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Massive Air Force reduction

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MAGNUM!! said:
India and China are among them. Even the N Koreans are flying more than some US fighter pilots each year. People are catching up to us...and FAST. I, for one, don't want our groundpounders in a fair fight and I don't want to be in a fair fight.

It's not a zero sum game...let's do both. I think we should cut discretionary spending, cut entitlements, possibly raise taxes (EGAD! but for defense spending only), and be smarter about how we spend our defense dollars. Fewer golf courses, more guns for all my friends!

Thought the Chinese were too busy making stuff for Wal-mart?

Think China is an accident waiting to happen.
 
MAGNUM!! said:
I, for one, don't want our groundpounders in a fair fight and I don't want to be in a fair fight.

It's not a zero sum game...let's do both. I think we should cut discretionary spending, cut entitlements, possibly raise taxes (EGAD! but for defense spending only), and be smarter about how we spend our defense dollars. Fewer golf courses, more guns for all my friends!

Great point... on the first part.

The second... did you vote for Kerry?
 
JungleJett said:
If your talking about the 173rd AB drop in northern Iraq..was that really a combat jump? Were there any "D-Day" type drops in either theater? I am asking the question...

You thank the fighter types yet forget those who take you to the DZ!!! Shame on you!!

Herk Loadmaster...

I apologize for not mentioning the AMC guys, I always enjoyed the ride. It beat the hell out of walking :D .

If I remember correctly 100 Rangers from 3/75, lead by COL Votel, jumbed into Bolanji (100km S. of Kandahar) of 19 OCT 2001. This was also the beginning of Camp Rhino. However, the jump was mainly a distraction so the SF A-Teams could infil from the north.

The 173rd jump into N. Iraq was done after elements of 3/75 seized the airfield. It wasn't a cold DZ, but 3/75 was there first :D . That is what "they" were talking about within the Regiment. My OIF duties kept me in the south for the majority of my time there.

AD SUPT Hopeful, there were other combat jumps during the early stages of OEF/OIF. However your point is well made, they were smaller teams and not company or battalion size elements. A good example is the SF jump North of Baghdad to seize a few critical MSRs while the Marines came in from the South and East and the Army closed the circle from the South and West. Not that I have any knowledge of the gound operations within Iraq.........;)

But back to point, MAGNUM hit it dead on. The equipment that the AF is procuring now is for future threat engagements, not the current threat. I want the new gear to dominate now and 30+ years from now. I don't care if it's Stryker, F/A-22, JSF or the new IFV that the Army wants, it MUST be dominant in its intended role.
 
Jafar said:
http://aimpoints.hq.af.mil/display.cfm?id=8553

I guess the writing has been on the wall for a while, but I wonder how this is going to effect pilots, both present and future.

My current reserve wing is going away, probably be gone in the next 3 years. Funding has been going down 10% per year for the past few years.

What makes me nervous is the fact that I'm just trying to start my AF career, got a package in for OTS waiting for the next board. I know they're still selecting people, but it seems like numbers are dwindling more and more each board.

I guess I'm missing something. We've still got a war going on right? And the very real possibility of a couple others? What's going on?

Don't give up yet. Everything needs congressional approval. Although there will be aircraft drawdowns (bombers, F-117, U-2, etc) there will be plus ups in addition to the F-22 and F-35. AFSOC has been getting more C-130s and yes more gunships are coming. Additionally a new PC-12 squadron stood up in the past year and will likely expand. CV-22s are (finally) coming this year. On paper the Air Force is overmanned in pilots but much like the overage of navigators several years ago it doesn't amount to much. Many are senior and will be out of the service in the near future or will be promoted out of the cockpit. Many of those affected by retiring aircraft will likely not have the retainability to be retrained in other aircraft so won't be in the cockpit anymore. Many in staff positions are counted as pilots but will never return to flying. In short there will be near term chaos but I wouldn't expect big cutbacks in pilot opportunities because everyone is worried about repeating the mistakes of the past.
 
AD SUPT Hopeful said:
Not to hijack the thread, but T2Pilot, what are your thoughts on the Cannon rumors? Any thoughts on which squadrons are going and when? Everyone from the 16th says the 4th is going and everyone from the 4th say the 16th is going--never ending cycle of rumors!

Man, it'll be the biggest dogfight AFSOC has seen in years. I guess it'll come down to which community has the highest ranking guys that own property in Navarre and Destin! Seriously, alot of it will also depend on how they integrate the 919th SOW into the mix. My guess is that the U Boats will go to Canon, along with the MC-130H, CV-22, and Predator. The MC-130E will stay at Duke until it dies, the MC-130P will move to Hurlburt with the 9th and 5th, the AC-130H gunship will stay and will be flown by the 16th and the 711th, the Paves will stay until they go away, and, as for the CLR, who knows. Oh, and the PC-28 will stay. Am I missing anyone???
 
SIG600 said:
Great point... on the first part.

The second... did you vote for Kerry?

Them's fightin' words...

Besides, I'm sure I could come up with a tax that only affects people like THK and the Kennedy's. I mean, those idiots support higher income taxes because, well, they don't have incomes. Just old money. And lots of it hidden away in foreign accounts. Don't get me wrong...I'm all for being rich. I just have no time for rich idiots like them trying to prevent everyone else from becoming rich.

Let's add a poll tax for registered Dems only and use it to buy Raptors.:D
 
MAGNUM!! said:
Let's add a poll tax for registered Dems only and use it to buy Superhornets and JSF's.:D
I think THAT's what you meant :laugh: And thats a FANTASTIC idea!

My roommate showed me an article about the Kennedy family fortune... which is something like 400 million dollars. They've paid like $118,000 in income tax on it. And people in Mass keep re-electing him?

/end thread jack
 
SIG600 said:
I think THAT's what you meant :laugh: And thats a FANTASTIC idea!

My roommate showed me an article about the Kennedy family fortune... which is something like 400 million dollars. They've paid like $118,000 in income tax on it. And people in Mass keep re-electing him?

/end thread jack

I found another article with evidence the Kennedy clan has around $500M in Fijian banks. Nice way to avoid taxes. I'll start another thread on Non-av
 

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