Letters

Leadership Void

"From the Ground Up" (Aug. 1), which outlined the Air Force's challenges for the future, was excellent-as far as it went. It correctly pointed out what the Air Force is facing: recapitalization, acquisition credibility, budget shortfalls, challenges with new technologies, Air Force Academy sexual scandals, and the larger question of its role in a dramatically changing world.

However, you glossed over the most fundamental problem, and that is its civilian and military leadership. There seems to be an absence of ethics and moral character within the service.

You did report on Darleen Druyun and her jail sentence for acquisition fraud, but you failed to mention the flaws of several general officers who have been relieved of duty recently because of sexual harassment and character flaws. These failings, as well as the various scandals at the Air Force Academy, point to the lack of leadership ethics and character. There is no way out of this dilemma without new and enlightened leadership that's built on strong character. As an Air Force retiree with 31 years of service, I feel my career has been besmirched by these events.

Col. David A. Smith (Retired)
Clifton, Va.

Empty Vessels?

"From the Ground Up" (Aug. 1) and "Losing Altitude" (Aug. 15) point to the problem of aging airplanes in the military, and in particular to aging tankers. The average Air Force tanker is 40 years old.

There is a more fundamental problem. Much of the world's oil production comes from fields that are older than our tanker fleet. The 14 largest oil fields average 46 years old and put forth 20 percent of the world's oil production. The Ghawar oil field accounts for half of Saudi Arabia's oil output and came into production in 1951. The Saudis now are pumping out one barrel of water for every three of oil in Ghawar. America's oil production peaked 35 years ago. North Sea oil reached its high point in 1998 and is falling fast. Russia is within a few years of peaking. World oil discovery peaked about 40 years ago, and we have been pumping more than we discover since 1980.

Old tankers can be replaced, oil fields not so easily. This will require rethinking our whole economy. New tankers are of no value if you have nothing to fill them with.

Carl Henn
Rockville, Md.

Outdated Thinking

I agree with the article "Consultantspeak" (Aug. 15) to a point. I am an HR specialist in the fifth semester of my doctoral study.

I have found that it isn't managers but HR specialists who are at fault, for giving managers what HR wants and not what managers need in order to improve. Specialists are too interested in following old methods and processes that fit their models instead of doing what will help the leader.

My course uses texts that are five to seven years old. I discard them and research my own texts that reflect up-to-date methodologies that, strangely, seem foreign to most HR specialists I meet. The HR instructors are hopelessly outmoded at my university.

Perhaps a culture change is what is truly needed in HR to help leaders and organizations become high-performing.

Richard Peck

Correction

In the Aug. 15 issue, the article "Frequent Fliers" incorrectly stated Enterprise Rent-a-Car's federal business earnings. The company earned $51 million in federal travel dollars in 2004, not $51 billion.

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