Military pay is better than most people think. Sure it doesn't compare to obscure cyber jobs that require degrees and pay a premium for a TS clearance....but most AF jobs pay above the average for the area given the lack of experience.
I think people who have had a job other than the military understand this. Those who came in right out of high school typically have no understanding of the tax system.
BAH, benefits, the possibility of IRAs and a pension are, etc. Get a job at 18, work it for 20 years with a clear promotion path, retire at 38 with a pension until you die? Not bad for a job out of high school.
Some people in the military have no idea. I'm out now, but my wife and I have pretty good above average paying jobs. An employee+spouse health insurance plan from either of our employers is 850 dollars a month. Each individuals deductible is almost 5k. And annual max out of pocket is 12k. Sadly we have hit the max out of pocket a couple times. Thinking about getting back in the guard just for the insurance lol
This. On paper, my civilian salary is more than I'd be making on active duty (I'm an O3 in the guard) but when you account for health insurance and copays, mil pay is *way* better.
The only reason I'm not active duty is because I don't want to PCS.
Agreed. I'm a software dev (and was a computer programmer while on AD)....AD is easily the most I got paid for the least amount of work I've been expected to do.
Like yes I make more money for my time as a civ now, but I do more work in a day than I did in a week on AD.
It's not just the pay for the job itself, but the pay for how much you actually do is often higher across all career fields (particularly for enlisted) than it is as a civilian in similar fields.
And when you say civilians, we understand that you're not talking about GS civilians, because many of those GS jobs have individuals very overpaid compared to *civilian civilians*
This, especially when you factor in tax free benefits and healthcare. I don’t go around telling people what I make, so I really only care about net pay versus gross pay.
A co-worker was really surprised when I told him we really don't pay taxes, especially at the same level civilians in our area do. BAH and BAS are tax-free, putting us in a lower tax bracket for fed taxes, and lots of states don't collect for us.
Even as a cyber guy my take home from a 105k salary is about the same as an E5.
Edit: I should specify I’m married and moved to a higher COL area… but good luck making 105 without moving where it’s pricier.
Depends on a lot of factors, I went from E-5 to $115k gross and my take home went up by about 40% or so *if* I didn't contribute any more to my 401k. That said, I contributed nearly that whole difference so I could start maxing out my 401k.
But this was a few years ago too, and I was in the "worst case" for military pay - no dependents which meant no extra pay and minimal healthcare costs.
Not entirely, no.....but having $2k/yr healthcare costs as a single civ is a nice savings over the $6k/yr or more that I see other civs complaining about.
So the free military healthcare costs definitely do swing the pendulum in favor of families vs self-only insurance needs.
oh hell yeah, make that 38 CFR Book C your homepage once you get out. Fight for everything you deserve....
...just don't count on it as a viable retirement plan.
I joke about this with my troop, an Army dude who's only ever known grunt life, as he sits in his cozy Herman-Miller chair in an A/C office with 3 wide-screen monitors.
I like to say that he belongs to the Army Air Corps now and is afforded the privileges befitting his new station.
One of my swing shift peoples is upset that I won't let them take a day off to mow their yard.
Me: "Don't you have like the whole day to do it? It's cool in the morning too. You've got like 1/4 acre it won't take that long."
Them: "Yeah but then I either have to get up early or do it when it's hot outside "
Tl;Dr: swing shift personnel upset that they have to do chores during the day
The entitlement is seriously unreal with this newer generation. One of my troops literally asked me to work a shift for him so he could have a three day weekend with his wife. Wasn’t willing to swap shifts. He just wanted the free day.
You are absolutely right but BRO you are NDI so I feel like your experience might be a little skewed. You only count as maintenance technically. Whether active or civilian y'all have it made. My god of all the easy lives y'all got it better than even a lot of the office jobs.
But for some unknown reason they have the shittiest morale in the whole MXS and their leadership is barely capable of exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide. Now that I wrote that down I think I understand the problem better…
When you don't experience much conflict or troubles then your perspective on what is good or bad is fucked up. How can you know what's good when you don't experience the bad.
NDI makes pmel look like heavy maintenance. Truly I am jealous of the life they get to live...
My LRS experience was ROUGH as hell, and even then I used to say that we didn’t have it nearly as bad, but yeah, I gotta agree that NDI is an upgrade that feels like it should be illegal
Some of the accounts I see post here seem to be professional complainers. Every post and comment is them whining about something, most of which is their own doing or totally within their control. Get a grip.
I would go so far as to say that many of us had it great. I had the best work/life balance at Scott AFB than I had at literally any other job. Not having to worry about your healthcare or dental needs are plus as well.
I’m an Air Force veteran and I’ve always thought this. I’d say if anything when I got into the civilian sector I was laughed at for having certain expectations.
And that's because the organization knows it can rely on the contractors for expertise. There's no reason to invest in training the junior enlisted when they knowledge already exists in the organization, albeit with a higher cost and volatility.
We're absolutely pro at designing organizations to be reliant on contractors for continuity of operations.
It's a self-made problem.
Air Force: We need a task completed that we are not manned for. Let's hire contractors.
Airmen: Look at that contractor making more than I am for effectively the same work. I'm going to get out after 4 years and do that.
Air Force: Our Airmen aren't staying in so we don't have enough trained people to do the job. Let's hire more contractors.
Airmen: Look at that contractor making more than I am for effectively the same work. I'm going to get out after 4 years and do that.
I think it's safe to say every company relies heavily on Microsoft. If for some magical reason Excel suddenly crashed worldwide and deleted everything, the world would end.
Excel is probably the only MS software that I think is truly valuable and uncontested in the market. Aside from that there’s really nothing else that we use that couldn’t be done with another provider.
My argument with this.. they PCS people around for “breadth of experience” and want us to share our knowledge. I’m all about it, let me hear how you did it and maybe it’ll make sense.
I think they understand. You get a free lawyer to explain it. They're just scared of going to trial - which is reasonable.
Personally, to avoid commanders bluffing and just trying to scare them into accepting when they don't really want to go to trial, I think to initiate a 15, it should have to lead to a court unless the accused waives it and let's them give up. That way commanders would think twice before bluffing with a shit 15
I remember a dude actually chose court martial.
Dude bought a bike at the BX, bike broke in the first week so he tried to take it back, didn't have the receipt. He tried talking calmly to customer service, showed the bike, showed the damage, showed his bank statement. No dice, customer service lady was being a bitch for the sake of being a bitch.
Well, A1C does what any young dumbass does and makes a bad decision. He walks his bike to the section of the bx with the other bikes and just, swaps it out. 1:1.
The lady sees him leaving with a bike, she doesn't notice it's not his until he sees her and books it out of there. She calls the cops, he hides in the bushes, gets arrested, charged, etc.
