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Just FYI. The Predator crew operate from the States. However, the maintainers work from deployed locations halfway across the world.

Supply procurement difficulties and duty day work hour limits for maintenance crews plays heavily into this.

The Secretary of Defense is siding with the army, and is telling the air force to get off their butts and get more Predators into the air, or else.

This kind of program should never have been a mission of the Air Force. Put it in control of the Army and Marines.

Sky-Warrior ERMP UAV System
http://www.defense-update.com/products/w/warriorUAV.htm

The Sky Warrior carries multiple payloads and have wing hardpoints for carriage of external stores including expendable sensors and weapons. Up to four Hellfire / Viper-Strike weapons could be carried. Unlike the US Air Force Predator, Army Warriors will be configured to fly autonomously. The system will utilize the 'One Station', the US Army standard STANAG 4586 compatible UAV GCS also used for the control of the RQ-7B Shadow, MQ-5B Hunter and future combat system's Vertical take-off and Landing UAV (FireScout VTUAV). The use of a common ground station offers better utilization of available assets and manpower skills. The same GCS is scheduled to fly with the US Marine Corps Pioneer tactical vehicles in early 2006.

Each of the services has their own mission. I have the utmost respect for the Marines, the Navy, the Army, and the Coast Guard. If the Air Force isn’t ponying up to what it is tasked to do (I’m an Air Force veteran) then I’d be griping also and demanding they get off their butts. Though I have tremendous respect for pilots abilities and the leadership of many officers, a college degree and a commission does not a leader make. Many NCO’s in all services have college degrees also and are perfectly capable to not only fly but lead as well.
Many people have misconceptions when they think of “Air Force” ... very few have jobs that involve actually flying, just support of the air mission itself. Many jobs must also get down and dirty in the Air Force (Combat controllers, PJ’s, Security Forces, to name a few). We as a superpower in the world can only achieve this by the combined missions of each individual service working in unison. I had a nephew who was a Marine, I wish that he had worn AF blue myself, but he always dreamed of being a Marine. He also died like a Marine in Afghanistan in 2004 ... out of ammo and fighting hand-to-hand. My respect for the Marines through his actions is immense!

I can see the need for wanting your best out there when there is a good chance that they may be shot down and captured well behind enemy lines. However, with the UAV’s having remote operators flying by joystick, I would think the best pilots for those would be teenage boys who have grown up playing video games.

The Air Force seems to be just into turf battles, a long history here.

The drone situation seems very much like the armed helicopter wars of the 50’s when the Zoomies were insisting the Army was incapable of flying and maintaining helicopters.

Also not dissimilar to the Air Force’s desire a number of years ago to do away with the Wart Hog.

If it ain’t sexy enough for the Zoomies it shouldn’t exist, especially in the hands of someone else.

"As the Army Air Corps changed into the mighty Army Air Force (with 2.4 million personnel, and 80,000 aircraft, at its peak), its capable and persuasive commander (General Hap Arnold), insisted that all pilots be officers."

There was some degree of pragmatism in this...because of the likelihood of a flyer being downed in enemy territory it makes sense for pilots to be given a commission or warrant in order that they be accorded a higher Geneva Convention Category as a POW. The odds of a Predator pilot being shot down in enemy territory are pretty small...not only is that a role well within the capabilities of the NCO corps, but makes a great argument for the restoration of the advanced Specialist ranks (i.e. SPC5-7).