Even worse is that it seems many O-6s consider advice or ideas from O-5s and below as beneath them, especially if it is from an O-5 passed over for promotion. Clearly you aren't smart or talented enough to make O-6, so your advice or ideas are not worth listening to, or at least that seems to be the way so many of them think.
The Air Force gives Colonels the idea they're "senior officers." Little perks here and there. Status markers. And it used to mean it. But these days, Colonels have so little power and influence to sit alongside their responsibility that it's a misnomer to apply "senior" to their role descriptions. Still, it's how they see themselves, and I can't blame them for gripping it like grim death given the misery and ennui otherwise prominent in their lives. But by looking down their noses at fellow commanders, they diminish everyone.
I do think slashing the ranks of generals would help address this part of the culture.
I guess that's where this is coming from for me. I recall what a good O-6 looked like in the early 90s, and when I try to compare it to what we see today, there is no comparison to be had. Today's officers couldn't survive in that USAF. Which is my way of instantly distilling how much readiness and fighting capacity have degraded.
I served from 1992 - 2012 and couldn’t agree more. Those Col’s were cut from a different cloth than most I experienced later in my career. The same could be said for the enlisted ranks as things became more politicized and promotions were influenced by the conformance factors you mentioned. It was either play the game and try to use your influence for good or fight the system and lose personally and professionally. I was fortunate to work from mostly great ones that figured out how to play the game and how to take care of Airmen. It really shouldn’t have been an either or situation.
One could suggest it is worse than this writer thought. In the USMC in the late 1970’s and early 80’s 06 infantry officers were about as hard core as they came. Korea and Vietnam, some mustangs had WWII service. They had long since given up on a flag promotion and didn’t care. They were in a select pool that was so difficult to survive to get that first star that achieving command of a regiment was reward enough. Besides they instinctively knew that if Hell broke loose, the Corps might need a few more generals. As a young Infantry Officer in that time, the good 05’s and 06’s were gods. Lt. Colonel John “Dong Ha Bridge” Ripley arrived at 1st Battalion 2nd Marine regiment and what had been a messy lack luster unit was turned around in days. As an Aide de Camp to a Major General the sight lines changed. The ability to observe who and what conspired to promote General X verses Colonel Y was in some cases clear, in others, not so easy. Without the tough as nails 05 and 06 officers, the ability to shake it all down the tree is lost, everyone becomes a politician. Of course, this is just what the civilians want, a civilianized military, we are too scary as killers, talking about “killing” bad guys is just too harsh. While Goldwater Nichols helped to solve some structural problems it signaled the end of the military’s ability to defend itself. Joint commands, command and staff colleges, MBA’s, etc., etc. a civilian instructor for every military instructor. If you want a tough military it requires tough people, uncompromising in their views and to Hell with Senator Foghorn Leghorn, and blather. If you want an great example (not sure it can be found today) look for a video of General Louis Wilson 26th Commandant of the Marine Corps and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle for the island of Guam. Old “Chilly Willy” can be found dressing down some nit wit congressman for trying to lower the standards to become a Marine in the new All Volunteer Force. General Wilson was being taken to task for recruitment numbers that were off pace with goals set by the DOD. In short words, he made it clear that if it came down to he and his driver being the only ones qualified to be a Marine then the table of organization for the USMC would be two. There are some tough energetic 05’s and 06’s out there in all four branches of the services. The dead wood generals need to go, and fast. Like now. The young untarnished and belligerent need to be accelerated to flag ranks and who says we need four stars to be Chairman of the JCS? Seems an Air Force Lt. General has come out of retirement to take on that duty. This Marine has no idea if Lt. General Dan Razin Caine is good or bad, but the move seems a good one. When Senator Warren of Massachusetts loses her mind on General Caine, we can only hope he asks her if that is her war face. Then opine that if is her war face, she ought to work on it, as she doesn’t scare him much.
I am unable to address the issue from an Airforce perspective. My perspective is from an Army (more specifically, Infantry) arena.
We used to joke about the 'field grade lobotomy'. Unfortunately, that concept also exists in the civilian world. Having spent years contemplating the phenomena, here are my thoughts os to the cause:
From Lieutenant to Captain (Army ranks), your success or failure lies with your subordinates. Yes, YOU lead them, but has the unit fares, so does your career. Keep them alive, trained and healthy and your career will progress.
That changes once you make Major. NOW you must look upwards for the criteria for success. You are no longer a troop leader. You are a staff officer, with your success determined by those above you. NOW you must learn and play the political game. And as TC points out, playing it safe is the path to success.
Love that! I'm already dead. I'm going to use that from now on.