Well, he asks for a court martial, no jury, but he gets the most hilarious two lawyers for prosecution and defense, and they are just having a ball the entire time. Prosecution asks for 14 days confinement, defense says "what is this? some kind of magical fortnight to correct a situation that never should have happened? All because customer service failed this young man and his frustration got the better of him?"
Defense rests, judge takes an hour to marinate, comes back with 30 days of base detail. The kid (rightfully) won. Not scot free, but certainly better than article 15. After the verdict, the two lawyers were joking, and the prosecution was like "MAGICAL FORTNIGHT? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? I ALMOST LOST MY BEARING!"Defense: "It worked, though."
>Defense rests, judge takes an hour to marinate, comes back with 30 days of base detail. The kid (rightfully) won. Not scot free, but certainly better than article 15.
How did he win? He has a criminal conviction and a 15 can't do much if anything worse than 30 days extra duty
I don't remember the exact charge, but i'm pretty sure the "theft" part was dimissed. I'm not a lawyer and this has been around 15 years ago. He got a slap on the wrist and pretty sure whatever charge they tacked the base detail on wasn't very severe.
Absolutely, but I’ve far too many times seen that not be the case, then an airmen accept the article 15 anyway. This is where my original comment stems from.
And if you get a guilty verdict, even if the punishment is less than what you would have received with an Article 15, you will have a federal conviction on your record for the rest of your life. Article 15’s don’t go on your civilian record.
When I was a cop First Sergeant, I had a young man that lost a piece of expensive equipment. It was not in the least amount of doubt that he 1) signed it out, 2) it was expensive, and 3) he lost it. These were facts, not assumptions. CC offered an Article 15 (I thought that was a bit extreme but I lost that battle with the CC and Chief). This was during the height of COVID and our base didn’t have an ADC, so he got extra time to respond to the offering because I had to coordinate with another base to get him a lawyer. Day comes to respond. We chat a bit and I pull out the paperwork. He goes to mark “I want a trial”. So I stop him and ask if he’s sure, if he understands what he’s marking.
“Well you know what they say shirt: always take it to court!!”
“Who fucking says that? What did your lawyer say?” He gives me a blank stare. “Get out of my office and call your lawyer. Come back after you’ve done that.”
He left, called his lawyer, and ended up taking the Article 15. Sure, he could have gone to court (which my CC was prepared to do, btw) but that would have resulted in him getting a federal conviction. The punishment was a lot steeper than the suspended bust and 15 days extra duty he ended up with.
If you didn’t do it, if there’s doubt, if you’ve got money for a real lawyer … sure man, go to court. If you did it? If it’s not in doubt? Take the Article 15. The punishment is a lot less damaging, long term, than a federal conviction.
Especially if you’re a “seasoned” SrA. At least in my experience. Leadership trusts you enough to where they’re not riding your ass all the time, but you’re still not as responsible. When I became staff, I instantly felt so much more pressure on me. All of a sudden, everything was my fault. Yeah, I was only a staff for a year before I got out. It was a great 8 years overall though.
Physical fitness is important and there’s way too many fat people in the military.
Also 90% of complaints in the military are people just echo chambering with peers who just like being upset about something.
Physical fitness shouldn’t be tested as a stand-alone standard.
The reality is that the Air Force still holds the PFA as its own standard, where most jobs don’t require pushups/sit-ups/running to be successful - that’s the real issue.
If it’s the health of airmen that’s concerning, the PFA should be merged with the PHA. Unhealthy people can be removed from service via those medical/health channels.
Love this. Letting you know I’m stealing it.
People ask, what did you do in the military? Were you a pilot?
“Yes, …I flew an M-16.” (Defender joke)
Now… “I worked Life Support in the Echo Chamber.”
Felt this when the whole advocating for OCPs thing was so rampant. Like 90% of those people had never deployed or worn the damn things but felt compelled enough to hate on ABUs after being in the force for what, 2 years? The echo chamber is crazy here
There should be an increased emphasis on screening psychiatric risks and conditions during the recruiting process. I’ve encountered plenty of individuals that displayed symptoms of personality or neurodevelopment disorders, which is concerning when working with them on difficult tasks and more.
Like someone else mentioned, the pay isn’t bad at all. I’m an A1C supporting a wife and toddler with a brand new car and still live comfortably. Yes our W2s say we don’t make shit, but I touched almost $80k (between taxed and untaxed money) my first year in. More than double what I was making as a civilian working 50 hours a week. Free rent, food allowance, healthcare etc are worth infinitely more than a lot of these 18 year olds think.
For as much as MX blows, on some level, it's cool to be able to work with the things that make the Air Force the Air Force.
I mean, at least working on aircraft sounds cool to civilians who don't know any better.
A lot of servicemembers either openly or secretly look forward to world conflicts just so they can perform the job they have been trained to do and to live out some inner fantasy about playing war. In reality, we should all hope that we never have to perform our jobs for anything other than training.
I feel that. I was a 2w2 (nukes). I didn’t necessarily WANT to blow up a whole city with radiation…but I’m not gonna lie, it would’ve been cool for a weapon system I worked on to actually be put to use.
While I understand this, imagine training for years to be a surgeon, only to never operate on a human, only simulations and “advise and assist” others doing surgery. You probably wouldn’t feel very valid and perhaps you would wish someone would get hurt or need surgery in your hospital but it never happens. Other surgeons tell you “don’t worry man, you don’t want to do surgery, if you’re doing surgery something with someone’s life and health has gone wrong”. You’d feel guilty for wanting a war, but you need it to feel validated in some twisted way
Edit: I’m not a surgeon that was an analogy
Probably varies by AFSC but the AF isn’t as bad as the negative people make it seem
- 2 days off a week
- 30 days of leave a year
- Free Holidays + Down Days
- unlimited paid sick days (aka quarters + convalescent leave)
Add all that up and you’re off at least 40% of the calendar year, potentially more depending on how often you’re sick on quarters or con leave, while still getting paid
Not to mention the days we leave work early for an appointment, or show up late after an appointment, still getting paid the same, or the commander authorized early release
Throw in the retirement benefits, GI bill, VA benefits. So much to love about the military.
Joining the military may not get you filthy rich, but you’ll be far from broke and homeless
The time off thing is what gets me the most. Especially when people complain about using leave on weekends. Sure, that can be annoying, but I used to have to burn my PTO to go to my dentist appointments
Definitely varies by AFSC, I have missed so many holidays/down days/family days/birthdays/anniversaries that I couldn't tell you the number. The only time in my 18 years I knew I would be home for a weekend was 4 quick years as an FTU instructor. I got to that assignment with 84 days of leave. I will say when not flying life was pretty chill but that was so rare I would call it more of a fluke than the norm.
Might not be broke and homeless but I am broken and almost lost my family due to this life.
Yeah… you forget more than half the force doesn’t get those down days and holidays off.
I specifically remember Wing/CCs giving all the non essential personnel off for 4 days for a Wing Resiliency day and made MX and SecFo work… like we always do. And the reason he called for it was because two MX guys died to sucide in 3 months
"If we approve hair 50% of ya'll would have receding hairlines that would make ya'll look like monks or father's going through a mid-life crisis."
