Pick Your Battles

My dad was a combat pilot, so I grew up almost exc...

2012-05-28T11:46:51.060-07:00

My dad was a combat pilot, so I grew up almost exclusively around pilots and their families. (He would want me to add that he finished top of his class in advances fighter training, but along with that entire class was sent to bombers for the new nuclear program.) When I enlisted in the navy to get away from my controlling father, I ended up working closely with combat pilots. What I am trying to figure out is if I am attracted to narcissists because combat pilots typically possess that character trait? One guy I liked-definitely a narcissist-turned out to be the son of a Marine combat pilot. It seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Just wondering...

He is. You're right though, this is much bigg...

2012-05-06T04:06:21.440-07:00

He is. You're right though, this is much bigger than USAFA.

Thanks for the meaty response. I share your conce...

2012-05-06T04:05:38.232-07:00

Thanks for the meaty response. I share your concerns. One difference, a declaration of war isn't required due to Congress using their Constitutional authority to make laws "necessary and proper" with respect to declaring war, and passing the War Powers Resolution. That law allows for military action with an authorization for war, and our current military actions were all be authorized by Congress with the exception of actions in Libya.

Thanks for the great response.

Is he a USAFA grad? You make it sound like he is a...

2012-05-06T03:31:59.326-07:00

Is he a USAFA grad? You make it sound like he is a product of the USAFA failure to produce character that your article alludes to. I'm sure that none of the other commissioning sources have these problems (c'mon). This is a society-wide problem. Expect to find it everywhere. No reason to go trying to peg it on a single source.

Brennan's comments were unsatisfying for me as...

2012-05-06T03:24:22.619-07:00

Brennan's comments were unsatisfying for me as well. There's an allusion to a strictly military (that is to say Title 10) nomination, approval, and oversight process (no reference to a Presidential finding, or informing the "Gang of Eight" such as with typical covert action). The Church and Pike Commissions revealed that covert actions including these methods can seriously undermine public confidence when they are revealed to have an insufficient oversight process. Does the military want to risk the "just following orders" defense WRT targeted killing of AMCITs when/if public opinion demands an investigation? I'm sure that no one in the CIA thought they would be called to account...but they were in the 1970s.

The most disappointing aspect of Brennan's speech was how much it echo'd the Steel Seizure case. The Executive has tried to claim superconstitional rights and powers before. I'm not sure that attempting to keep these killings strictly within the SOF/title 10 arena is going to allow the President to escape the fact that we're taking war-time actions outside of congressionally declared wars. Perhaps I'm just not seeing a link.

Just saw that Colonel Frank Fitts, aka RainmanA-10...

2012-04-26T12:04:50.791-07:00

Just saw that Colonel Frank Fitts, aka RainmanA-10, popped off online about Sgt Stein's recent dismissal and suggested that I was somehow akin to Stein.

I've blogged about this retired O-6 lunatic before: http://www.pickyourbattles.net/2011/10/rain-covered-man.html

I've also blogged about Sgt Stein here: http://www.pickyourbattles.net/2012/03/social-media-risk.html

Rainy is a perfect example of the failure of USAFA to develop character in officers. All bravado, but as a retired officer he berates college girls, and exudes cowardice and false ego. He lies to sway personalities on an internet forum, talks about bombing American citizen protestors, and he screams like a three year for the banning of anybody who rightfully calls him out. He is angered that anybody in uniform would have the backbone to actually try to better the service, instead of join his good ole boy club of worshippers. He boasts his O-1 time to check the courage box and to rationalize his self hatred. He knows he is a coward. He oozes cowardice, the courage checkbox and his macho lingo notwithstanding.

http://www.pickyourbattles.net/2011/07/10-pilot-courage-checkbox.html

He makes his insecurity crystal clear as he types from his retirement home to college kids and currently serving officers. He needs his ego to be stroked, and that is why he would be the last to stand out from the herd to do what is right for the country.

He is a shining example of the failure of USAFA in the character department.

Thank you for this brilliant and soul-searching ex...

2012-04-05T05:46:09.323-07:00

Thank you for this brilliant and soul-searching explanation of the phrase "without mental reservation or for purpose of evasion".

I would very much like to know what you think of the situation I am dealing with in a political campaign where my opponent took two oaths of office...one to the military and the other to the State of California. The question is, when he is called to active duty should he resign?

