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Gates names non-fighter pilot to head Air Force
LA Times ^ | June 9, 2008 | Peter Spiegel

Posted on 06/09/2008 10:24:06 AM PDT by jazusamo

WASHINGTON -- In a sign of how urgently he wants to shake up the Air Force, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today he was appointing the first non-fighter pilot to become the service's chief of staff in more than 25 years.

The nomination of Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, who is currently head of the Pentagon's transportation command and rose through the ranks as a pilot of military cargo planes, marks a significant break for the Air Force, which has been led by fighter and bomber pilots almost since its inception after World War II.

In his announcement naming Schwartz, Gates not only emphasized the general's role in transportation aircraft, but also noted his long list of assignments in so-called joint commands -- positions where senior officials work in units made up of officers from all four military services.

Gates also named Michael Donley, a veteran Pentagon bureaucrat who currently is the administrative and management chief of the department, to be Air Force secretary, the department's top civilian.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: airforce; egodrivers; fightermafia; gates
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To: jazusamo
Ancient Army enlisted 1/2 cent. I hope they keep the A-10’s. Nice stick around time, totally looks like a pain delivering vehicle to, I imagine, even the dumbest moon worshiper.
21 posted on 06/09/2008 11:26:05 AM PDT by Leisler
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To: Red_Devil 232

Right, I saw McPeak stumping for him and it was enough to make you sick.


22 posted on 06/09/2008 11:32:06 AM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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To: jazusamo
The only thing I'd like to hear from Merrill McPeak is "Yes, Mr. Silverback, I'll go away and shut up for the rest of my life, but first I'll bend over and kiss your hairy white ass." Worst Chief of Staff ever, and a clown from the moment he gotr into politics.

And...as if anyone needs another reason to vote against Obama...imagine McPeak as SecDef or SecAF. What a bloody nightmare that would be.

23 posted on 06/09/2008 11:32:11 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.)
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To: Cicero

I knew an Army O-6 that did a short tour (one year) at CFR as there used to be an Military Fellow position there. If you search on the AF Bio’s several come up having done that job. I believe it rotates between Services. In that case it was a holding pattern until the Army could get him into the job they wanted him to fill. Don’t think that’s the case with General Schwartz but probably was linked to his NWC or MIT tours.


24 posted on 06/09/2008 11:33:56 AM PDT by Portcall24
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To: Leisler

I hope the A-10 stays a lot longer too. I believe it’s outlasted its intended demise by the fast movers in the AF already due to Iraq and Afghanistan.


25 posted on 06/09/2008 11:36:02 AM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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To: Leisler
I hope they keep the A-10’s

Love those Hogs!

26 posted on 06/09/2008 11:36:48 AM PDT by colorado tanker (Number nine, number nine, number nine . . .)
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To: Portcall24

Good to hear it...sounds like a guy with good strategic vision.


27 posted on 06/09/2008 11:37:54 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: Mr. Silverback

Couldn’t agree more with every word of your post.


28 posted on 06/09/2008 11:37:59 AM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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To: AzSteven
The ‘fighter mafia’ has been put down, at least for now.

Yeah, you know it's funny how Boyd's biographer says there were about (IIRC) less than a dozen actual fighter mafia members and some of them were civilians, but as soon as the F-15 and F-16 proved themselves all of a sudden everybody was "me too-ing" the formerly radioactive Boyd and his acolytes.

I think this appointment is a very good idea, but I do think it will suck if this leads to us not buying any more F-22s. We need them for when China gets froggy later in five or ten years.

29 posted on 06/09/2008 11:39:58 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.)
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To: Portcall24

Thank you for serving, Air Force brother!


30 posted on 06/09/2008 11:44:38 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.)
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To: K-oneTexas

Thanks for serving, Air Force brother!


31 posted on 06/09/2008 11:45:37 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.)
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To: jazusamo
Gates not only emphasized the general's role in transportation aircraft, but also noted his long list of assignments in so-called joint commands -- positions where senior officials work in units made up of officers from all four military services

Sounds like a major factor was his ability to work with other services to accomplish having the Air Force satisfy the needs of the other units

32 posted on 06/09/2008 11:52:07 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 ("In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell)
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To: pepsionice
Then came the fighter pilots...who would change the change to the change of the change...a hundred times. They actually got to the point in the past ten years of giving out medals and decorations....based on how successful your change was and how well you accomplished it.

That's the story of the McPeak horror in the early Nineties.

33 posted on 06/09/2008 11:53:33 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.)
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To: pabianice

Man, I hadn’t even thought of the fact that he’s Jewish. What will Mikey Weinstein say? :-D


34 posted on 06/09/2008 11:54:58 AM PDT by Mr. Silverback (It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.)
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To: AzSteven
The nomination of Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, who is currently head of the Pentagon's transportation command...

It is the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM). My usual question...what else did they get wrong?

35 posted on 06/09/2008 11:57:09 AM PDT by Fundamentally Fair (3/5 > 1/2)
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To: jazusamo
I’d love to hear what Merrill McPeak has to say about this.

He's spinning in his v-neck t-shirt.

36 posted on 06/09/2008 11:59:29 AM PDT by Fundamentally Fair (3/5 > 1/2)
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To: AlaskaErik

McPeak was a military fellow w/CFR.


37 posted on 06/09/2008 12:14:02 PM PDT by jblair (Air Force Brat)
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To: Portcall24

Very good to hear.


38 posted on 06/09/2008 12:19:08 PM PDT by skr (I serve a risen Savior!)
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To: jazusamo
I believe it’s outlasted its intended demise by the fast movers in the AF already due to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Actually, it was slated to be on the way out in the early Nineties...some in the Air Force could see the Soviet threat was never going to be what it had been before Reagan and they were using that as an excuse to replace it with F-16s. The Gulf War changed that. Even with the tank plinking the 16s were doing, it became blindingly apparent that the A-10 is unmatched. That's not to say that they din't try to get rid of them again later, however.

39 posted on 06/09/2008 12:24:03 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback (It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.)
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To: jazusamo

Thanks, I get one right every once in a while. :-)


40 posted on 06/09/2008 12:24:49 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback (It's not conservative to accept an inept Commander-in-Chief in a time of war. Back Mac.)
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