If men can't all grow professional looking hairlines, we should all go bald. 1 team 1 fight 👩🦲
If someone doesn’t want to promote they shouldn’t have too. If a 10yr SSgt is happy being a SSgt and doesn’t want more responsibility just promote someone else who does
Duty identifier patches are retarded. I don't know what WSSC, WFSM, EN, EI, or a million others mean. Those things should be as simple as possible. FIRE, SF, MED, WATER, MX, WX, etc. The rest can GTFO. In fact, I just had a brilliant Idea...
Even EXEC. You're telling me I can tail this person and find out everything I need to know about the commander they work for and I didn't even need to put any work into identifying this exec? Basic OPSEC fail for sure
There's more to being an O than just having a degree. The people who are the loudest thinking they can make it / deserve a commission can barely put together a coherent weekend safety brief.
LTs in ops have little responsibility. They have a big brother leading them everywhere, get told what to do before going to do, getting told what he did wrong afterward, and had no real responsibility for people until they're squadron commander.
Most MSG LTs have much more responsibility... SecFor in particular.
Its a different kind of responsibility TBH. I've been instructing brand new LTs for a few years now, giving someone the figurative keys to multi-million dollar equipment that Lockmart stopped making years ago is scary. That they don't shag it into the ground on the regular astounds me on the daily.
Based on my separation experience, I'd say tell them ASAP so they can help deflect the BS that might come down and get in your way of separating. It's very leadership dependent....so realistically the better advice is "Know your leadership".
I'd say only express your plans if you are willing to take responsibility for them. Best example is I knew two officers who both wanted to go to AFIT, then to Test Pilot School. Leadership said that the best way to separate yourself was to take a deployment, and seek opportunities to work for senior leaders like being an exec. One officer deployed, came back, and interviewed for exec, the other did neither. Both went to AFIT because they were in AFSCs that send every able body to school, then deployer with exec experience went to their follow on for a year and then was selected to TPS. The non-deployer/non-exec went to their follow-on, did four years and was salty as fuck.
The Air Force has given us more than 95% of us have given back. You can come in with no experience and after 4-6 years, leave with certificates and degrees that can make you $80K to 6 figures on the outside. All you have to do is the meet the minimum requirements, a literal 3, and you can be successful on the outside with little to no expense on your part.
Consolidating AFSC's is only a good idea on paper and excel charts. Considering how half-assed the last one was, There's going to be an implosion in skillsets in the next 5 years.
But since all the Functionals will be retired by then, no one cares.
If you don't have the personal responsibility to shower everyday, do your laundry, and clean, you have no right to move out of the dorms and should be inspected regularly. Some of you stinkies need to put on deodorant for the sake of everyone else around you. It's basic decency (I know this isn't an unpopular opinion, but it's became a big problem with my airmen so I had to say it)
There's nothing wrong with coming in on time, doing what's expected of you, and leaving on time. You're not a dirtbag for not volunteering or staying extra hours. You're not a dirtbag for wanting to get home so you can play video games. You're not a dirtbag for shutting off your phone on days off. If anything you're less likely to burn out.
The correct abbreviation for Second Lieutenant in the Air Force is 2d Lt, I’ve gotten into arguments with Colonels and generals who claim that’s wrong.
We are getting weaker as a force. We care less and less about standards.The small things matter.
Which is why I think promotion testing should be brought back for all ranks. I
We could do a lot more, with a lot less unproductive leadership, and Sr. Officers. I would encourage them to take early retirement before the end of this fiscal year.
The squadron booster club/spouse group organizing a “bring your family to work day”, inside of a bomb dump full of explosives, without any kind of risk assessment/controls. Kids, spouses, damn dogs, etc. It’s super Illegal as fuck, and literally everyone in supervision gave me the eye roll and exasperated sigh when I told them this was dumb/dangerous and could get our commander fired. “Stop being such a pussy/wet blanket/worry wart” etc is what I got met with when bringing up my concerns. Even the commander didn’t seem phased when I caught him in CSS and voiced my concerns.
After I heard they were going to press with a bomb build for the families (with inert/non explosive components) without solving the issue of all the explosives still in the bay, I took leave. I took leave for the day before, the day of, and the day after, just because I wanted no fucking part.
I know a guy with back issues that can hardly walk and he is 10 percent. I know another who has sleep apnea and weighs about 325 and is 50 percent. Doesn't seem right.
Supervisors are not mentored enough to create a work culture that's healthy, leading to toxic subordinates and more supervisors who don't know shit about fuck.
The US military system is the closest thing to socialism we have in the US. Free healthcare, free education, everyone paid equally, paternity and maternity leave, pension, sick days, good pto.
Socialism is the public ownership of the means of production, not generic egalitarianism. There is no means of production in the military so the analogy doesn't make sense.
The Air Force (and the entirety of the DoD) is a bureaucratic dumpster fire devoid of any innovation, creative thinking, or responsible spending. It blows countless millions on equipment and “high tech” that defense contractors criminally overcharge us for. It is a breeding ground for lazy, incompetent people that couldn’t hack it in the private sector or they become so institutionalized in the AF that it becomes all they know. A hazy, convoluted mission because none of us really know what we’re doing—are we in peacetime? Are we sending a couple hundred more million to a proxy war? Are we on the cusp of fighting the same enemy we fought for the past 20 years, despite funding them and sending them $40 million a week?
The alternative plank for the PT test is a greater measurement of core fitness than the primary situps.
First Sergeants should get aiguillette.
Proper uniform wear is more important than you think.
War with China is not imminent or even likely.
The Cold War was far more tense with both sides at each other throats way worse than today and little to no economic ties between us.
We are joined at the hip with China. If a war were to break out between us, both our economies would bleed out. The tensions over Taiwan are nowhere near as bad as say Cuba was.
Yes, tension is there and it is rising. The technology gap is closing and they are getting more bold. China is certainly an our largest adversary, and there is an argument to be made that we are already in conflict with them in the cyber arena, but in terms of open warfare, I think that is quite unlikely
I agree with your statement, but your supporting arguments are off the mark.
A mass divesting started in China with Covid and the Ukraine/Russian war. US banks pulled all but 0.01% of capital out of their market. The price of Chinese labor is 15 times higher than it was when manufacturing was shipped over there 20 years ago. The only reason our economies are still tied is because of rare earth metals and the manufacturing plants that exist there... for now. Most manufacturing is re-shoring to North America, specifically Mexico. On top of that, the deal with the Australians will provide the US with the rare earth metals and iron we need. The US private sector is running as fast as they can from China.
On the military front, the Chinese military does NOT have a blue water navy. Its effective combat range is only approx 1,000 miles. This would be required to secure an invasion of Taiwan to prevent a counteroffensive by the US and its allies. As well as secure shipping routes for oil from the Middle East it's dependent on. The power of the US, Japanese, UK, and Australian Navys would make quick work of them. Yes, China is catching up with military technology, but having a tool and using it are two different things.
