Second day of my apportionment meetings, fighting with idiots who are more concerned about doing something to impress a (reserve) flag officer instead of doing the right thing. As is typical there is a lot of blustery talk but when the folks see you have stats to back up what you want they fold pretty quickly.
Worst part of this week has been trying to pretend that I like folks that I do not really like so much. And I know are up to no good when we are not here. Because I work in airlift scheduling I deal with reserves a lot. And given the change that has gone on in the Navy these days the reserve airlifters are about the last aircraft left for folks to fly. These guys don’t realize that overseas we’ve moved beyond the nice little word that they used to inhabit.
Also ran into a friend who has the misfortune of working for an incompetent boss. Like he said,” Its like the kid who comes and shakes you down for lunch money. Instead of flipping him a quarter and telling him to buy his own damn lunch, instead he goes and shakes the co-workers down for 3 bucks a pop.” I can understand that.
And in a way its a great commentary on what is going on in the military today. We are pursuing change for just for change sake. Not because these ideas are good or right to do, but rather because some bonehead flag officer things he can get ahead, by taking something that is not broke and breaking it. We’ve gone off the deep end into Rummy world and its killing the armed forces.
Specifically to my area of expertise. The Navy utilizes its aircraft 50% more efficiently than the USAF. But the USAF gets to charge exorbinant rates for airlift, instead of having to resource out of their money a mission that it is theirs to do. Sometimes I wonder how we won World War 2 with out an Army of accountants to pay the airforce for doing their job. Plus as I have noted before if they were a commercial airline they would go broke being on time only 68% of the time.
If I were the king of the universe, the majority of Navy airlift would be based overseas. Inside the US we would use commercial charters and Net Jet type operations as well as using commercial airlines more and more. I would resource the USAF and the Navy the same, either getting both to bill for their services, or more importantly getting the USAF to pay the bill it owes and resources their airlift squadrons need. That way the right aircraft would be the driving factor and when the stuff has to be there, instead of trying to avoid costs to the user by using the guy who does not charge you money.
I’ ve been doing this too long I think. To get back to my original point, its time for Rummy to go. And most of his sycophant flags. You want to fight a bunch of wars that will take a long time, pay the bill. Stop trying to divest and cut costs and capability. Keep capability and recognize that more is better when you are in a 20 year war. Finally, get the people who do money things to figure out how to help the war fighter instead of cutting his funding. What is so hard about that?
However it won’t happen. We are more concerned about making cuts for the sake of making cuts, instead of doing whatever it takes, spending as much as it costs and working to win the war.
And that’s why I am sitting here blogging late at night instead of chasing women in the Gaslamp…………I got back to my room at 10pm. How lame is that?