EileenMacEnery@gmail.com

Dude, sadly, the AF doesn't know what it wants...

2012-04-04T16:55:38.790-07:00

Dude, sadly, the AF doesn't know what it wants to retain anymore, from people to skills to anything. This is grist in the mill.

Would I fight to stay in if I were in the "157's" shoes? Maybe. It depends. It depends on if I was fighting because I lost my piece of the pie or because I felt like the AF was doing harm to itself. I know some slugs who now have a paycheck for life simply for being smart enough to not get kicked out of the military for 20 years. I have nothing for them except to say that money stole is sweater than money earned, and a fool and his money are soon parted. For folks in the other situation...fuck yes, fight. The deal here is that we decided to comoditize military service in the late 1970s. When the military is desperate for folks to participate in the executive's latest adventure, we offer benefits (explicit or implicit) for those who join up. It is the capitalist system. When someone try's to change the contract later...that's wrong. It undermines our contract. For that reason, I am glad people hold people to task.

The Air to Air vs. Air to Ground issue is interest...

2012-04-04T16:41:43.550-07:00

The Air to Air vs. Air to Ground issue is interesting. There is a natural discriminator in the former case. Technology is the only thing that can get a human into the air. Since technology put you in the air, it seems a little more legit that technology should be able to shoot you down -- manned or unmanned. It feels wrong to apply that kind of arithmetic to the ground. People cannot help but be on the ground. It is our natural domain, we were here first. It seems wrong for a piece of tech to pick and choose who can live and die in a domain that is so fundamentally organic.

"[W]ith this technology increase and ground operations, we need moral and intelligent people at the controls." Now here's the common ground between us again. I simply wonder whether the moral engine, which is the human brain, can be adequately informed via virtual sensors to be "at the controls." My fear is not the tech. I would far rather send a machine to do my job (I'm fundamentally as lazy as my cave-man ancestors...laziness, as much as necessity, is the mother of invention). Are we convinced that we understand the sensory phenomena enough to really say it can all be reduced down to bit-streams and accurately conveyed to a brain far away. B.S.

Like I said before, I "get" what unmanned tech can do a LOT more than most other blue suiters. I am convinced it is a better instrument of killing than is any manned asset. You could also say it is a better recon platform. The issue I have is that war is not strictly about either killing or recon. War is about convincing someone that they're defeated. That is a very intimate human experience. Ever been beaten in a fight? Ever beat someone up? There's a powerful inflective moment at the end of the contest where you can see that the relationship has fundamentally changed. It is the whole point of the contest, (much the same as "the point of running the first 20 miles of the marathon is to run the last 6") it is a very human moment. It is where meme's die. It is spiritual and psycho-social. That's something I think could loose its value in machine warfare.

BTW, if this all seems like left field, it is because I think a lot of folks in the military could not really define what war, victory, defeat, and power are except in the most vulgar terms of simply death and life. There's a lot more to it than that.

"[W]e really need to focus on the quality of our operators who control it." John Boyd: "People, ideas, technology, in that order." Agreed. You know my email. Give me a shout. I'm interested in pinging some other ideas off of you.

PYB, bigger issue...this is very undefined territo...

2012-04-04T16:14:49.376-07:00

PYB, bigger issue...this is very undefined territory. The military is "24/7" in the minds of the control freak generals only. The truth is, troops didn't swear away their right to speak their own mind in public...so long as they don't try to imply either that their position is endorsed by a segment of the government's forces (shade's of Cesear's X Legion) or they don't imply that their beliefs override their ability to adhere to the orders issued to them. Sgt Stein walked on the cliff's edge and, in this case, the ground gave way underneath him. I don't have a perfect position on this, but that's because he's out on the frontier. Is he a threat to the President's ability to command the U.S. military? No. Did he flirt close enough to the line that he got fragged? Yes. What would I do if I was his CC? I'd have the long talk...but I would come down on the side of retention because, ultimately, running this guy up the flagpole makes his conduct a bigger deal than it should have been. I need people who think like this in the service.

JR, great point about the role of the outsider. I...