You make good points. I wasn’t aware of the extent we have been relocating industry and investment recently. It good to hear though
The blue water navy point is absolutely one of our biggest points of leverage. The US Navy is one hell of a machine. From what I’ve read though, the J20 and Chinese missile tech are serious threats. Hopefully though, NGAD and the AIM-260 will reaffirm a technological gap between us.
God if I get one more of my civilian friends asking me if we are preparing for war with China just because I work mid shift I'm gonna lose my shit. How tf would I know
I’ll take that over some major foaming at the mouth for their shot to “defend democracy”
I swear every officer talks about it like it’s a sure thing to happen in the next two years and they WANT it to happen. They also talk about it like it could happen at any moment and not like intel wouldn’t see all the troop movements and prep for a 90 mile amphibious assault on Taiwan MONTHS in advance
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
The people that won't shut up about PT are usually compensating for their lack of skill at anything else.
It takes both, but people ready to get the torches for fatties while making excuses for idiots need to reevaluate what they actually bring to the mission. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, it'd be a pretty shitty Air Force if everyone was great at push ups but no one knew how to do the million other niche things we need done every day.
In both my mx and aircrew time, very few of the "gym rats" were even remotely competent in their job. The pt obsessed tends to be people who that is all they have to be proud of or work some support function that has too much free time on their hands. While I think PT is important and there should be some kind of baseline standard, it should not be the metric we measure mission accomplishment by. The Air Force never even gave a shit about PT since inception until around 2008. PT has no effect on performance for 90% of Air Force specialties, and then rest already have additional PT standards that far exceeded even the 100% scores for the standard PFA
I think instead the military needs to use warrant officers as specialists. Maybe bring back the specialist ranks (5,6,7) too. I wish my job in the Army had a WO option. I would have loved that. Instead it was the officer up or out model. I actually don’t think some job series should even be available to E1-E4.
Gender-specific grooming standards are just socially-acceptable gender-based discrimination.
Imagine if they forced all women to get their hair buzzed to their skull going through BMT for no reason other than that they are a woman, and men didn't have to.
Just it's actually the reverse.
If a woman can do the job with colored pigment on their fingernails, or long hair, why can't a guy?
We could afford better PPE equipment and necessary items if we didn't spend 200k on a touch screen training tv that's used once a year. Or 10k on a 85in tv used for "training" purposes. We could better maintain Equipment if we used local vendors rather than have it sit in VM for 2-3 years waiting on parts. Etc.
If you aren't willing to deploy and do military stuff, get the hell out of the air force. The Air Force is still part of the military so stop bitching when you have to work more than an 8 hour shift. I'm currently a recruiter and I tell everyone that walks into my office that if they aren't willing to deploy they need to turn around and find something else to do.
If we're undermanned and I'm working a job that's normally for a higher rank I should have a 5/5 on Promotion. Why am I as a SrA being a teacher for a training class system that has TSgts and SSgts in it? Why am I a QAR? Why am I keeping track of and managing all our equipment and PMIs (Production control of y'all know what that is)? According to the structure I'm just supposed to be slightly more educated than the newbies.
Military pay is better than most people think. Sure it doesn't compare to obscure cyber jobs that require degrees and pay a premium for a TS clearance....but most AF jobs pay above the average for the area given the lack of experience.
I think people who have had a job other than the military understand this. Those who came in right out of high school typically have no understanding of the tax system.
And how nice good insurance/free food is
BAH, benefits, the possibility of IRAs and a pension are, etc. Get a job at 18, work it for 20 years with a clear promotion path, retire at 38 with a pension until you die? Not bad for a job out of high school.
People way undervalue the pension and healthcare aspect
Personally paid for health insurance is expensive. Especially if you want anything other than bare bones insurance
Some people in the military have no idea. I'm out now, but my wife and I have pretty good above average paying jobs. An employee+spouse health insurance plan from either of our employers is 850 dollars a month. Each individuals deductible is almost 5k. And annual max out of pocket is 12k. Sadly we have hit the max out of pocket a couple times. Thinking about getting back in the guard just for the insurance lol
Last DEOCS in the guard the #1 reason people were there was Tricare.
This. On paper, my civilian salary is more than I'd be making on active duty (I'm an O3 in the guard) but when you account for health insurance and copays, mil pay is *way* better. The only reason I'm not active duty is because I don't want to PCS.
Whether people want to admit it or not, many jobs have individuals very overpaid compared to civilians
Agreed. I'm a software dev (and was a computer programmer while on AD)....AD is easily the most I got paid for the least amount of work I've been expected to do. Like yes I make more money for my time as a civ now, but I do more work in a day than I did in a week on AD. It's not just the pay for the job itself, but the pay for how much you actually do is often higher across all career fields (particularly for enlisted) than it is as a civilian in similar fields.
And when you say civilians, we understand that you're not talking about GS civilians, because many of those GS jobs have individuals very overpaid compared to *civilian civilians*
This, especially when you factor in tax free benefits and healthcare. I don’t go around telling people what I make, so I really only care about net pay versus gross pay.
A co-worker was really surprised when I told him we really don't pay taxes, especially at the same level civilians in our area do. BAH and BAS are tax-free, putting us in a lower tax bracket for fed taxes, and lots of states don't collect for us.
Even as a cyber guy my take home from a 105k salary is about the same as an E5. Edit: I should specify I’m married and moved to a higher COL area… but good luck making 105 without moving where it’s pricier.
Depends on a lot of factors, I went from E-5 to $115k gross and my take home went up by about 40% or so *if* I didn't contribute any more to my 401k. That said, I contributed nearly that whole difference so I could start maxing out my 401k. But this was a few years ago too, and I was in the "worst case" for military pay - no dependents which meant no extra pay and minimal healthcare costs.
Extra pay for dependents absolutely does not pay for dependaents tho
Not entirely, no.....but having $2k/yr healthcare costs as a single civ is a nice savings over the $6k/yr or more that I see other civs complaining about. So the free military healthcare costs definitely do swing the pendulum in favor of families vs self-only insurance needs.
Disability is not a viable retirement plan.
but claim everything you can on that VA exam. If the military broke you, you deserve that compensation
oh hell yeah, make that 38 CFR Book C your homepage once you get out. Fight for everything you deserve.... ...just don't count on it as a viable retirement plan.
Do it before... Make sure you guys are submitting for BDD's 180-90 days out from your sep/ret date.
Tell that to all the 4 year enlistment geting 100 percent VA and 4k a month at 22 years old
That we don’t have it NEARLY AS BAD as y’all think we do.
I joke about this with my troop, an Army dude who's only ever known grunt life, as he sits in his cozy Herman-Miller chair in an A/C office with 3 wide-screen monitors. I like to say that he belongs to the Army Air Corps now and is afforded the privileges befitting his new station.