I'm an active duty Col on my last 2 years before retirement, and working at a 4-star HQ. The other incentive I might have to maintain the status quo is that I have to preserve these relationships for my 6-figure post retirement plan in this HQ.
I have heard it called the No Colonel Left Behind program. Although my whole career was supposed to be about selflessness, I can't wait to parlay my current position into something lucrative for my own benefit. After all, I've sacrificed this long and deserve to cash in.
This is an amazingly written article which can also relate directly to many large corporations with layers of bureaucracy. I saw this through my military career below the O6 level and now throughout management in the corporate world. No one wants to rock the boat. Better to play it safe, kiss some ass and hope to make the cut.
Worked many amazing Colonels in my days in AFSOC. The real war fighters in the USAF. But we all know the NCO’s run the military. We just let the O’s think they do. But Damm glad I am retired after 26 years active duty and a flight line maintainer to boot! And yes we dislike all people that wear the bag # quiet professionals
Much of the blame falls on the officer stratification system and its inability to distinguish between different AFSCs at each tier. We’re stratting maintenance officers against pilots against services at the Wing level; each gets some arbitrary number and that number is heavily factored into promotion boards and opportunities like PME. Your number isn’t high enough, you don’t get educated, you don’t get a squadron command, you promote slower than peers. But these members are doing radically different jobs with different scopes of impact and numbers of personnel to lead. They are not like each other and this one size fits all approach is likely leaving some excellent leaders behind. They don’t make O-6 at all. They retire as an O-5 and nobody gets to benefit from their experience and leadership at the senior decision-maker level
If you think about it, it seems like the entire Air Force personnel system for officers is focused on filling one job; Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In reality we need good strategist colonels, acquisition colonels, etc. as well operators.
We have a culture of what you are, not what you do. It's a long decline set in motion by the end of the cold war and our failure to properly define what we now "do".
Even worse is that it seems many O-6s consider advice or ideas from O-5s and below as beneath them, especially if it is from an O-5 passed over for promotion. Clearly you aren't smart or talented enough to make O-6, so your advice or ideas are not worth listening to, or at least that seems to be the way so many of them think.
The Air Force gives Colonels the idea they're "senior officers." Little perks here and there. Status markers. And it used to mean it. But these days, Colonels have so little power and influence to sit alongside their responsibility that it's a misnomer to apply "senior" to their role descriptions. Still, it's how they see themselves, and I can't blame them for gripping it like grim death given the misery and ennui otherwise prominent in their lives. But by looking down their noses at fellow commanders, they diminish everyone.
I do think slashing the ranks of generals would help address this part of the culture.
This is spot on. And signals just how much of a massive change has taken place over the last 20 years.
I guess that's where this is coming from for me. I recall what a good O-6 looked like in the early 90s, and when I try to compare it to what we see today, there is no comparison to be had. Today's officers couldn't survive in that USAF. Which is my way of instantly distilling how much readiness and fighting capacity have degraded.
I served from 1992 - 2012 and couldn’t agree more. Those Col’s were cut from a different cloth than most I experienced later in my career. The same could be said for the enlisted ranks as things became more politicized and promotions were influenced by the conformance factors you mentioned. It was either play the game and try to use your influence for good or fight the system and lose personally and professionally. I was fortunate to work from mostly great ones that figured out how to play the game and how to take care of Airmen. It really shouldn’t have been an either or situation.
One could suggest it is worse than this writer thought. In the USMC in the late 1970’s and early 80’s 06 infantry officers were about as hard core as they came. Korea and Vietnam, some mustangs had WWII service. They had long since given up on a flag promotion and didn’t care. They were in a select pool that was so difficult to survive to get that first star that achieving command of a regiment was reward enough. Besides they instinctively knew that if Hell broke loose, the Corps might need a few more generals. As a young Infantry Officer in that time, the good 05’s and 06’s were gods. Lt. Colonel John “Dong Ha Bridge” Ripley arrived at 1st Battalion 2nd Marine regiment and what had been a messy lack luster unit was turned around in days. As an Aide de Camp to a Major General the sight lines changed. The ability to observe who and what conspired to promote General X verses Colonel Y was in some cases clear, in others, not so easy. Without the tough as nails 05 and 06 officers, the ability to shake it all down the tree is lost, everyone becomes a politician. Of course, this is just what the civilians want, a civilianized military, we are too scary as killers, talking about “killing” bad guys is just too harsh. While Goldwater Nichols helped to solve some structural problems it signaled the end of the military’s ability to defend itself. Joint commands, command and staff colleges, MBA’s, etc., etc. a civilian instructor for every military instructor. If you want a tough military it requires tough people, uncompromising in their views and to Hell with Senator Foghorn Leghorn, and blather. If you want an great example (not sure it can be found today) look for a video of General Louis Wilson 26th Commandant of the Marine Corps and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle for the island of Guam. Old “Chilly Willy” can be found dressing down some nit wit congressman for trying to lower the standards to become a Marine in the new All Volunteer Force. General Wilson was being taken to task for recruitment numbers that were off pace with goals set by the DOD. In short words, he made it clear that if it came down to he and his driver being the only ones qualified to be a Marine then the table of organization for the USMC would be two. There are some tough energetic 05’s and 06’s out there in all four branches of the services. The dead wood generals need to go, and fast. Like now. The young untarnished and belligerent need to be accelerated to flag ranks and who says we need four stars to be Chairman of the JCS? Seems an Air Force Lt. General has come out of retirement to take on that duty. This Marine has no idea if Lt. General Dan Razin Caine is good or bad, but the move seems a good one. When Senator Warren of Massachusetts loses her mind on General Caine, we can only hope he asks her if that is her war face. Then opine that if is her war face, she ought to work on it, as she doesn’t scare him much.
