What the the AF do that the other services do not?

quote:

Originally posted by BilllyBob:
What the the AF do that the other services do not?

Your bio says active duty.

I don't believe it.

It is a good question. We tend to do things that the other services do, just on a larger scale. This goes to my belief that we should just be absorbed back into the Army. The aviation assets could go to Aviation Regiments, the other parts of the service go to the equivalent component of the Army.

quote:

Originally posted by BilllyBob:
What the the AF do that the other services do not?

We re-invent our heritage every few months.

The Air Force does strategic intertheater airlift with the C-5 and C-17 fleet.

The Air Force has the only bomber fleet in all the services, providing long range airstrike and nuclear capable bombers. Nobody else can fly a mission from CONUS to theater drop bombs and fly home in the same day.

The Air Force operates and maintains the ICBM fleet. The Navy has the sub platforms, but only the Air Force has land based ICBMs.

The Air Force does the majority of space operations, the Army and the Navy have a role but the main player is the Air Force.

Their are other missions that are shared like CAS, recon, CSAR, and air superiority.

Don't forget that the AF also has Cyber Warriors now!

quote:

Originally posted by Frank_F_Dizzo:
It is a good question. We tend to do things that the other services do, just on a larger scale. This goes to my belief that we should just be absorbed back into the Army. The aviation ***ets could go to Aviation Regiments, the other parts of the service go to the equivalent component of the Army.

Being absorbed back into the Army is a horrible idea! The Army still RUNS places...I only run if somebody is chasing me!

We're the FedEx of the military... Our sole purpose is to support the Army/Navy/Marines by providing them inter/intra strategic airlift via C5 and C17's.


People say the Army/Marines move themselves... that's not the case, who gets the tanks over there? Quite possibly more arrived by Navy than AF. But we get em there faster.

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Originally posted by lovecheese45:
We're the FedEx of the military... Our sole purpose is to support the Army/Navy/Marines by providing them inter/intra strategic airlift via C5 and C17's.

So why not reduce the bureaucracy and combine back into the Army? I truly think that the Army and Air Force have great things to share with each other. The two combining could come to a great middle ground, more effective than the two remaining separate.

If we combined back with the Army... we'd be a even more advanced unit. Imagine having the 101st with their own C5/C17's... instant mobility instead of paperwork.

Putting the Army and AF back together will never happen. Too many high ranking jobs would be lost. It would also cause a lot of base closures.

Many countries don't have seperate military services, they have a single military service. That make sense and reduces redundancy therefor it will never happen in America.

quote:

Originally posted by BilllyBob:
What the the AF do that the other services do not?

The Air Force buys more flat screen TVs than the other services....

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If we combined back with the Army... we'd be a even more advanced unit. Imagine having the 101st with their own C5/C17's... instant mobility instead of paperwork.

After having been fairly intimately associated with the 101st's aviation community for the past 13 years, I can say with some degree of certainty that the fixed wing world would NOT be a very happy place--not for operators, not for maintainers.

With all the "extra-curriculars" (organized unit PT, motor stables, formations, sergeant's time, police call, change of command ceremonies, PRACTICING for change of command ceremonies, etc., etc., etc.) the average maintainer spends only about a half of the week actually wrenching.

Don't forget the hotels. We like the hotels.

quote:

Originally posted by wgraham969:

quote:

If we combined back with the Army... we'd be a even more advanced unit. Imagine having the 101st with their own C5/C17's... instant mobility instead of paperwork.

After having been fairly intimately associated with the 101st's aviation community for the past 13 years, I can say with some degree of certainty that the fixed wing world would NOT be a very happy place--not for operators, not for maintainers.

With all the "extra-curriculars" (organized unit PT, motor stables, formations, sergeant's time, police call, change of command ceremonies, PRACTICING for change of command ceremonies, etc., etc., etc.) the average maintainer spends only about a half of the week actually wrenching.

Sounds like my job J/k. Just lately our wing seems to be taking a few Fridays off for "fun" days

Force structure of the Branches precludes any reabsorption by the Army or Centralized Command structure. It's not only an impossibility, political wise, it wouldn't even be a cost saving venture to conceive such a plan. This would turn into a catastrophic nightmare in paperwork alone.
The reason the Air Force is a unique Branch, is by evolving from the days of the Army Air Corps. Even the process of creating the Air Force was a major event. My dad said nothing went smoothly or as planned and nothing was as difficult to manage, as it is nowadays.

quote:

Originally posted by Torch8306:
Force structure of the Branches precludes any reabsorption by the Army or Centralized Command structure.