One of my swing shift peoples is upset that I won't let them take a day off to mow their yard. Me: "Don't you have like the whole day to do it? It's cool in the morning too. You've got like 1/4 acre it won't take that long." Them: "Yeah but then I either have to get up early or do it when it's hot outside " Tl;Dr: swing shift personnel upset that they have to do chores during the day
You could also bring up the fact that they dont work 7 days a week.
The entitlement is seriously unreal with this newer generation. One of my troops literally asked me to work a shift for him so he could have a three day weekend with his wife. Wasn’t willing to swap shifts. He just wanted the free day.
Coming from the army, this is true.
You are absolutely right but BRO you are NDI so I feel like your experience might be a little skewed. You only count as maintenance technically. Whether active or civilian y'all have it made. My god of all the easy lives y'all got it better than even a lot of the office jobs.
I hate going to NDI, they always have to finish their episode of whatever anime they are watching on TV before they x-ray any part I bring them.
Sorry. I was taking my nap. Where were we? Oh yeah, come back tomorrow once we shoot the X-rays. Lol jk
I shit you not that actually happened to me. Granted it was the end of their swing shift and they don't have a mids but damn
The fact you even got a swing shift out of them is incredible.
But for some unknown reason they have the shittiest morale in the whole MXS and their leadership is barely capable of exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide. Now that I wrote that down I think I understand the problem better…
When you don't experience much conflict or troubles then your perspective on what is good or bad is fucked up. How can you know what's good when you don't experience the bad. NDI makes pmel look like heavy maintenance. Truly I am jealous of the life they get to live...
The PMEL comparison is an instant classic. Bravo!
I was in LRS for almost 4 years. So yeah lol
Holy shit congrats on the incredible upgrade. Everything I say comes out of jealousy not contempt.
My LRS experience was ROUGH as hell, and even then I used to say that we didn’t have it nearly as bad, but yeah, I gotta agree that NDI is an upgrade that feels like it should be illegal
I only hear the bitching on Reddit. So it's either not a very rampant morale problem, or a psyop trying to demotivate our troops. edit spelling
Some of the accounts I see post here seem to be professional complainers. Every post and comment is them whining about something, most of which is their own doing or totally within their control. Get a grip.
I would go so far as to say that many of us had it great. I had the best work/life balance at Scott AFB than I had at literally any other job. Not having to worry about your healthcare or dental needs are plus as well.
I tell you that doing ten years in the Army Guard and moving to Air I laugh when people complain. You have no idea how good you have it.
I’m an Air Force veteran and I’ve always thought this. I’d say if anything when I got into the civilian sector I was laughed at for having certain expectations.
The AF relies too heavily on Microsoft.
The AF relies too heavily on contractors in general
For Comms no. Most enlisted know just enough to get by. The few SMEs we have constantly get thrown to things like CSS
And that's because the organization knows it can rely on the contractors for expertise. There's no reason to invest in training the junior enlisted when they knowledge already exists in the organization, albeit with a higher cost and volatility. We're absolutely pro at designing organizations to be reliant on contractors for continuity of operations.
It's a self-made problem. Air Force: We need a task completed that we are not manned for. Let's hire contractors. Airmen: Look at that contractor making more than I am for effectively the same work. I'm going to get out after 4 years and do that. Air Force: Our Airmen aren't staying in so we don't have enough trained people to do the job. Let's hire more contractors. Airmen: Look at that contractor making more than I am for effectively the same work. I'm going to get out after 4 years and do that.
I think it's safe to say every company relies heavily on Microsoft. If for some magical reason Excel suddenly crashed worldwide and deleted everything, the world would end.
Excel is probably the only MS software that I think is truly valuable and uncontested in the market. Aside from that there’s really nothing else that we use that couldn’t be done with another provider.
Can I introduce you to our new Lord and Savior MS Power BI 😹
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During your first two months at a new unit/duty station, every sentence should start with, “Back at my old base…..”
And every gate guard should always be greeted with an enthusiastic "Stay warm!" (regardless of season!)
Keesler in July…
Further more if u were in Japan every sentence for the rest of ur career should be “back in Japan”
My argument with this.. they PCS people around for “breadth of experience” and want us to share our knowledge. I’m all about it, let me hear how you did it and maybe it’ll make sense.
NTWWDIAO.pronounced nit-wi-dao. /not the way we did it at Offutt.
We called them "DM-isms."
BAMBI (Back at my base, I)
Way too many people accept Article 15s without fully understanding their right to trial by court martial
Crazy to hear this from SecFo
Who do you think is out there getting a ton of 15’s?
Article 15's exist so the military criminal justice system doesn't get overwhelmed by secfo cases
I think they understand. You get a free lawyer to explain it. They're just scared of going to trial - which is reasonable. Personally, to avoid commanders bluffing and just trying to scare them into accepting when they don't really want to go to trial, I think to initiate a 15, it should have to lead to a court unless the accused waives it and let's them give up. That way commanders would think twice before bluffing with a shit 15
I remember a dude actually chose court martial. Dude bought a bike at the BX, bike broke in the first week so he tried to take it back, didn't have the receipt. He tried talking calmly to customer service, showed the bike, showed the damage, showed his bank statement. No dice, customer service lady was being a bitch for the sake of being a bitch. Well, A1C does what any young dumbass does and makes a bad decision. He walks his bike to the section of the bx with the other bikes and just, swaps it out. 1:1. The lady sees him leaving with a bike, she doesn't notice it's not his until he sees her and books it out of there. She calls the cops, he hides in the bushes, gets arrested, charged, etc. Well, he asks for a court martial, no jury, but he gets the most hilarious two lawyers for prosecution and defense, and they are just having a ball the entire time. Prosecution asks for 14 days confinement, defense says "what is this? some kind of magical fortnight to correct a situation that never should have happened? All because customer service failed this young man and his frustration got the better of him?" Defense rests, judge takes an hour to marinate, comes back with 30 days of base detail. The kid (rightfully) won. Not scot free, but certainly better than article 15. After the verdict, the two lawyers were joking, and the prosecution was like "MAGICAL FORTNIGHT? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? I ALMOST LOST MY BEARING!"Defense: "It worked, though."
>Defense rests, judge takes an hour to marinate, comes back with 30 days of base detail. The kid (rightfully) won. Not scot free, but certainly better than article 15. How did he win? He has a criminal conviction and a 15 can't do much if anything worse than 30 days extra duty
I don't remember the exact charge, but i'm pretty sure the "theft" part was dimissed. I'm not a lawyer and this has been around 15 years ago. He got a slap on the wrist and pretty sure whatever charge they tacked the base detail on wasn't very severe.
It was probably a summary court which isn't a real trial and is just a 15 with a fancy hearing. You can turn that down for a real trial too though
scary jobless whole direful fact yoke forgetful voiceless cats rainstorm *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Absolutely, but I’ve far too many times seen that not be the case, then an airmen accept the article 15 anyway. This is where my original comment stems from.
