Editorial: Deployment policy unfair

[Scruples]

The deployment policy is a complete mess. Looking back at how the USAF conducted the Force Shaping draw-down two years ago, we now see the effects on AFSC(s) in Tempo Band E, etc.

The folks who left with the VSP or got RIF'd are probably looking back with a 20/20 Schadenfreude hindsight. Two years ago, they probably felt that their AF careers had been shafted by the "right-sizing" [misnomer] policy.

Fastforward, two years later we have this thread and the USAF is scrambling to send new folks thru tech schools to fill those ranks that were RIF'd or Forced Shape. Really sad indeed.

[sweatyAZ]

Originally Posted by Scruples

The deployment policy is a complete mess. Looking back at how the USAF conducted the Force Shaping draw-down two years ago, we now see the effects on AFSC(s) in Tempo Band E, etc.

The folks who left with the VSP or got RIF'd are probably looking back with a 20/20 Schadenfreude hindsight. Two years ago, they probably felt that their AF careers had been shafted by the "right-sizing" [misnomer] policy.

Fastforward, two years later we have this thread and the USAF is scrambling to send new folks thru tech schools to fill those ranks that were RIF'd or Forced Shape. Really sad indeed.

I blame it on our lack of fitness, along with supervisoin

[Scruples]

Originally Posted by sweatyAZ

I blame it on our lack of fitness, along with supervisoin

What does "lack of fitness" and supervision have to do with the deployment policy? I do not see a connection.

[sweatyAZ]

Originally Posted by Scruples

What does "lack of fitness" and supervision have to do with the deployment policy? I do not see a connection.

nor sarcasm apparently

[Rock]

Originally Posted by Scruples

The deployment policy is a complete mess. Looking back at how the USAF conducted the Force Shaping draw-down two years ago, we now see the effects on AFSC(s) in Tempo Band E, etc.

The folks who left with the VSP or got RIF'd are probably looking back with a 20/20 Schadenfreude hindsight. Two years ago, they probably felt that their AF careers had been shafted by the "right-sizing" [misnomer] policy.

Fastforward, two years later we have this thread and the USAF is scrambling to send new folks thru tech schools to fill those ranks that were RIF'd or Forced Shape. Really sad indeed.

The VSP and Force Shaping were classic cases of gross mismanagement. Manpower and AFPC heads should have rolled for this. Now, 3% of rated staff billets are being filled worldwide. Unbelievable.

[ChiefB]

Originally Posted by BRAVO10000

I'm certain that I disagree. With your semi-lucid point taken, consider the REAL message.

I don't see anything wrong with teaching a child that someone has to sacrifice for our way of life. Providing that example of civil service could be exactly what we want our kids to see - that there are things bigger than their own existences, and that going that route is an honorable decision.

Consider that this sacrifice includes the mind-broadening experience of living overseas and/or travelling to the widely-disparate regions of our country. Yes, military lifestyle is hard on a family sometimes, but it can also be very rewarding. Uprooting a teenager can be tough, but no tougher than it is when they have to leave their hometown for college, or when they return to find that all their friends have likewise gone out into the world.

Your points here are indicative of that me-first approach...be a Colonel because I'll make more money, and referring to a move every 2 years (which hasn't been the case for a very long time) as "torture"?

My eldest son has been tortured by his tenures in Italy and Germany, and his trips all over Western Europe. I shudder to consider the "damage" that has been done by his experiences in cities like Atlanta and Denver, and the poor pitiful kid has to deal with his view of Pikes Peak on the way to school every morning. Yep, he has been forced to deal with his father being deployed to some hostile locations over the years. Someone has to do it, and I hope he'll continue to appreciate that culture of responsibility and know that it isn't ALWAYS about him.

As for going the officer route - FIRST, if you're in the military for the money, you might be missing the point. Second, not everyone is cut out to be an officer just as many officers aren't cut out to be enlisted. An officers' role is one of execution, and does not (or should not, at least) include that "organize, train and equip" responsibility of building the team, and providing that team to the officer for the purpose of executing the mission. The chain of command might be linear in terms of authority, but there is a reason that junior officers partner with senior enlisted. Whether embraced or not, there is an overlap and a segmentation of responsibilities. Hell, I could argue that given the educational demographics of today's Air Force, there's less of a need for the junior officer than there is for the senior enlisted.

I don't think it is wise to look at the pay scales and infer that this fiscal value somehow equates to that "real" value that someone can bring to the overall mission. A good senior officer and a good SNCO are equally rare and equally indispensable. I genuinely hope that my boys learn to appreciate their own sacrifices as much as mine, and that they are in a better position to succeed in life as a result of their broader, wiser and more worldly view.

Get it now, buddy?

I got it. Nicely put, Bravo.

ChiefB