIRC.  I think this is a good thing.  

That said, this lil item is a day late and a couple o' pounds short of helping the good colonel:

You Are What You Eat: The Air Force has launched a pilot campaign called "Better Foods, Better Bodies" to motivate airmen and their families to eat healthier. "We want airmen and their families to live long, healthy lives and we know a lot of that depends on what they put into their bodies," said Mary Balch of the Air Force Medical Operations Agency, who is directing the campaign, in a March 19 release. The Air Force surgeon general's office and AFMOA's health promotion office are leading this effort, which is under way at three pilot locations before its potential rollout across the entire Air Force: JB Andrews, Md.; JBSA-Lackland, Tex.; and JB Langley-Eustis, Va. From online tools and resources, like recipes, to posters and coupons, the campaign seeks to educate airmen and their families in making smarter food choices, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, states the release.

I don't think THIS is a good thing.  Money's pretty tight right now and throwing it away on what's basically a "feel good," nanny-like effort doesn't make much sense to me.

Not Your Father's Air Force XXIX

This is interesting...

(Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force has designated six cyber tools as weapons, which should help the programs compete for increasingly scarce dollars in the Pentagon budget, an Air Force official said on Monday.

Lieutenant General John Hyten, vice commander of Air Force Space Command, which oversees satellite and cyberspace operation, said the new designations would help normalize military cyber operations as the U.S. military works to keep up with rapidly changing threats in the newest theater of war.

"This means that the game-changing capability that cyber is is going to get more attention and the recognition that it deserves," Hyten told a cyber conference held in conjunction with the National Space Syposium in Colorado Springs.

[...]

He gave no details on the new cyber weapons, but the Pentagon has become more open over the past year about its work to develop offensive cyber capabilities in the face of escalating cyber attacks by China, Russia, Iran and others.

That makes sense... weapons and weapons systems get funded, ephemeral "capabilities" not so much.  It's about time the US got serious about cyber-warfare.  There's a lot to do when it comes to securing our national IT infrastructure... financial systems, pipelines, power grids, the inter-tubes as a whole... not to mention our near total reliance on IT to conduct warfare in this day and age.  It's a good thing we're developing an offensive cyber capability but I tend to worry more... much more... about our cyber DEFENSES.

Apropos o' not much... the Air Force provided me with my entrée into the wonderful world of IT back around 1984 or so.  I didn't know a microprocessor from a food processor when my management made me the point guy for rolling out the first-ever desktop computers in my lil corner o' the Air Force Communications Command's Engineering/Installations Division.  The learning curve was steep... VERY steep... but that particular tasking/responsibility set the stage for my follow-on civilian career in IT, and the rest is history.  I gotta say the computer biz was one helluva lot more lucrative than the radar biz ever was.  Thanks, Air Force.

Not Your Father's Air Force IX

News item from af.mil:

Air Force leaders issue holiday message

Posted 12/24/2010   Updated 12/24/2010

12/24/2010 - WASHINGTON (AFNS)  -- Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy send the following holiday message to the Airmen of the U.S. Air Force:

As we celebrate the holidays, please take the opportunity to reflect on our many blessings as Americans, and to remember the people who most enrich our lives. We also should contemplate our broader aspirations that, given the many demands of very busy lives, we often neglect to consider throughout the year.

Also, especially while many remain engaged in combat operations across the globe, we are thankful for the men and women who have answered our nation's call, and selflessly serve to defend our country and preserve our precious liberty. Those who are spending this special time of the year away from friends, family and loved ones are particularly worthy of the deep and abiding respect of fellow Airmen and of a grateful nation. We look forward to their safe return home.

We also honor the quiet sacrifice of family members who sustain and bring great personal meaning to the service of their loved ones. Those of us with the good fortune to be able to celebrate the holidays at home amongst family and friends remember our deployed Airmen and their family members who miss them. We ask that you reach out to these families as well as our single Airmen, and in the spirit of giving and support that makes our Air Force so special, we ask that you welcome them into your holiday celebrations.

In all of the joyous ways that we celebrate this holiday season, we wish you and yours the very best during this special time, and throughout the new year.

Ahem. 

Dear Mr. Donley, General Schwartz, and CMSAF Roy,

I would like to draw your attention to the following:

Please keep the above in mind when you issue your "holiday message" next year.

With respect and warm regards,

Buck Pennington, MSgt, USAF (Ret)

Not Your Father's Air Force, Yet Again

This lil blurb in the Daily Report cocked my eyebrow this morning:

Let That Be a Lesson To You: Members of 13th Air Force's analyses, assessments, and lessons learned directorate at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, are the Air Force's Lessons Learned Outstanding Team of the Year for 2009. The group was recognized at an awards ceremony in late October in San Antonio for its work to improve Air Force operations at all levels by incorporating the experiences of individual airmen engaged in organizational changes in the Pacific theater. "Regardless of how successful a mission is, there is always something to be learned and captured for future missions," said John Trifonovitch, who heads the winning directorate. He said the lessons learned also impact the joint community to help ensure that "we thrive as a team." (Hickam Nov. 24 report by TSgt. Kerry Jackson)