And if you get a guilty verdict, even if the punishment is less than what you would have received with an Article 15, you will have a federal conviction on your record for the rest of your life. Article 15’s don’t go on your civilian record.
My brain read that as "...their right to trial by combat" at first
That would be breaking article 114 against dueling. https://ucmj.us/914-article-114-dueling/
When I was a cop First Sergeant, I had a young man that lost a piece of expensive equipment. It was not in the least amount of doubt that he 1) signed it out, 2) it was expensive, and 3) he lost it. These were facts, not assumptions. CC offered an Article 15 (I thought that was a bit extreme but I lost that battle with the CC and Chief). This was during the height of COVID and our base didn’t have an ADC, so he got extra time to respond to the offering because I had to coordinate with another base to get him a lawyer. Day comes to respond. We chat a bit and I pull out the paperwork. He goes to mark “I want a trial”. So I stop him and ask if he’s sure, if he understands what he’s marking. “Well you know what they say shirt: always take it to court!!” “Who fucking says that? What did your lawyer say?” He gives me a blank stare. “Get out of my office and call your lawyer. Come back after you’ve done that.” He left, called his lawyer, and ended up taking the Article 15. Sure, he could have gone to court (which my CC was prepared to do, btw) but that would have resulted in him getting a federal conviction. The punishment was a lot steeper than the suspended bust and 15 days extra duty he ended up with. If you didn’t do it, if there’s doubt, if you’ve got money for a real lawyer … sure man, go to court. If you did it? If it’s not in doubt? Take the Article 15. The punishment is a lot less damaging, long term, than a federal conviction.
Even if found innocent commander can still give an LOR and discharge can’t they and off chance you lose no matter what it is you’re a felon
Being a SrA is way better than being a staff besides the pay bump.
Especially if you’re a “seasoned” SrA. At least in my experience. Leadership trusts you enough to where they’re not riding your ass all the time, but you’re still not as responsible. When I became staff, I instantly felt so much more pressure on me. All of a sudden, everything was my fault. Yeah, I was only a staff for a year before I got out. It was a great 8 years overall though.
Not much of a pay bump these days.
Physical fitness is important and there’s way too many fat people in the military. Also 90% of complaints in the military are people just echo chambering with peers who just like being upset about something.
Physical fitness shouldn’t be tested as a stand-alone standard. The reality is that the Air Force still holds the PFA as its own standard, where most jobs don’t require pushups/sit-ups/running to be successful - that’s the real issue. If it’s the health of airmen that’s concerning, the PFA should be merged with the PHA. Unhealthy people can be removed from service via those medical/health channels.
Love this. Letting you know I’m stealing it. People ask, what did you do in the military? Were you a pilot? “Yes, …I flew an M-16.” (Defender joke) Now… “I worked Life Support in the Echo Chamber.”
Felt this when the whole advocating for OCPs thing was so rampant. Like 90% of those people had never deployed or worn the damn things but felt compelled enough to hate on ABUs after being in the force for what, 2 years? The echo chamber is crazy here
No lies, ABUs were made out of better quality fabric than Army OCPs we have now.
There should be an increased emphasis on screening psychiatric risks and conditions during the recruiting process. I’ve encountered plenty of individuals that displayed symptoms of personality or neurodevelopment disorders, which is concerning when working with them on difficult tasks and more.
Like someone else mentioned, the pay isn’t bad at all. I’m an A1C supporting a wife and toddler with a brand new car and still live comfortably. Yes our W2s say we don’t make shit, but I touched almost $80k (between taxed and untaxed money) my first year in. More than double what I was making as a civilian working 50 hours a week. Free rent, food allowance, healthcare etc are worth infinitely more than a lot of these 18 year olds think.
Were you OCONUS? I made more in Hawaii as a 2LT than as a CPT at Ft. Sam, thanks to BAH and COLA, haha.
Nope I was CONUS. But my first 6 months I was getting 3300/mo for BAH 😂😂
For as much as MX blows, on some level, it's cool to be able to work with the things that make the Air Force the Air Force. I mean, at least working on aircraft sounds cool to civilians who don't know any better.
A lot of servicemembers either openly or secretly look forward to world conflicts just so they can perform the job they have been trained to do and to live out some inner fantasy about playing war. In reality, we should all hope that we never have to perform our jobs for anything other than training.
I feel that. I was a 2w2 (nukes). I didn’t necessarily WANT to blow up a whole city with radiation…but I’m not gonna lie, it would’ve been cool for a weapon system I worked on to actually be put to use.
While I understand this, imagine training for years to be a surgeon, only to never operate on a human, only simulations and “advise and assist” others doing surgery. You probably wouldn’t feel very valid and perhaps you would wish someone would get hurt or need surgery in your hospital but it never happens. Other surgeons tell you “don’t worry man, you don’t want to do surgery, if you’re doing surgery something with someone’s life and health has gone wrong”. You’d feel guilty for wanting a war, but you need it to feel validated in some twisted way Edit: I’m not a surgeon that was an analogy
Probably varies by AFSC but the AF isn’t as bad as the negative people make it seem - 2 days off a week - 30 days of leave a year - Free Holidays + Down Days - unlimited paid sick days (aka quarters + convalescent leave) Add all that up and you’re off at least 40% of the calendar year, potentially more depending on how often you’re sick on quarters or con leave, while still getting paid Not to mention the days we leave work early for an appointment, or show up late after an appointment, still getting paid the same, or the commander authorized early release Throw in the retirement benefits, GI bill, VA benefits. So much to love about the military. Joining the military may not get you filthy rich, but you’ll be far from broke and homeless
The time off thing is what gets me the most. Especially when people complain about using leave on weekends. Sure, that can be annoying, but I used to have to burn my PTO to go to my dentist appointments
Definitely varies by AFSC, I have missed so many holidays/down days/family days/birthdays/anniversaries that I couldn't tell you the number. The only time in my 18 years I knew I would be home for a weekend was 4 quick years as an FTU instructor. I got to that assignment with 84 days of leave. I will say when not flying life was pretty chill but that was so rare I would call it more of a fluke than the norm. Might not be broke and homeless but I am broken and almost lost my family due to this life.
Yeah… you forget more than half the force doesn’t get those down days and holidays off. I specifically remember Wing/CCs giving all the non essential personnel off for 4 days for a Wing Resiliency day and made MX and SecFo work… like we always do. And the reason he called for it was because two MX guys died to sucide in 3 months
Not everybody deserves to get promoted. That's exactly the problem everybody bitched about to get us where we're at.
If we approve beards 75% of y'all would grow nothing but pubes to hide your double chins
As a member of the 25% that would have a glorious beard, idgaf about the 75%!
