Tag Archives: Military

Afghan Pilot Finishes USAF Training

An Afghan military officer completed the US Air Force’s Aviation Leadership Program and was awarded his wings.  Lt. Faiz Mohammed Ramaki was selected to attend the training last year.  It appears Lt Ramaki finished the program by flying the T-6, rather than the T-38 or T-1 that USAF pilots fly.  Lt Ramaki is said to be going to fly the C-27 Spartan for the Afghan Air Force.

UAV Trainees Outnumber Combat Pilot Trainees

According to the Air Force Times, the Air Force will train more UAV pilots than fighter/bomber pilots this year.  While the current number of fighter and bomber pilots still dwarfs the number of UAV pilots, the Air Force will train 240 UAV pilots, though only 214 fighter and bomber pilots, this year.

The article does not distinguish between Predator and Global Hawk UAVs, which might be a similar distinction between fighter/bomber and airlift/tanker pilots.

Christian Military Leaders Targeted, Intimidated

Michael Weinstein and his Military Religious Freedom Foundation have routinely called for court martial, punishment, and have even implied harm against military members publicly associated with expressions of religious thought.  Weinstein has reserved particular vitriol for senior officers, including the Chief Chaplains of both the Army and Air Force, the Secretary of the Army, the members (and Chairman) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, military academy leadership, and others.  His intent appears to be to silence or exclude Christians by changing military policy and public opinion where he can, and intimidation using public excoriation where he cannot.

It is likely that the MRFF’s criticisms of military leadership will continue.  They have already leveled criticism at the Obama administration’s selection for the new Secretary of the Army, New York Republican Congressman John McHugh.

Michael Weinstein called McHugh “suboptimal” Read more

UPT Planes Grounded

Many logistics functions, like support, aircraft maintenance, and administration used to be largely conducted by enlisted Airmen.  As a result of budget decreases and manning decisions, however, much of these jobs are now done by civilian contractors.  This adds some complexity to the issue of conducting military operations, as when a labor strike recently grounded the fleet at Vance Air Force Base.  (Operations are still suspended at the base.)

The Air Force isn’t even a party to the labor conflict, as the dispute is between two external organizations.  Still, it is the victim of the work stoppage.

The base even had to bring in augmentees from other bases just to man basic life-saving functions like the Fire Department.  Officially, however, the Air Force remains “neutral” in the labor dispute.

Soldier Shot for Religious, Political Reasons

Abdulhakim Muhammad, an American Muslim convert who fired an automatic weapon into a US Army recruiting center in Arkansas, has said that he did so because of the US military’s past actions against Muslims.  His barrage killed one soldier and wounded another. 

Muhammad, whose original name was Carlos Bledsoe, said his actions were

for the sake of God, for the sake of Allah, the Lord of all the world, and also a retaliation on US military.

According to the news report, Muhammad Read more

US Military Chaplain Distributes “Bibles” to Iraqis

US military Chaplains serve all.  They serve regardless of faith or lack thereof.  They provide counsel and reassurance independent of affiliation.  While staying true to their own religious tenets, they aggressively support all personnel with whatever they require to meet their spiritual and religious needs.

That’s why it is not surprising that a US military Chaplain recently handed out religious texts to local Iraqis. Read more

Outgoing Army Secretary Still Criticized

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then, I said, Here am I; Send me.”  – Isaiah 6:8

From a recent article by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s researcher:

[This] Bible verse…was the theme of Secretary of the Army Pete Geren’s commencement address at West Point last year. Geren opened and closed his speech by quoting the verse, and, throughout his speech, painted the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as a religious struggle.

The entire text of Geren’s commencement speech, given to the US Military Academy in 2008, is available online. He mentions a religious topic four times, none as conspiratorial as the MRFF asserts.  Each citation follows: Read more

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