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Return to Article: Air Force seeks steady ground in wake of high-profile blunders

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  The corporate blue mentality, lack of true reponsibility, self-centerness is finally showing its ugly head again. So, the Sec Of DEF had to cut their peckers off and put the Air Force on notice. It seems like when you pin that first star on, the lack of oxygen begins to take a toll on common sense and intelligence as they progress upwards. I'm enlisted with the AF and I enjoy watching these blundering idiots lose their jobs thinking their god-like and untouchable...

  John B. Books Posted August 28, 2008 8:44 AM
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  Good on you Marilyn. As for the 2 previous postings, more of the style over substance "pseudo-intellectual" gruel of malcontents. They reflect a noarrow, inconsiderate view stemming from an inability to see beyond themselves for the better good of the collective effort. Yes, there are problems that exist within the USAF, however, we are an organization that merely reflects our society in general, where those problems exist, as well. If the person is qualified for the job, by the rules and the hiring playing field is level, it is as it should be. AND maybe, just maybe, that USAF background of which the writers are complaining, is exactly the thing that specifically QUALIFIES the individual to do the job the USAF supervisors hired them to do. Again, good on you Marilyn.

  JohnO Posted August 28, 2008 8:18 AM
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  Previous poster was right about the good old boy Air Force military structure being alive and well. The Air Force is small, and trust me: General Officers and SESs take care of their retired buddies. That's why there are so many of then in GS-15/SES slots. Belive me, they WILL provide top cover and ensure their buddies' pay checks/NSPS bonuses will grow no matter what! Been there; seem that & glad I am out of the Air Force!

  Jeannette Posted August 28, 2008 8:12 AM
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  To the last poster, my motivation as a 32+ year federal career person over many major fed organizations is that I care about the federal workforce beyond merely myself. And I also care about public policy. I have no apologies to offer. None at all. And all I have done and I will continue to do until the day I retire or die is to (easily) point out the blatant misuse and abuse of the federal hiring process that is perpetrated each and every single day by far too many (but by no means all) US taxpayer salaried supposed 'managers' in almost every corner within DOD, including the near 100% inbred Dept of Air Force, surmised 'managers' and 'leaders' who have a long and documented track record of having the audacity to use and absue US taxpayer funds to recruit outside of DOD and yet hire only and merely current or prior DOD/DoAF staff into its 100% US taxpayer funded positions after conducting at US taxpayer expense what are in fact and deed sham and fraudulent federal-wide and/or DEU recruitments. This hyper insular and inbreeding fostering practice was and continues to be utterly disgusting. And it is without question representative of the utter dregs of public administrative management. DOD, the Dept of Air Force, the (real) warfighters and the United States taxpayers all deserve better, far better. The sole driving factor hehind these shams are self-financial motivations, nothing more. And entitlement fostering and 'thinking' that comes from this nonsense will only further the already preposterous levels of self-entitlement that permeates alpomsot evey literal corner of DOD and the Dept of AF. The mere notion that excellence exists within and among only and merely current or prior DOD and Air Force staffers is pathetic and outright laughable. And that is coming from a veteran and someone who KNOWS and has participated in genuine seaches for excellence via the 100% merit-based Presidential Management Fellowship Program, the Internal Revenue Service, and the National Institutes of Health. I have no apologies to offer about exposing these obvious displays of contempt for meritocracy and the Merit Systems Principles - the bedrock of ALL public sector employment.

  Michael J. Smith, M.P.A. Posted August 27, 2008 12:33 PM
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  Comment to M.Smith about Dept of Air Force and US taxpayer funded positions - why is that everyone in the US who does not work for the federal government think that THEY are the only "taxpayers" funding anything in the goveernment? Anyone who works for the federal government is also a taxpayer - so, therefore, we are funding all these "hopelessly inbred merely with go-along-to-get-along types." I would like to know what M. Smith does for a living. I am an admin assistant and work very hard for my money and to pay my taxes so this person is able to spout rhetoric about the USAF. Oh, by the way, while our men & women of the USAF are fighting the war, I also work to make sure their jobs are here when & if they return home!

