Awesome video.
The USAF is currently the largest and the most technologically advanced air force in the world, with about 6057 manned aircraft in service (4,273 USAF; 1,313 Air National Guard; and 400 Air Force Reserve)approximately 160 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles, 2161 Air-Launched Cruise Missiles, and 1900 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and as of September 30, 2005, had 351,800 personnel on active duty, 122,750 in the Selected and Individual Ready Reserves, and 106,800 in the Air National Guard. An additional 14,000 personnel were in the Standby Reserve and the Air Force employed 166,730 civilian personnel.
But look at this………..
The USAF is currently planning a massive Reduction-in-Force (RIF). Because of budget constraints, the USAF will reduce the service’s current size by 40,000 full time equivalent positions by 2011, with approximately half to be eliminated in FY 2007.
Approximately 35,000 active duty positions, or one year’s cycle of enlistments and retirements, will be eliminated over 5 years.The current size of the active-duty force is roughly 70% of that of the USAF at the end of the first Gulf War in 1991.
After the Gulf War and Somalia bust, the U.S. Luftwaffe did the same BS to $ave money on paper, but too many ‘enlisted aces’ departed and then Uncle Sam prevented my former crew dogs from retiring with DOD’s STOP LOSS crisis! Yeah –
too many GENERALS on duty and behind the action, eh?! “Killing officers could be a habit for me!” – Private Waterslaw, The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Yup, Bush-1 allowed many NCO’s to “sell out” their retirement and Clinton’s 15 year retirement plan decimated the NCO ranks. A huge swath of experience was cut out from the middle of the enlisted ranks. It took years to recover. In the mean time, senior maintenance officers and NCO’s were worried sick about the quality of maintenance being performed on our aircraft as the senior brass shoved this “Total Quality Maintenance” program down out throats while eliminating the system of checks and balances. We were being forced to be PC as not to hurt the esteem of young mechanics by following up their work. Fortunately, many of the “old timers” gave General McPeak the Bronx Salute and stuck to the old ways of Quality Assurance. We’ll never know how many crew dogs are alive today because of these guys.
Hey, the money is needed for social services for our 18 million+ new citizens. Viva Zapata!
Darth, good movie. Wow Darth that is really something, thanks for sharing about that.
Bob thanks so much for sharing about your experiences about this.
Tom, yes they will pull from our military in a blink of an eye to pay for things for the illegals.
To me they will always be illegal if they got in here like this instead of how my grandparents came here. Their arrogance adds to my anger about this too.