How does Force Structure prevent this? The Constitution of the United States is the basis of the commissioned officer’s legal authority and power to exercise command. The combatant comand of chain begins with the President and extends down to the Secretary of Defense and then down to the Combatant commands.

The Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force, Department of the Navy are only functional entities that manage budgets, manpower, acquistions and a buch of administrative activities.

If and when decision is made to establish a joint mdeical command that gets its own budget and owns all assets similar to how SOCOM does, the Air Force will loose more than a third of its current commissioned officer force structure (for lack of a simpler description).

In addition to force reduction the Air Force has converted significant numbers of force structure to contracted support and to a lesser degree Air Force civilian (GS and WD) positions.

The military exists to fight and defend. This is done by a combatant chain of command consisting of fighters led on the battlefield that is the unit commander (Line officer) his subordinated officers (Line Officer) and NCOs (Line NCO). The NCO being the lowest level of tactical command authority.

There is nothing about the characteristics and purpose of force structure preventing, hindering, or obstruction the reabsorbing of the Air Force back into the Army. Unit design and capability if valid remains valid regardless of the military department responsible for sustaining such capability.

The line noncommissioned officers are distinguished from the technician specialist in that the line NCO leads tactical elements. Anybody who cares to research the 1954 Womble Committee studies will find the recommendation that only enlisted men with demonstrated command potential as opposed to those with technical skills or aptitude be considered for noncommissioned appointments. The Air Force has always focused on skill based training philosophy more than the other servicers have. It has done so because it has great need for skilled technicians and very little need for Line NCOs leading troops into battle. Unfortately this is also true of most of the Air Force's commissioned force structure. The pilot in the Air Force is the primary present in the hardship and hazard of combat fighting asset. In the age of UAVs and cruise missles many are arguing the pilot is obsolete, the line NCO in the Air Force is rare, and more frequently the question will be asked, is the Air Force obsolete. So what is the next step in evolving that will sustain the Air Force as a unique military department. The Coast Guard in the Department of Homeland Security is becoming a more significant military capability than the Department of the Air Force is. The Department of the Air Force currently has a significant dilution in military authority and leadership.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: johca,

So, you're saying the Branches are operationally identical? I seriously doubt that. They're nothing alike, and haven't been, since the late 50s.
As far as pilots being futuristic obsolete, do kid yourself with such dilusions.
Diluted in authority and leadership? Where, how, and what part of the Air Force Command Structure is overlapped on itself?

We get better cable and TLF...that's for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by Torch8306:
So, you're saying the Branches are operationally identical?

No, but I am saying force structure does not hinder or prevent organizational realignment. The doing away of SAC and TAC to make ACC is undisputable evidence of that.

Congress wants the smallest and cheapest to sustain force structure. The Air Force to quickly jumped on that bandwagon for all the wrong reasons and is now in a problem of its own making. The expansion of military pay chart to 40 years and discussion of changing military retirement entitlement to be delayed until a age 65 with switch that no matter how long you serve your service results in some retirement benefit that is an entitlement at age 65 is significantly trouble for the technician Air Force. It can conceivably with a little restructuring of military mission become a 100% civilian department. The Army wants and is on the move to get control of tactical airlift and close air support. Best start reading between the lines on some of the political battles. The emphasis on special operations capability does not do well for the Department of the Air Force. MARSOC is poising to gain control of what used to be done by the Air Force in regards to combat rescue and NEO. Amy has been arguing for years pathfinders should be doing the CCT and TACP jobs. Weather support provided to the Army by the Air Force only exists because the Key West agreements rammed it down the Army’s throat. The Air Force leaders ship has been very neglectful of its roles and responsibilities. The failure of the Air Force to provide combat rescue capability like it did during Korean War and Southeast Asia conflicts was a significant blunder that has been used against the a=Air force since 1990. Its inability or unwillingness to provide on the dirt CAS below 20,ooo feet is another blunder. The Air Force was highly motivated to extent of going over Army dead bodies to do away with the A-10 with no intent of replacing it. Force structure has nothing to do with keeping or doing away with the Department of the Air Force.