BOOM!!!
https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/481079939_10162408315309640_4090140052612805884_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=bd9a62&_nc_ohc=thrGi4RbK8MQ7kNvgFNgcKP&_nc_oc=AdiAzryL_praEwhhUZ3O48668dW2-z4en4yl0ZyWqrbo2QFBbmAVp8Ukg7PLjYIOCc19Mn2A2YzkfDhOPP8APWkm&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&_nc_gid=AfYQvG6HTc7KUTBcqZ6bcbt&oh=00_AYDqjqWmzNFCt_fqKTAGtYApeDAV-7ghj52Vd5-Xg9pzkA&oe=67C72A72
LOL.
I am unable to address the issue from an Airforce perspective. My perspective is from an Army (more specifically, Infantry) arena.
We used to joke about the 'field grade lobotomy'. Unfortunately, that concept also exists in the civilian world. Having spent years contemplating the phenomena, here are my thoughts os to the cause:
From Lieutenant to Captain (Army ranks), your success or failure lies with your subordinates. Yes, YOU lead them, but has the unit fares, so does your career. Keep them alive, trained and healthy and your career will progress.
That changes once you make Major. NOW you must look upwards for the criteria for success. You are no longer a troop leader. You are a staff officer, with your success determined by those above you. NOW you must learn and play the political game. And as TC points out, playing it safe is the path to success.
Haha! Yes! Lobotomies!
We also observed that from LTC to COL there was an additional surgery that eliminated any risk of the production of testosterone.
Love that! I'm already dead. I'm going to use that from now on.
I'm an active duty Col on my last 2 years before retirement, and working at a 4-star HQ. The other incentive I might have to maintain the status quo is that I have to preserve these relationships for my 6-figure post retirement plan in this HQ.
I have heard it called the No Colonel Left Behind program. Although my whole career was supposed to be about selflessness, I can't wait to parlay my current position into something lucrative for my own benefit. After all, I've sacrificed this long and deserve to cash in.
Woke, transgender and DEI do not belong in the military
This is an amazingly written article which can also relate directly to many large corporations with layers of bureaucracy. I saw this through my military career below the O6 level and now throughout management in the corporate world. No one wants to rock the boat. Better to play it safe, kiss some ass and hope to make the cut.
Thanks well written. Most governments overthrown by the military, the military overthrow was led by colonels.
Worked many amazing Colonels in my days in AFSOC. The real war fighters in the USAF. But we all know the NCO’s run the military. We just let the O’s think they do. But Damm glad I am retired after 26 years active duty and a flight line maintainer to boot! And yes we dislike all people that wear the bag # quiet professionals
We all earned LOMs so we must be special. :-) CAPT USN (Ret)
Looking like WWIII will be the US and Russians battling the Nazis again?
Much of the blame falls on the officer stratification system and its inability to distinguish between different AFSCs at each tier. We’re stratting maintenance officers against pilots against services at the Wing level; each gets some arbitrary number and that number is heavily factored into promotion boards and opportunities like PME. Your number isn’t high enough, you don’t get educated, you don’t get a squadron command, you promote slower than peers. But these members are doing radically different jobs with different scopes of impact and numbers of personnel to lead. They are not like each other and this one size fits all approach is likely leaving some excellent leaders behind. They don’t make O-6 at all. They retire as an O-5 and nobody gets to benefit from their experience and leadership at the senior decision-maker level
I was USAF in the 60s and 70s. What is "stratislfication"?
If you think about it, it seems like the entire Air Force personnel system for officers is focused on filling one job; Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In reality we need good strategist colonels, acquisition colonels, etc. as well operators.
We have a culture of what you are, not what you do. It's a long decline set in motion by the end of the cold war and our failure to properly define what we now "do".