It’s been said here before that regardless of politics, war, or even religion, everybody thinks fighter pilots are cool.
So cool, in fact, that Usher was bedecked in that theme on the October/November cover of Vibe: (picture below the fold) Read more
In a somewhat expected move, the Military Times reports General David Petraeus has removed the limitations on MWR imposed by General Stanley McChrystal, allowing fast food and other morale facilities to return to the AOR.
McChrystal had previously instituted the restrictions because, as CSM Hall said
“This is a war zone — not an amusement park.”
Some outside the military fail to comprehend the US military’s ability to govern the “private lives” of those in its service. What happens outside the gate, or out of uniform, is beyond the military’s purview, they think.
They’re wrong.
While this misunderstanding of military control has become increasingly evident in recent months regarding sexual conduct, it has been raised about other issues as well.
Ramstein Air Base in Germany recently restricted all personnel to base or their homes in response to increases in perceived threats. Many civilians Read more
According to an official release, the Air Force has adopted the two most common phrases associated with its history as its new motto: Aim High…Fly-Fight-Win.
An enduring statement of Airmen’s pride in their service, the motto is a two-part expression — a call to action, with a response of commitment.
“The call and the response are two sides of the same coin,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. “Airmen indicated ‘Aim High’ and the response ‘Fly-Fight-Win’ as indicative of their enduring commitment to do just that in defense of our nation.”
The phrase is supposed to be a motto, not a recruiting slogan (for the Marines, think Semper Fi as opposed to The Few, The Proud). Comments on the official Air Force site lean heavily toward the negative.
The Air Force already retired the T-37B Tweet and is flying the T-6A Texan II as its primary introductory flight trainer. The T-6 was the result of a “joint” program between the Air Force and Navy. The Navy has been transitioning from its T-34C Turbomentor to the Navy version of the trainer, the T-6B.
An article at the Navy Times notes the T-6 is a huge leap from the earlier T-34 — even sporting ejection seats. Distressed pilots in the T-34 had to manually jump over the side if they needed to exit the aircraft in flight, a la WWII.
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.
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.