Sequestration and mil flying

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03-29-2013, 10:34 AM

#31

USMCFLYR

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Joined APC: Mar 2008

Position: FAA 'Flight Check'

Posts: 13,837

Quote:

Originally Posted by USMCFLYR

I thought thpose schools were considered equivalent of Master's and PhD level school - in Military Sciences - not saying you got a Doctorate degree out of a War College.?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elvis90

No, the AF doesn't award doctorates out of AWC. A doctorate is typically a 3-year program involving lots of research.

You might get a Master's equivalent today if the courses are accredited and you do a little extra work.

Agree - I said that the services DON'T award PhDs. I was saying that War Colleges were considered the PhD of war fighting.
All mid-levels school that I am aware of have Masters Degree programs associated. Some you have to do extra work for (USMC), some are part of the established cirriculum (USN). USA or USAF - I don't know.

03-29-2013, 10:37 AM

#32

Elvis90

On Reserve

Joined APC: Jul 2008

Position: MSP7ERB

Posts: 1,886

The point I was making was that Ike & Patton were promoted, then sent to those schools - it was not a prerequisite for promotion to O-5 or O-6.

03-29-2013, 10:43 AM

#33

USMCFLYR

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Joined APC: Mar 2008

Position: FAA 'Flight Check'

Posts: 13,837

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elvis90

The point I was making was that Ike & Patton were promoted, then sent to those schools - it was not a prerequisite for promotion to O-5 or O-6.

True - of course there were 30 year old Colonels too

03-29-2013, 11:56 AM

#34

webecheck

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Joined APC: Dec 2007

Posts: 662

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLY6584

You are absolutely right. I knew the choice I was making would likely prevent me from making Major, but I still decided to make that choice knowing that 20 years on AD would not be an option for me and being the best damn pilot, husband, and father I could be was more important. If I do not make Major it is no one else's fault, but myself and I am ok with that. I just hope that if I am passed over I am not offered continuation and have the chance to walk away with a separation pay so that I have something to show for 10 years of service. Certainly I don't feel entitled to that, but it would be nice to get a head start on a civilian retirement plan considering if I had spent 10 years at a civilian company I probably would have been contributing to a 401k.

I was just pointing out the fact that it's sad that brand new Lt's coming out of Altus or their FTU/RTU show up to the squadron and are told that if they want to make Major to get started on that Masters immediately therefore the new guys are spending more time worrying about checking the box instead of locking themselves in the vault and becoming the best damn co-pilot or wingman they can be. That is what is broken with the system.

Well, did you make it? List was out yesterday at my base. The key is, do they hold you to the commitment?

I didn't have a masters at my majors board, but it was the first year of it being unmasked and I did manage to steal a DP. Not sure if that mattered. Never agreed with the unofficial policy...How many TA $$ have been wasted on Trident U MBAs just to check the square. Eventually I gave up the fight since it seemed the airlines never would start hiring and got the stupid thing. Knocked it out in 6 months while on a deployment.

Will be interesting to see if the ADSC is waved. Can't fly most pilots right now anyway right.... Quick mark of the pencil on the requirements numbers and the usaf will be back to having too many of us....I'd gladly leave at 15 for a watered down pension, or better yet a lump sum.

03-29-2013, 03:14 PM

#35

Lobaeux

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Joined APC: Dec 2009

Position: Airplane

Posts: 2,385

I just retired and have been following my buddy's who are up for LTC this year, but haven't really followed the Major's selection. is a Master's now pretty much required?

Also, one HUGE gotcha! If you took the FCP and you get discontinued prior to your flying commitment being finished, they will take back the portion of pay you haven't served. It happened to me.

I retired in February, had my FCP commitment end in September, so they took back the amount from February to September, all in one paycheck!

Just something to remember

03-29-2013, 06:19 PM

#36

F15andMD11

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Joined APC: Jun 2005

Position: 787 FO

Posts: 792

Quote:

...haven't really followed the Major's selection. is a Master's now pretty much required?

I don't think so...not for Major. But what is required is SOS in residence, apparently!! Heard about two guys today, both F-15 IPs, passed over! One had not attended in residence, because he was competing for WIC. Seriously?!

Side note for all the 11Fs hoping to get out early, another buddy, Palace Chase denied! Off to Saudi for you!

03-29-2013, 10:21 PM

#37

Billy Pilgrim

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Joined APC: Mar 2011

Posts: 122

Quote:

Originally Posted by F15andMD11

And all the while AFPC wonders why it has a 11F shortage... Sometimes it feels like I am taking crazy pills.

Most of the 11Fs I know have gone to the guard (80% +/-) once done with their UPT commitment. All were IPs.

03-29-2013, 11:52 PM

#38

suprajake

Line Holder

Joined APC: Oct 2008

Position: Sideways, eating Cheetos.

Posts: 28

I am usually very tolerant of this forum, but this whole thread made me puke in my mouth. Especially these SNAPS with a sense of entitlement. First of all, if I ever made DG in some imaginary AF ranking program, the last thing I would do is try to justify my promotion potential based on such accolades. I never considered myself an "old head", but after 13 years and 11 months after my commission with 14 OEF/OIF/OND deployments, 17 Air Medals, 2 Air Achievement Medals, over 2200+ "combat" hours, never OG exec, never planned a Christmas party, deployed to Qatar when it was Base X (Camp Andy), paid my dues with 1500 hours as a true copilot (not dual seat Mission Pilot from Altus)... I gave AD the finger and punched out. To those who think they deserve a stratification and an entitlement for promotion in AD USAF... think again. By letting people like myself and my peers go, the AF is losing a valuable asset with the operational experience needed to manage pilots like yourself and those who don't know the difference between Davis Island and MacDill. Think about it.
Stepping off of my soap box...

03-30-2013, 01:54 AM

#39

Elvis90

On Reserve

Joined APC: Jul 2008

Position: MSP7ERB

Posts: 1,886

Quote:

Originally Posted by suprajake

Heyas suprajake, I'd recommend a good book to you called "Eisenhower in War and Peace" by Jean Edward Smith. He did not have his first combat deployment until being sent as a 2-star to Europe to implement the D-Day plan his War Plans Department put together under Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall. He volunteered for combat numerous times in the past, but his timing was bad. Every military leader in the European Theater acknowledged, however, that Ike was the only person who could have pulled off bringing all those different personalities together under one unified command. Ike was not a tactician - that's what Patton did so brilliantly - but Patton was useless when it came to bringing groups together. It took both ultimately to win the war.

03-30-2013, 05:48 AM

#40

thrust

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Joined APC: Oct 2010

Posts: 1,122

Quote:

Originally Posted by F15andMD11

Technically, a masters degree isn't required to make Major. However, it shows up on the board and on your PRF. Even if Welsh masks it from the promotion board like some think he wil, it won't do much good because the moron WG/CCs will still give out DPs and Ps based on masters completion. The AF would have to completely eliminate tracking of AADs (on SURFs, etc) for it to fix this masters degree nonsense. Which it won't do, of course. The current crop of yes-men "leaders" feel that the next generation should be exactly like them, risk-averse box checkers. And which is why we'll see a stop loss in a couple years... I don't know a single person in the 04-09 year groups who plans on staying a second longer on active duty than they have to. Active duty is an absolute disaster.