2012-03-20T05:19:15.445-07:00

JR, great point about the role of the outsider. I'd like to see our IG process replaced with an outside mechanism. Then we might be able to leverage a failed but existing military system to correct some of the more egregious cultural issues. Maybe.

I share your skepticism for autonomy with respect to fires, although I do think unmanned platforms are definitely the way forward. Autonomous ISR systems with reach back analysts would be good, but I agree the human can't be taken out of the loop if ordnance is to be expended. The one exception would be for air to air RPA in the initial days of an air campaign where "if it flies it dies" is the rule - and even after with proper IFF equipment on friendly aircraft. I think we could have an autonomous armed CAP cloud, but for fires on the ground we need a human in the loop.

Above all, with this technology increase and ground operations, we need moral and intelligent people at the controls. I think that is where were are failing today. I heard an F-15C flag officer bring up the moral dimension in opposition to RPA back before Buzz was fired. I didn't like his message on the whole, but he was right on the point that detached killing where the operator has no skin in the game doesn't help with moral and professional life/death decisions.

We need the technology for our defense, but we really need to focus on the quality of our operators who control it.

I was impressed with Smith's Op-Ed contributio...

2012-03-18T13:18:20.738-07:00

I was impressed with Smith's Op-Ed contribution. Since culture is near and dear to your heart, here's my .02. I think that military culture is certainly vulnerable to the kind of negative drift that Smith claims is rampant in G.S. I think it is interesting that CEO's like Jack Welsh (G.E.), Lou Gerstner (IBM), Paul O'Neil (Alcoa), and Alan Mulaly (Ford) all talk about the importance of contributing a healthy culture to the organization. All of these men were brought in as "outsiders" to repair organizations which were on the verge of failing (Mulaly on Ford: "this company has been going out of business for 40 years, they just didn't know it.")

Unfortunately, by law the CC's of the military have to come up through the ranks: a process which weeds out disloyalty to the status quo. Now, I am not claiming the military and corporations are equivalent institutions, but it is interesting to me that the remedial mechanism of "the outsider" which is available to corporate America is a procedural impossibility in America's military. "Outsiders on the inside" are few and far between. (There's probably a reason why the best ex-mil strategic thinker's I've read/met lately all retired as E-7s or O-5s.)

On to another issue...have you read AU's "Technology Horizons" report (or for that matter the "Blue Horizons" briefs)? I know we disagree on the role of drones (I may not be seeing the picture the way you are), but I was really surprised by the reports insistence on the use of Autonymouse drones (i.e., those which can perform all of the PID functions and authorization functions autonymousely). This seems like AU sophistry to me since I can not imagine the CFACC saying he's comfortable for drones to perform such autonymouse lethal ops except in the case of the most unrestricted combat contexts. Considering it is high-intensity, rather than low-, which has become the "niche" form of warfare; Big Blue's interest in autonomy seems unfounded.

Thoughts?

Glad to hear it. Take pride in doing right, there...

2012-03-16T06:01:20.870-07:00

Glad to hear it. Take pride in doing right, there often isn't any other reward. But given a retirement, or rank, I'll take pride every time.

The nation might ask us to fly a one way mission to defend our nation, and I suspect they ask us to do the same in our day to day careers. Fighting the good fight for the nation, in a careerist organization that has lost its way, is typically a one way mission.

Or as General Fogleman put it, service before self. Keep it up, and remember it's not a real sacrifice if you're not scared. The nation employs us to fight, not to be comfortable.

It's like you are in my head. Sadly, the lesso...

2012-03-16T01:14:39.931-07:00

It's like you are in my head. Sadly, the lesson seems oblivious to a great number of leaders today. Still trying to fight the good fight.

-Sgt Snuffy

Agreed, and he also agrees in the beginning of the...

2012-03-12T13:42:57.088-07:00

Agreed, and he also agrees in the beginning of the video. UCMJ certainly applies.

I also agree it's a poor practice to use your uniform to bolster politics. Right, wrong, or otherwise on the merits of the candidate it opens up that door you allude to and challenges the idea of civilian control of the military.

Like the Ron Paul supporter who jumped on stage, what if the service chiefs made YouTube videos saying who they thought Americans should vote for?

It would be interesting to see if this kind of political engagement is on the rise, or if these kind of episodes have happened as much before in a non-YouTube kind of world.

Thanks for the great comments.