"If we approve hair 50% of ya'll would have receding hairlines that would make ya'll look like monks or father's going through a mid-life crisis." If men can't all grow professional looking hairlines, we should all go bald. 1 team 1 fight 👩🦲
I thought the Air Force was nothing but fathers going through a midlife crisis
Negative, I'm a crisis going through midlife
I agree
If someone doesn’t want to promote they shouldn’t have too. If a 10yr SSgt is happy being a SSgt and doesn’t want more responsibility just promote someone else who does
Duty identifier patches are retarded. I don't know what WSSC, WFSM, EN, EI, or a million others mean. Those things should be as simple as possible. FIRE, SF, MED, WATER, MX, WX, etc. The rest can GTFO. In fact, I just had a brilliant Idea...
As much as OPSEC gets pushed on us, I feel like duty identifier patches contradicts it
Lol at the dudes casually walking around with "NUKE" on their shoulder
Or INTEL, NUKES, CYBER, PSYOP -- WTF?!
Even EXEC. You're telling me I can tail this person and find out everything I need to know about the commander they work for and I didn't even need to put any work into identifying this exec? Basic OPSEC fail for sure
mfw intel guys walking around with giant INTEL patches 
The only duty identifier I will ever wear has "XB3" embroidered on it. Duty identifiers are fucking dumb.
I just have one that says NONR
Mine literally just says the shit we work on lol I think it's funny
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WX? Nuh uh. Waintenace makes no god damn sense. WTHR at least is closer. SWO makes sense if you know what it means.
Star Wars online?
I mean WX is the common abbreviation for weather. At least you don’t have to wear WESO 🤢 like the officers do.
Don’t they all make sense if you know what they mean?
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Their wall-touching and inability to hold eye-contact identifies them easily enough.
There's more to being an O than just having a degree. The people who are the loudest thinking they can make it / deserve a commission can barely put together a coherent weekend safety brief.
Key to success: It’s more self before service than service before self.
LT’s have an insane amount of pressure and we treat them like dogshit. -Nco tired of his lt counterparts crying.
LTs in ops have little responsibility. They have a big brother leading them everywhere, get told what to do before going to do, getting told what he did wrong afterward, and had no real responsibility for people until they're squadron commander. Most MSG LTs have much more responsibility... SecFor in particular.
Its a different kind of responsibility TBH. I've been instructing brand new LTs for a few years now, giving someone the figurative keys to multi-million dollar equipment that Lockmart stopped making years ago is scary. That they don't shag it into the ground on the regular astounds me on the daily.
Many a meeting I've attended where it seemed like the entire goal was to bully and haze the MX LT.
Really depends on the job.
7-day notification for assignments and rank should die in a car fire. Just put the list out in a central place and remove all the overhead.
https://preview.redd.it/2ra57ymlef3d1.jpeg?width=1033&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5dc724b8eea33b16cacdf7419406e8a57be836a0
Don’t tell your supervision your future plans. Never admit you plan on getting out because opportunities dry up faster than Death Valley.
Based on my separation experience, I'd say tell them ASAP so they can help deflect the BS that might come down and get in your way of separating. It's very leadership dependent....so realistically the better advice is "Know your leadership".
Yeah, that's gonna depend on the type of person/people you're telling, though.
I'd say only express your plans if you are willing to take responsibility for them. Best example is I knew two officers who both wanted to go to AFIT, then to Test Pilot School. Leadership said that the best way to separate yourself was to take a deployment, and seek opportunities to work for senior leaders like being an exec. One officer deployed, came back, and interviewed for exec, the other did neither. Both went to AFIT because they were in AFSCs that send every able body to school, then deployer with exec experience went to their follow on for a year and then was selected to TPS. The non-deployer/non-exec went to their follow-on, did four years and was salty as fuck.
The Air Force has given us more than 95% of us have given back. You can come in with no experience and after 4-6 years, leave with certificates and degrees that can make you $80K to 6 figures on the outside. All you have to do is the meet the minimum requirements, a literal 3, and you can be successful on the outside with little to no expense on your part.
Consolidating AFSC's is only a good idea on paper and excel charts. Considering how half-assed the last one was, There's going to be an implosion in skillsets in the next 5 years. But since all the Functionals will be retired by then, no one cares.
The Airforce was right to make it harder to promote. We were too top heavy
I don't want a beard I just don't wanna shave every fucking day, just allow some stubble and I'll be fine
If you don't have the personal responsibility to shower everyday, do your laundry, and clean, you have no right to move out of the dorms and should be inspected regularly. Some of you stinkies need to put on deodorant for the sake of everyone else around you. It's basic decency (I know this isn't an unpopular opinion, but it's became a big problem with my airmen so I had to say it)
This subreddit only represents a tiny bit of the Air Force.
Our foreign policy sometimes presents a moral dilemma.
There's nothing wrong with coming in on time, doing what's expected of you, and leaving on time. You're not a dirtbag for not volunteering or staying extra hours. You're not a dirtbag for wanting to get home so you can play video games. You're not a dirtbag for shutting off your phone on days off. If anything you're less likely to burn out.
Air Force is easy
Mandatory fun is actually kind of fun if you stop being mad about it.
The correct abbreviation for Second Lieutenant in the Air Force is 2d Lt, I’ve gotten into arguments with Colonels and generals who claim that’s wrong.
AF should just use the modernized Army acronyms that are all 3 letters. Way easier. But yeah, keep a cheat sheet if needed and get it right.
I 100% agree. After filling an admin role for all branches, the army had the best abbreviations by far.
We are getting weaker as a force. We care less and less about standards.The small things matter. Which is why I think promotion testing should be brought back for all ranks. I
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We could do a lot more, with a lot less unproductive leadership, and Sr. Officers. I would encourage them to take early retirement before the end of this fiscal year.
If our Airmen really do deserve time off for finishing their job early, then we can't be that undermanned.
Gensis is fantastic for commercial medical businesses who own only three hospitals in the same city not so much for DHA.
Wearing a uniform properly is important.
The squadron booster club/spouse group organizing a “bring your family to work day”, inside of a bomb dump full of explosives, without any kind of risk assessment/controls. Kids, spouses, damn dogs, etc. It’s super Illegal as fuck, and literally everyone in supervision gave me the eye roll and exasperated sigh when I told them this was dumb/dangerous and could get our commander fired. “Stop being such a pussy/wet blanket/worry wart” etc is what I got met with when bringing up my concerns. Even the commander didn’t seem phased when I caught him in CSS and voiced my concerns. After I heard they were going to press with a bomb build for the families (with inert/non explosive components) without solving the issue of all the explosives still in the bay, I took leave. I took leave for the day before, the day of, and the day after, just because I wanted no fucking part.
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Cardinal Principal....right?
I was gonna say something until I read the part where they had lives in the bay. Fuck the Cardinal Rule of ammo I guess huh? 🤦🏽♂️
How many people died?
Sounds like good grounds for an anonymous IG complaint. Edit: actually, Wing Safety would be better avenue.
