This Seems Odd For A Nation Which Is Not At War

[Minimalist]

The WLB signs an order to let the Air Force recall 1,000 retired pilots to active duty.

That's a lot of bombs to drop on third world shitholes.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/21/trump-ex...ilots.html

According to the Pentagon, the Air Force is currently short by about 1,500 pilots.

Maybe if the Air Force academy worried less about fucking jesus and more about training pilots this wouldn't be a problem?  In any case, sounds to me as if the WLB plans to use the old - "Look Over There!  They Are Coming To Attack Us" gambit to distract from his miserable failure of a presidency.

And with the douchebags who voted for him it will probably work.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

It's piggy-backed on a Shrub order from 2001.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Also, 'pilot' doesn't necessarily mean 'fighter' pilot.  Some of these guys (I'm sure) fly tanker or cargo planes.

Boru

[Minimalist]

That is not what the Senate Armed Services Committee was told.

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/IN10776.pdf

The shortage is most acute among fighter pilots: the Air Force predicts it will be 1,055 fighter pilots short of 3,781 authorized by the end of FY2017

[JackRussell]

Who's first: N. Korea, Iran or that pesky border where no fucker really wants to pay for a wall.

I suggest Switzerland.

[Minimalist]

We haven't gotten into a fight with a nation that has even a rudimentary air-defense system since Vietnam.  There we lost nearly 2,300 fixed wing planes to enemy action.

Now we seem to prefer "wars" where the other side can't shoot back.

[JackRussell]

Ah, make war on England then. We're all too fixated on fighting brown people anyway. An invading army of Whites would probably just walk in. Just don't show that the orange shit gibbon is in charge.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Who's first: N. Korea, Iran or that pesky border where no fucker really wants to pay for a wall.

I suggest Switzerland.

I thinking he'll target the DNC and CNN.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Outsource the flying to China.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vieilles_a...428147638/

[Succubus]

I just don't get it.

This is a national pilot crisis, not just a military crisis or an Air Force crisis," Brig. Gen. Mike Koscheski, the Air Force's Aircrew Crisis Task Force director, told CNBC in an interview. "The Air Force is partnering with industry to look for ways to just increase pilot production overall...because that's going to be in the interest of the country — not just the military.

Looking for ways to increase pilot production? How the fuck did they allow this situation to develop in the first place? Look at the unit cost of the bastard things.

EA-18G Growler: $102 million.
F-35 Lightning II: $122 million.
P-8A Poseidon: $290 million. (that one is a modified 747, a RyanAir waitress could fly that)
C17A Globemaster III: $328 million (a transport plane, see above.)
F-22 Raptor: $350 million. (how much?)

Are you all seated?
B-2 Spirit: $737 million. Well I'll fucking rotate.

The military's pilot shortage crisis has been compounded by pilot shortages in the commercial airline industry, which offers aggressive pay. Also, the pilot shortage isn't limited to the U.S. but is a worldwide problem expected to continue for years to come.

So the USAF has billions of dollars of hardware sitting in hangars because the pilots they trained earn more with United Airlines? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Still, pay isn't always a deciding factor for pilots to leave the military. Family considerations and longer deployments also factor into decisions.

More pilots, shorter deployments?

Koscheski said the military has increasingly offered retention initiatives that focus on work-life balance and quality of life.

Quality of life? Well ain't that just fuckin sweet!

"Where you bin all your life? Listenin to punk rock music and bad mouthin your country!! This trainin is worth 10 million dollars. But first, you gotta past me!"

But then maybe It's just me and my fascination with machines.





If I had the opportunity to do this, then nothing else would matter. Not even Gawdzilla Sama's flint lock anti aircraft guns.