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 ...
Lots of intra-service experience and a bunch of time in DCS Plans & Operations. Decorated by the Army. Sounds more than qualified.
The broad strokes aimed at fighter pilots is undeserved, folks. However, if you’d like to go after Tony McPeak and composite wing reshuffling, be my guest.
Well, I think you'll enjoy post 23, then. :-)
See the June issue of Air Force magazine.
Can you summarize, for those of us who don’t get AF Mag?
***He’s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. That’s not a good sign.***
You got that right.
I thought it was "War Is Just A Hobby".
Warthog pilots are convinced the capabilities of the A-10 will be called upon for years to come, as its designated replacement is slated to come at the end of the F-35 production run. "Look at the Air Force in 2020," Marino said. "What's your best counterinsurgency airplane?"
Thanks to the upgrades, the answer will almost certainly be: the A-10C.
I’ll agree with you that the broad brush on fighter pilots is not deserved. I think it’s more of a thing on the mentality of those similar to McPeak.
You might find a copy at your local library. It is a great article. They mis-identified the Maverick missile in the photo at the top of page 42, but that is the only error I found.
Yes, I noticed that when I read his Bio, had to take a second look after seeing them tacked on the end of the different C-130’s he flew. Not wishing McPeak any ill will but you could be right about the stroke. :)
Thanks for posting, sounds encouraging.
Him, and Rowe Stayton.
Does anyone remember the name Sam Kishline and the A-10 ?
I was in Project CHECKMATE in the Pentagon for 8 years the same time Boyd was the joke of the AF. I’ve read Boyd’s biography and while the part about his responsibility for Energy Maneuverability (EA) and the OODA loop are very acturate, his biographer drifted off somewhat when it came to weapon system procurement. Boyd aligned himself with the Reformists like Chuck Spinney who said we needed tons of simply fighters like F-5’s, etc and that the systems we were buying were too expensive and complex to maintain. I believe they were wrong as proven in most of the recent employment of air power. I had much more respect for the late Moody Sutter than Boyd. Among his idea was the creation of Red Flag.
See the later posts in the thread about CFR and military officers. Membership seems to indicate very little about their personal opinions.
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