Posted on 11/28/2006 6:12:37 AM PST by pabianice
November 28, 2006: The U.S. Air Force is doing something really unusual, they are cutting back on the amenities that have long served to attract, and keep, the kind of skilled people they needed. It is feared that this move will have a serious negative effect on morale. However, the air force brass see this as the only alternative to something far worse; not enough new aircraft. Faced with huge costs for their new F-22 and F-35 warplanes, a Congress reluctant to be generous, and a war in Iraq and Afghanistan that is being largely fought by the army, the air force sees itself seriously short of cash in the next decade. The war in Iraq is taking money from the air force and diverting it to the army. Already underway is a downsizing that will eliminate 40,000 air force jobs over the next five years. But that will only save about $5 billion a year.
Cutting amenities is not something the air force even likes to talk about, but something official has to be said to explain the large number of fairly obvious changes coming. For decades, the air force has been the butt of jokes, for their more luxurious lifestyle, by sailors, soldiers and marines. Part of it was jealousy, and admiration for how the air force generals managed to get money for all those goodies out of Congress. Making fun of all those golf courses on air force bases was a particular favorite. Going into detail about the cutbacks would, simultaneously, make it known how extensive the amenities are, and elicit some bad publicity once people from the other services chimed in with snarky comments about how much better off the air force people are even after the cuts.
But the air force does have a real problem here, with the morale of their own troops. The 40,000 jobs being lost is causing some anxiety, as does the increased number of air force personnel being sent overseas to support operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. There are actually several thousand air force support troops, on the ground in Iraq, helping the army move supplies and maintain equipment. These guys and girls are actually in greater danger than the pilots flying the bombers overhead, but that's another story. Meanwhile, a lot of the cutbacks will come from consolidating functions (fewer gyms and dining halls on some bases), as well as cutting back hours and services at other facilities (libraries, rec centers and golf courses.) There might even be a few golf courses closed...
Congressional Bone-Heads.
My daughter is currently at USAFA......
The facilities there are incredible......
However, Annapolis is not that far behind....
West Point...well nobody likes them anyway :^)
You kow what the difference between an Air Force pilot and a Naval Avaiator is?
Air Force pilots squat when they pee.
:p
(Sorry, former Royal Navy, couldn't resist)
As the youngest service it only makes sense that the base would be newer. Heck the Navy's been around since when? JP Jones?
When I was in (a lifetime ago), we Army types had the same experience when we spent overnight at a Texas USAF base.
Isn't Wright Patterson the center of the Air Force? While Bermuda is a nice location, it's probably just another stop the to Navy.
Us Army guys would visit the Air Force base in Tuy Hoa, Vietnam just to have a chance to use a flush toliet!
I've been assigned to Army, Navy, and Marine facilities and can vouch for the fact that the AF treated their people the best. I don't know if I would have stayed in beyond my first enlistment if I had to live like the other services.
West Point? Those sissies are about to get humiliated on Saturday.
In Gulf War I I spent most of my time making the great triangle run in an Army five-ton, from Dammam to Riyadh to KKMC. My supply guys had every Air Force chow hall in the area scoped - we always tried to time our trips to hit them at lunchtime.
They had soft-serve ice cream! Us Army types were on MRE's.
Ping to sis
In 1952, a couple of us (Army PFCs) traveling cross country on TDY in an Air Force B-25, landed at Memphis NAS in a hammering rainstorm. My first impression of Navy ways was seeing the two tiny coffee urns in Ops, labeled "officers" and "crew". Then we were put up for the night in a transient barracks. Next morning, we two lowly grunts could not dine with the Air Force crew chief from the B-25, who had to join the Chiefs and Waves on the other side of the mess hall. Our unforgettable Navy treat: Beans for breakfast!
Imagine if those same generals ran the LA Times ... they would be ordering new printing presses right about now.
I'm former Naval Aviator.....
My daughter is Air Force (BTW she was considering a cross commission to USN)
Army is going to get it's "Ass" kicked Saturday......
There appears to be no doubt that the strategic needs of our military requires a cutback in the Air Force. We are more likely to need tactical forces available only in the Navy, Army and Marines to fight the fights ahead of us.
Could this be one of the reasons Rumsfeld is hated by some?
LOL.
I joined the AF in 1962 and it was that way then.
"We" lived large, compared to our brothers in the other services.
Of course there was a trade-off.
While the Army and Navy promoted their personnel (and here I'm referring to enlisted, although it may apply to Officers as well) rapidly--especially with the "Specialists" grades, the Air Force ALWAYS lagged behind in that respect.
While it took on the average of 3 1/2 - 4 years (at that time) to achieve Staff Sergeant (E-5) in the Air Force, it was NOT unusual to see Specialist 5's in the Army with only 2 1/2 - 3 years in service.
Therefore, our "perks" of nice mess halls with good chow; barracks with 2-men rooms; and other amenities not enjoyed by the Army or Navy (and I wouldn't even dare address the poor Marines) were ways the Air Force attracted and retained "quality" personnel.
I don't know if the situation has changed over the past 35 years or so since I got out (1970) regarding promotions, but if not, then it would be a big mistake for the Air Force to be considering cutting back on the one "advantage" they enjoyed over the other branches, UNLESS, they begin making up for those losses with equal time and grade promotions much the same as the Army and Navy.
Our Marine enlisted in the Air National Guard after serving nine years. He is now in Texas training as a medic. It's a big culture shock. After his first day on base he called home and said "I ate at the chow hall, you won't believe this but the bused my table!". He still can't believe the difference in quarters.
Hey, hey, hey, comon now. Let us give Air force pilots their due. When confronted with the prospect of what the Navy pilots do routinely, landing their aircraft on the equivalent of a postage stamp in the middle of the ocean while it is pitching violently at night, they will wet themselves but they are not actually squatting.
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