According to the Air Force Times, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Norton Schwartz has reiterated his position that only officers, not enlisted Airmen, will fly UAVs in the Air Force.
Tactical Army UAVs are flown by enlisted Soldiers, though Schwartz notes these are flown in short range, close in scenarios purely for mission support.
Currently, Air Force Predators are operated by an officer pilot and enlisted systems operator.
The Colorado Springs Independent, which previously reported on both Michael Weinstein’s declaration of “war” on the Air Force Academy and his letter to the Secretary of Defense, apparently obtained access to three cadets to discuss the religious climate at USAFA.
The members of the Cadet Interfaith Council had little negative to say: speaking of religious mistreatment, a Jewish cadet says “not much of that goes on these days;” a Buddhist has “not experienced any discrimination due to his faith.” The Protestant of the three agrees.
All agree with a cadet’s statement that
Right now, I think it might be getting blown out of proportion.
(It is worth noting these cadets were likely provided by the Academy for the purpose of the interview. Given the opportunity, Weinstein could likely produce cadets supporting his point of view.)
Superintendent LtGen Michael Gould is also quoted, and the article offers an intriguing look at religious “complaints” over the past two years. Ironically, there Read more
After the recent articles on moral courage, Chaplain (LT) Paul Hyder writes on the “need for moral leadership.” Highlighting Abu Ghraib and the recent allegations of a US Army ‘hit squad,’ Hyder makes what seems to be an obvious recommendation:
When we, as a nation entrust men and women with the authority to use deadly force, they MUST be morally grounded and ethically above reproach. (emphasis original)
It is vital that our military leaders at every level (NCOs, SNCOs and officers alike) be rooted and grounded in moral leadership principles. When this is not the case and the moral compass is not calibrated, the slippery slope of immoral behavior can easily erode from ‘‘cutting a few corners” to cold blooded murder.
The question, of course, is how does the military “teach” morality? How does Read more
An article from the Murray Ledger & Times, a local Kentucky paper, has an interesting perspective on the rise of the importance of religion in the military in the 1940s. Dr. G. Kurt Piehler from the University of Tennessee spoke at Murray State University’s scholarship banquet:
Piehler spoke concerning “The Religious Life of the G.I. during World War II.” Primarily focusing on the introduction of an expanded chaplain service to meet the religious needs of American military service men and women…
“We never followed religion as seriously as we did in World War II,” Piehler said, pointing out the increase in religious focus Read more
CNN recently noted that the US government is attempting to remove the term “retarded,” as it refers to mental capability, from its lexicon. Public sensitivity to the term has raised since the 2008 election and the use of the word by several celebrities.
Believe it or not, there is impact in this discussion to pilots. Read more
The Netherlands, one of the few countries that builds its own F-16s, rather than purchasing them from the US, is reportedly reducing its fleet of F-16s by selling some to Chile.
The Dutch are also one of the partner nations in the F-35 program, which is intended to replace the F-16, though their continued participation has been controversial.
An article at MSNBC talks about the controversy of pilots sleeping while in flight. The discussion about airline pilots is a separate issue; the article specifically mentions military pilots, however:
Even a 10-minute nap can improve a pilot’s performance, said Scott Shappell, a Clemson University professor who as director of the Human Factors Institute helped write the flying policies that govern military pilots.
In the military, pilots flying alone have been allowed for decades to take naps, Shappell said. “I can tell you absolutely, but good luck trying to find proof of this, in the military we have single-seat pilots take naps,” he said. Read more
President Obama’s religious faith continues to be a topic of discussion in the mainstream press. A recent article discussed an interview in which he said he is a “Christian by choice.”
Interestingly, at the end of the article, Obama said this:
“This is a country that is still predominantly Christian. But we have Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists and that their own path to grace is one that we have to revere and respect as much as our own.”
The perspective is interesting; Americans United for the Separation of Church and State made a point of saying that Obama “got it:” Read more