OK, all you MBAs and management types who live by the guidance and wisdom contained in the Harvard Business Review will probably kick my ass for being incensed over this, but... WTF?  The Air Force has entire directorates devoted to "lessons learned?"  And there is a formal awards and recognition dinner for these directorates... for which people fly from Hawaii (not to mention other places, one assumes) to frickin' Texas to accept said rewards?  I'm gonna flog this dead horse some more, if only to ask what happened to IG inspections?  What about ORIs?  Are there not "lessons learned" in those activities?  Lessons that, if NOT learned, result in leadership turnover or termination of  careers for non-performance or failure to meet mission criteria?  Doesn't the IG... at ALL levels, USAF, MAJCOM, and Operating Agencies... publish and circulate their findings any longer? Or has that gone by the boards (heh) in favor of "Lessons Learned Directorates?"

OK, rant off.  We have the finest Air Force the world has ever seen when all is said and done.  But stoopid shit like "Lessons Learned Directorates"  really irritates me.  There's simply no need for organizations like this and the money could be better spent elsewhere... like O&M funds or maybe even buying new tankers.  The Air Force ain't a corporate entity, nor is it an academic institution.  We used to exist "to fly and to fight."  Now it appears we fly, fight, analyze, evaluate, and publish.  Damn.   

―:☺:―

Well, yeah... I DID get up on the wrong side of the bed today, why do you ask?  And I apparently cracked my coffee pot while washing it this morning, to add insult to injury.  Coffee slowly leaked all over the warming plate before and after brewing, making a helluva mess for me to clean up once I realized what was going on.   That bad news (the leaking) happened as I wrote the rant above.  But... and this doesn't happen all that often... there is GOOD news, as well:  I had a spare carafe in my kitchen cabinet.  The morning was saved... believe it or don't.

Not Your Father's Air Force XXXIII

A few bits from the AFA's Daily Report beginning with...
O, my aching ass:

Hey Spike, It's Friday!

 

Morale is back—at least on Fridays—thanks to new uniform policy changes published by the Air Force this week in response to airmen's feedback over the past few years. "The policy changes revolve around …heritage, team building, esprit de corps, and unit pride," said Col. Patrick Doherty, director of Air Force services, in a Jan. 17 release. Single color T-shirts with a unit crest, known as "morale patches," and flight suit nickname-badges will now be allowed at unit commander's discretion, provided they are uniform and tasteful, states the release. Additionally, airmen who served with other branches will now be able to wear non-Air Force qualification badges on their ABUs. "The increased wear of the ABU in-garrison" on top of airmen's desire to wear what they've earned "makes authorized wear on the ABU a logical step," said Lt. Gen. Sam Cox, deputy personnel chief. Other updates include reversing a ban on brightly colored running shoes in physical training uniform, and allowing non-black mobile phones in uniform.

I really am speechless.  Let's have a palate cleanser, please.  Like this:

Eerie Glow

Air Frame: An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 127th Wing is parked beneath a shelter on a foggy morning Jan. 11, 2014, at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. Selfridge Air National Guard Base has been used as a military air field since 1917. (Air National Guard photo by TSgt. Robert Hanet)

And then there's this:

While We're In the Neighborhood

An F-22 Raptor conducted a fly-by at the Bahrain International Air Show on Jan. 16. But where did it come from? An Air Force Headquarters spokesman said F-22s are "currently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia," making them available for the show without making a dedicated trip from CONUS for the occasion. The flyby is "one way we can showcase US military aircraft at a premier air show," the spokesman said. The F-22 and a B-1B bomber—also based in the region—will make flybys, but not be on static display, although a number of US military aircraft, mostly Navy, will be. "We have a longstanding relationship with the air show and our regional military partners and we hope that it will enhance our future relationships," the spokesman said. Participation "enhances our interoperability and demonstrates our shared commitment to regional security and stability." Air Force officials have previously disclosed that F-22s have rotated to an unnamed base in the region of the Persian Gulf, especially during heightened tensions with Iran. Last March, an F-22 warned off Iranian F-4s, which were intercepting a USAF MQ-1 Predator drone over the Persian Gulf. Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told attendees at AFA's Air & Space Conference in September that the F-22 inspected one F-4's weapons load from below—apparently unnoticed—and then "pulled up on their left wing and called them and said, 'You really ought to go home.'"

—John A. Tirpak

In re: the highlighted bits... I know!  I know!  (insert smiley-face thingie here)  And regarding that Iranian F-4... I'll bet the aircrew had to change their shorts when they got home.

Not Your Father's Air Force XVIII

From the Usual USAF Source...

