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Disclaimer: Navy guy.
In 28 years I have served mainly in all USN commands, with exceptions where I was assigned to USA and USAF. My opinion (free, by the way) is that the Navy gets things done with what they have.

The Army gets things done, at the expense of their people and a pretty big amount of micromanagement. Working for them was okay, but I bridled at the constant over-the-shoulder looking.

The Air Force is the only service I have seen that makes more of a snappy slide show than actual progress. They will create Power Point presentations to show how much they have NOT gotten done, but because they employ color and flashy graphics the higher ups will still praise the pretty slides and ignore the obvious lack of progress.

I am in Kabul, and have recently seen things that made me wonder what the brass could possibly be thinking in regards to safe operations. (The comment: "I know you keep saying we're not ready, but we're deploying a detachment anyway because we set a date". A case of the Generals not listening to the guys that deal with things day-to-day, and on a personal level.)

Our billets are currently filled by USN, but a curfuffle in the DC area has made them now USAF billets and since this decision was so recently made, these jobs we do will be unfilled for months. My ANA buddies don't understand our politics; they simply want support and commitment and the comfort of a steady person who is there for them. They CAN take over if they are trained, yet now isn't the time. We need about 6 more months and my particular dudes will be ready to do it on their own.

We damned sure aren't showing a dedicated commitment when we gap billets for 2-3 months while they train new Air Force guys. The USN has made inroads in 8 months that were unheard of in the past 3 years of USAF involvement. Maybe that's it, we DO too much, so they cut our involvement.

Sorry, this is a bitter pill, and although right now on leave I will have to go back and face this fiasco. For 3 more months...

But the tagline still applies.

Thank you for your observations and analysis - it's a rare thing to see this many objective thinkers on one thread any more..

I believe that we have the best troops and junior leaders in the services that we had for generations and they really shone during these latest wars. Their leadership and the service cultures are miserably out of sync with them and the future needs of our country.

So now the question is, how do we get the services - all of them - back on track?

I’ll have to disagree with you. I did a tour in Afghanistan where we (USAF) took over from the US Navy in filling US Army positions. The Navy signed up for the mission, did one rotation, then said they were all used up. The USAF is still filling that role, now starting a third rotation AFTER I left. The US Army was supposed to be up to speed by last year, but didn’t make it and the USAF is still there doing the job.

That isn’t a hit on either Army or Navy. The Army is already busting their chops on rotations. They shouldn’t HAVE to fill roles that CAN be filled by either USAF or Navy personnel. If anything, the USAF ought to be looking to aggressively volunteer to fill these positions.

That said, most problems with services depends on the level you are looking at.

The Army has great people going out on patrol. The Army staff is dedicated, but even more rapped up in meetings, briefings and sucking up to the Boss than the USAF.

The USAF has great people flying and maintaining planes. Our staffs vary - some are good, but most are manned below 50%, and only half of those manning it care. The others are killing time. Our GOs are truly awful - had a talk between us at work yesterday, with mostly O-5/O-6s and retired O-6s...consensus was the USAF would function better if we fired 50% or more of our GOs and replaced them with field grade officers. About the only dispute between those present was if the number was 50% or much higher...total agreement that the USAF had seriously declining leadership for the last 10+ years. Everyone agreed that these firings were not nearly enough to solve the problem.

The Navy has great people too - but I’ve done time in a Navy squadron, and the Navy on shore can match anyone’s inefficiency.

They will create Power Point presentations to show how much they have NOT gotten done, but because they employ color and flashy graphics the higher ups will still praise the pretty slides and ignore the obvious lack of progress.

Twenty-seven years and counting in the USAF here. You have it right. The rank and file call it "management by PowerPoint."

SkyPilot — Thanks for your thoughtful input here. I pray for all you guys every day (that I remember to). Fight on! And thanks for doing what you are doing. I hear wonderful things are happening in the Middle East because of YOU.