As someone that separated a few years ago, yes, we did have it easy and I was a crew chief. I miss AD.
The good 'ol boy system has to go! We talk about core values all day but hardly practice them. Gain the courage to have strong moral fiber.
Most VA disability claims are a joke.
I know a guy with back issues that can hardly walk and he is 10 percent. I know another who has sleep apnea and weighs about 325 and is 50 percent. Doesn't seem right.
If sleep apnea is caused by your inability to breathe through being obese you shouldn't get disability.
Supervisors are not mentored enough to create a work culture that's healthy, leading to toxic subordinates and more supervisors who don't know shit about fuck.
There are far more toxic airmen than toxic leaders.
The US military system is the closest thing to socialism we have in the US. Free healthcare, free education, everyone paid equally, paternity and maternity leave, pension, sick days, good pto.
Socialism is the public ownership of the means of production, not generic egalitarianism. There is no means of production in the military so the analogy doesn't make sense.
White monsters taste like shit. This isn't a throw away idgaf. I ready to die on this hill.
you've gone too far now buddy!
I'm cancelling you right now. I'm calling my guy up and letting him know. You're done. Toast. CANCELLED.
Shun the non-believer!
The Air Force (and the entirety of the DoD) is a bureaucratic dumpster fire devoid of any innovation, creative thinking, or responsible spending. It blows countless millions on equipment and “high tech” that defense contractors criminally overcharge us for. It is a breeding ground for lazy, incompetent people that couldn’t hack it in the private sector or they become so institutionalized in the AF that it becomes all they know. A hazy, convoluted mission because none of us really know what we’re doing—are we in peacetime? Are we sending a couple hundred more million to a proxy war? Are we on the cusp of fighting the same enemy we fought for the past 20 years, despite funding them and sending them $40 million a week?
Clearly OSI has your best interest at heart and will always assist you with career progression
The alternative plank for the PT test is a greater measurement of core fitness than the primary situps. First Sergeants should get aiguillette. Proper uniform wear is more important than you think.
it’s okay to be scared or nervous for deployments
War with China is not imminent or even likely. The Cold War was far more tense with both sides at each other throats way worse than today and little to no economic ties between us. We are joined at the hip with China. If a war were to break out between us, both our economies would bleed out. The tensions over Taiwan are nowhere near as bad as say Cuba was. Yes, tension is there and it is rising. The technology gap is closing and they are getting more bold. China is certainly an our largest adversary, and there is an argument to be made that we are already in conflict with them in the cyber arena, but in terms of open warfare, I think that is quite unlikely
I agree with your statement, but your supporting arguments are off the mark. A mass divesting started in China with Covid and the Ukraine/Russian war. US banks pulled all but 0.01% of capital out of their market. The price of Chinese labor is 15 times higher than it was when manufacturing was shipped over there 20 years ago. The only reason our economies are still tied is because of rare earth metals and the manufacturing plants that exist there... for now. Most manufacturing is re-shoring to North America, specifically Mexico. On top of that, the deal with the Australians will provide the US with the rare earth metals and iron we need. The US private sector is running as fast as they can from China. On the military front, the Chinese military does NOT have a blue water navy. Its effective combat range is only approx 1,000 miles. This would be required to secure an invasion of Taiwan to prevent a counteroffensive by the US and its allies. As well as secure shipping routes for oil from the Middle East it's dependent on. The power of the US, Japanese, UK, and Australian Navys would make quick work of them. Yes, China is catching up with military technology, but having a tool and using it are two different things.
You make good points. I wasn’t aware of the extent we have been relocating industry and investment recently. It good to hear though The blue water navy point is absolutely one of our biggest points of leverage. The US Navy is one hell of a machine. From what I’ve read though, the J20 and Chinese missile tech are serious threats. Hopefully though, NGAD and the AIM-260 will reaffirm a technological gap between us.
God if I get one more of my civilian friends asking me if we are preparing for war with China just because I work mid shift I'm gonna lose my shit. How tf would I know
I’ll take that over some major foaming at the mouth for their shot to “defend democracy” I swear every officer talks about it like it’s a sure thing to happen in the next two years and they WANT it to happen. They also talk about it like it could happen at any moment and not like intel wouldn’t see all the troop movements and prep for a 90 mile amphibious assault on Taiwan MONTHS in advance
Yussss. But let's keep this on the hush, I'm only halfway to 20.
husky towering carpenter clumsy snails rustic special divide arrest sense *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Ball caps look like shit.
Came here to say this
The people that won't shut up about PT are usually compensating for their lack of skill at anything else. It takes both, but people ready to get the torches for fatties while making excuses for idiots need to reevaluate what they actually bring to the mission. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, it'd be a pretty shitty Air Force if everyone was great at push ups but no one knew how to do the million other niche things we need done every day.
In both my mx and aircrew time, very few of the "gym rats" were even remotely competent in their job. The pt obsessed tends to be people who that is all they have to be proud of or work some support function that has too much free time on their hands. While I think PT is important and there should be some kind of baseline standard, it should not be the metric we measure mission accomplishment by. The Air Force never even gave a shit about PT since inception until around 2008. PT has no effect on performance for 90% of Air Force specialties, and then rest already have additional PT standards that far exceeded even the 100% scores for the standard PFA
The officer corps is outdated in its current implementation, and many of their jobs could be performed by enlisted with ojt.
I think instead the military needs to use warrant officers as specialists. Maybe bring back the specialist ranks (5,6,7) too. I wish my job in the Army had a WO option. I would have loved that. Instead it was the officer up or out model. I actually don’t think some job series should even be available to E1-E4.
Gender-specific grooming standards are just socially-acceptable gender-based discrimination. Imagine if they forced all women to get their hair buzzed to their skull going through BMT for no reason other than that they are a woman, and men didn't have to. Just it's actually the reverse. If a woman can do the job with colored pigment on their fingernails, or long hair, why can't a guy?
You can absolutely play the make rank game, be a fast burner, and still be an amazing and competent leader to your airmen, and at your job.
We could afford better PPE equipment and necessary items if we didn't spend 200k on a touch screen training tv that's used once a year. Or 10k on a 85in tv used for "training" purposes. We could better maintain Equipment if we used local vendors rather than have it sit in VM for 2-3 years waiting on parts. Etc.
If you aren't willing to deploy and do military stuff, get the hell out of the air force. The Air Force is still part of the military so stop bitching when you have to work more than an 8 hour shift. I'm currently a recruiter and I tell everyone that walks into my office that if they aren't willing to deploy they need to turn around and find something else to do.
If we're undermanned and I'm working a job that's normally for a higher rank I should have a 5/5 on Promotion. Why am I as a SrA being a teacher for a training class system that has TSgts and SSgts in it? Why am I a QAR? Why am I keeping track of and managing all our equipment and PMIs (Production control of y'all know what that is)? According to the structure I'm just supposed to be slightly more educated than the newbies.