Can't We All Get Along?: Reflecting on the fact that the Air Force—and no other service—has seen three top leaders fired, one resign early, and one publicly reprimanded over the last 20 years, outgoing Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said he doesn't think the service has a problem getting along with civilian leadership. In none of those events was there any suggestion of "malfeasance" or a "criminal context," said Schwartz on July 24 during his final meeting with Pentagon reporters before his retirement ceremony on Aug. 10. "We work for civilian masters in this country, and that's the way it works," observed Schwartz. "All I can do is tell you is that in my own experience, there are lots of reasons for leaving a position . . . and not all of them are what they appear to be," he added. As for the current "trust" issue with Congress, Schwartz said, "we all know what the remedy is" for that. While he declined to name the cure, he said, "let's just say . . . making force structure reductions is not for the faint of heart." (Schwartz transcript)

—John A. Tirpak

I didn't know USAF had had THAT many leaders fired.  Or perhaps I did... it all depends on how you define "top leader."  To me that term means Chief of Staff or perhaps MAJCOM leaders, but if you broaden it to include the various Assistant Secretaries and Under Secretaries, then yeah... I suppose I knew that.  General Schwartz was also being somewhat coy with his "we all know" remark.  Hell, the man is retiring next month and he SHOULD be able to call a spade a spade.  There ain't a congresscritter alive who'll support force reductions or base closures that affect HIS constituents.  Ain't never gonna hoppen, Gee-Eye.  And Today's Modern Air Force is just like Yer Father's Air Force in that particular regard.

―:☺:―

And then there's Ramirez...

If I got the plot to Thelma and Louise right, there was a REASON they drove off that cliff... no other choice.  Not so with our gub'mint.

Not Your Father's Air Force XXIII

But it's a great place to work...

Lucky Thirteen: Airmen voted the Air Force the 13th best place to work in 2012 among the federal government's large agencies, up five spots compared to 2011. The rating is based on the non-partisan, non-profit Partnership for Public Service's annual survey of employee satisfaction and commitment across 362 federal agencies and subcomponents. As was the case last year, the Air Force finished slightly behind the Navy, which ended up in 10th place in 2012 (up from 15th place in 2011.) Unlike last year, the Air Force finished ahead of the Army, which occupies the 14th spot (up from 16th place in 2011). This year's survey of nearly 700,000 civil servants measured factors including: effective leadership, employee skills and mission match, pay, teamwork; and work-life balance. NASA came in first among the large agencies; the Homeland Security Department was last.

That's according to Silly Servants who are NOT "airmen," they're frickin' civilians who work for the Air Force.  Now that we're clear on that... I'm betting the ranking would be a LOT higher if the troops themselves were polled.  It's that ol' "quality o' life" thang... plus the opportunity to get some million dollar views.

Air Frame: SrA. Timothy Oberman (left) and SSgt. Nick Alarcon watch out the back of their C-130H Hercules after dropping humanitarian goods to Pacific islanders on Dec. 11, 2012, as part of the Air Force's annual Operation Christmas Drop flights. Oberman and Alarcon are loadmasters with the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota AB, Japan. (Air Force photo by TSgt. Samuel Morse)

Episode Ten of Not Your Father's Air Force

This is sorta long but it captures what's wrong with our Air Force almost perfectly; stay with it if you have an interest in things military.  The ending is pretty well spot on.

I use the above video with permission from SN1, who forwarded it to me with the following comments:

Too funny...and sad at the same time. This thing has gone viral among MX officers in the USAF. I received it from at least 6 different MX guys...

[...]

The funniest part is it's so true! I've had these same conversations with LtCols when I was a Capt...and a Major. All the points made are spot on...

I hope nothing evil comes of this, given the current brouhaha surrounding the relief of CAPT Honors, former CO of the USS Enterprise.  One could make a case that the above video doesn't come close to "XO Movies," but the thought process behind it sure as hell does.  One simply does NOT deviate from The Party Line these days unless one has something of a death-wish.  Shorter: Not Your Father's Air Force.

Not Your Father's Air Force XI: A Short Quiz

Notice anything unusual or different about this blurb from today's AFA Daily Report?

B-2s, F-15s, F-16s in First Wave of Libya Airstrikes: Air Force strike aircraft participated in the initial wave of attacks against Libyan military targets. Following the US and British cruise missile attack on Libyan air defense sites that launched Operation Odyssey Dawn on Saturday, three B-2 stealth bombers, flying from their home station at Whiteman AFB, Mo., struck Libyan airfields on Sunday. They flattened hardened shelters used to protect Libyan combat aircraft, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, Joint Staff director, told reporters Sunday. Four F-15Es and eight F-16CJs also flew in the opening strikes, said Air Force officials. "Our bombers and fighters performed magnificently," said Maj. Gen. Margaret Woodward, 17th Air Force commander and joint force air component commander for Odyssey Dawn. KC-135s from RAF Mildenhall, England, supported the strike aircraft. (AFPS report by Jim Garamone) (Mildenhall photo caption by SrA. Tabitha M. Lee) (Ramstein release) (Whiteman photo caption by SrA. Kenny Holston)

Not unusual or different... this cool pic of a B-2 from Whiteman AFB:

3/20/2011 - One of three B-2 Spirit bombers returns to Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., from a mission in support of enforcing Operation Odyssey Dawn no-fly zone over Libya March 20, 2011. The no-fly zone was imposed by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 authorizing military action. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)

Photo captioned as found.