You are very correct, sir. With the exception of Strategic Air Command (SAC) the role of the Air Force is to support the Army Grunt or Marine on the ground. Those pilots should be United States Army Pilots. SAC has a different mission and should be separate. If it is in support of the man on the ground it should be Army.
I think I am "gonna get" flamed.
Marines would prefer it to be Marine aviation for Marine Corps grunts.
SAC was carved up in 1992. It doesn’t exist anymore...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Air_Command
I agree with everything else you said. The Air Force needs to concentrate on high altitude and space missions, not be playing around near the ground.
SAC has not existed since 1992 when the Air Force command structure was re-organized.
I would flame you, but it isn’t worth the effort.
Having worked some of these problems recently - on the ground in Afghanistan - the problem is that the Army often doesn’t know how to employ air assets to take full advantage of their mobility. It does no good to have an ISR asset droning over your small piece of airspace indefinitely waiting for some action to develop while someone 60 miles away is getting hammered and needs the asset you are holding on to.
Since air assets are time limited - they can only stay airborne so long - they are limited in their ability to employ. And since they are also highly mobile, it makes more sense FOR THE GUYS ON THE GROUND to have these limited assets pushed out as needed rather than burning holes where no fighting is going on.
And yes, it would have helped if the ARMY would have planned their operations more than a few hours out. And that comment came from an Army BDE/CC, who was frustrated that his battalion CCs didn’t plan their patrols in a way that would allow him to give them the support they needed.
If only because you are incredibly behind the times. SAC hasn't existed since the early 90's.
Not from me brother. There is no reason for a separate Air Force. They should be integrated into the ground and naval forces. All the Air Force guys will scream and insist that there is a real need for a separate service but it's just another layer of officers.