  Marilyn Posted August 26, 2008 3:37 PM
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  The good old boy Air Force military structure is alive and doing very well. Yes it has really screwed up but trust me my friends nothing will change. Why, too many retired generals sitting in GS-15 positions and corporate broad rooms. They will ensure their pay check and NSPS bonus will actually grow no matter how bad the nuclear mess becomes

  Sorry for the Air Force Posted August 25, 2008 11:13 AM
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  Dan NSPS, has never been a part of the military system. Look at military evaluations, 99% of them say that the service member is outstanding. Promotions are automatic based upon time in grade. The generous 20 year retirement keeps people moving up through the ranks by creating vacancies to be filled by promotion. Look at recent AF performance: lost nuclear weapons, missile defense teams asleep on duty. The big push in the AF Academy has been to recruit cadets for religious indoctrination. Military like NSPS. . . . you have got to be joking. The purpose of NSPS is to cut aggregate employee pay. You want to see how bad NSPS is, just institute it for active duty military and stand back and watch the explosion.

  Paul Saunders Posted August 24, 2008 10:08 PM
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  NSPS has always been part of the militarised evaluation system. Your not doing the job get passed over and then booted, its a tried and true system and civilians are just now learning that they are accountable for their performance and its not someone else's problem. I agree with Smith the AF needs to hire prior military just look what happened with Doane and the tanker scandal CS are just not capable of function in the military world and need to sit on the back bench. A GS 12 should tap out a civilian in the services

  dan m ketter Posted August 22, 2008 4:54 PM
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  The Air Force is burdened by a basic concept that experience has shown to be incorrect.The concept historically seems to start with Italian General Douthat and continues through USAFs Billy Mitchell and successors. Air superiority is vital, no question. The German STUKAs of WWII, SUPPORTING GROUND TROOPS, demoralized their opponents on the ground. However, the concept that wars can be won by the high level bombing of industrial and civilian centers has never been shown to be correct. On the contrary, lack of the previously claimed results by "after action" evaluation has shown the concept to be wrong. Unfortunately, the USAF has based much of its theory and practice on this concept. Nuclear bombs made it seem useful for a while, but now NO ONE intends to use nuclear bombs. Our big arsenal is only a big drain on our budgets: fiscal, personnel etc. Gates is correct. The USAF mission must be support of the ground troops. [There are no high value targets in Iraq or Afghanistan worth expensive bombs, and the fuel to get them there.] The USAF has some useful ground support capabilities [A-10s, C130 gun ships, etc.] but they are low priority, as are the people who fly them. This must change. The generals with fighter and bomber qualifications must give way to those who appreciate current needs. generals

  B J LEHMAN Posted August 22, 2008 2:24 PM
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  No one outside the DC beltway would have thought up NSPS--bureaucracy personaified--they took a 2 page civilian evaluation form and turned it into a 13 page headache, along with all the pencil pushing supervisory and employee workload required to maintain this system. My supervisory workload tripled with this system. The last thing the miliary needs is an NSPS- like system to manage. Their current eval system is bad enough!

  Sid Posted August 22, 2008 2:01 PM
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  The original tanker scandal was not just a "Darlene Druyon" scandal. It was also a Boeing scandal, resulting not only Ms. Druyon's prosection and conviction, but also Boeing's.

  The other thing the articles overlooks is the role of political influence, that which is outside the AF, in the resulting protest.

  How about some balance?

  GovtPCO Posted August 22, 2008 1:56 PM
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  The Air Force, civilian-side, is hopelessly mired in moribund groupthink and at best mediocrity due to its legacy of hiring only and merely current or prior Dept of Air Force personnel for almost every single one of its US taxpayer funded vacancies in its US taxpayer funded management-level positions. What they have sown they have and shall continue to reap. Good luck tying to change anything of significance when an organization, and especially so one that is funded 100% by the taxpayers of the United States, is hopelessly inbred with merely go-along-to-get along types.

  M. Smith Posted August 22, 2008 1:27 PM
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  As a starter for a change how about converting active duty Air Force military over to an NSPS system so we can start holding them accountable? I think that the Air Force could be a great testbed for further NSPS expansion to the military.

  Sally Structhers Posted August 21, 2008 9:43 PM