Just because you put a mask on and don't give ...

2012-03-12T11:51:45.209-07:00

Just because you put a mask on and don't give your name doesn't mean your not pressing against UCMJ Article 134, 18 USC 609, and DoD Directive 1344.10.

Washington said "when we picked up the soldier we did not lay down the citizen," but using your uniform as a platform for your politics stinks.

Read history...the Praetorian guard comes to mind.

Check the 2006 Israeli Supreme Court guidance on t...

2012-03-12T11:44:07.989-07:00

Check the 2006 Israeli Supreme Court guidance on targeted killing. I believe they actually came up with a more satisfactory legal test than "we can't get the guy otherwise."

The court established four primary criteria that must be met in order for a targeted killing to be justified.

First, "well based, strong and convincing information" regarding the individual's terrorist activities.

Second, "a civilian taking a direct part in hostilities cannot be attacked if a less harmful means can be employed."

Third, an independent, thorough investigation must be conducted after the attack to determine "the precision of the identification of the target and the circumstances of the [targeted killing]."

Fourth, every effort must be made to minimize harm to innocent civilians, and "harm to innocent civilians caused during military attacks (collateral damage) must be proportional."

The court also ruled that, since a targeted killing is essentially an attack on a civilian that is engaged in hostile activities, the attack is only justified if carried out against a civilian currently involved in terrorism. Therefore the IDF cannot target former terror operatives who have distanced themselves from terror activity.

http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2006/12/supreme-court-restricts-targeted.html

Thanks PYB for the post. The video seems to suppor...

2012-01-17T10:03:49.120-08:00

Thanks PYB for the post. The video seems to support Buehler's side of the story unequivocally--especially when contrasted with the APD spokesman's account of the incident. What I find most disturbing is the increasingly frequent incidence of 'police brutality' nationwide. A trend which appears to be rising since the Rodney King arrest and that infamous video. Also, there is an alarming increase in the 'militarization' of police forces and the tactics they employ. Sadly, it also seems PD's aren't getting the message that people are watching and the intensified violence only makes things worse. I have several police officer friends, women officers, and while the trend is changing in some contexts by allowing women to deescalate certain situations, the violence on the male side appears to have been cranked up. My female partner is deployed in Afghanistan now and is having more success in village stabilization operations than her male counterparts. There is an important lesson for us all as human beings in taking notice of the correlation between increased aggression and heightened civil unrest. I think it all needs to be dialed down a notch or two.

I without out a doubt believe Buehler's accoun...

2012-01-16T18:03:06.158-08:00

I without out a doubt believe Buehler's account of what took place on New Years Eve. APD has a history of rife corruption, and I myself have experienced it numerous times. I grew up in E. Austin, and as one of the few whites living there at the time, I was routinely harassed and racially profiled by APD. They assumed the only reason I would be on the Eastside was to buy drugs or get a prostitute. This happened even more so after I moved out and would return to visit friends. But I've also been assaulted by APD and even had a motorcycle cop tap his gun against my temple several times. Being a writer, I'm compiling my experiences to be put on my web site, as well as voice my support for Buehler and the two other victims in this tragedy. www.hreinhard.wdeansigns.com - facebook.

Common sense suggests to me that it's unlikely...

2011-12-11T20:31:08.930-08:00

Common sense suggests to me that it's unlikely that those protestors don't pay taxes. I would imagine a good many of them have jobs, and that a vast majority of those who currently don't are in between jobs like many other Americans (including many veterans). I would imagine the vast majority of them likely purchase gas and pay federal tax on it, and I'm guessing all of them get a federal income tax bill each year. I would also think quite a few of them are self employed, perhaps using the internet to earn a living while they protest.

But above all, common sense suggests to me that the military works for the civilian population of America (even those we might not personally like) to include the increasing number of unemployed Americans.

To actually pay the salary of those men in uniform...

2011-12-11T17:21:00.351-08:00

To actually pay the salary of those men in uniform would imply that the protesters actually held jobs and paid taxes. There are only two ways this would work, either the protesters are working but taking vacation with pay (without pay no taxes get the idea here) or they're out of work and not paying taxes which means the protesters are not paying the salary of them men fighting for their freedom. Is the price of that freedom getting put on a tab? An IOU? Common sense is the least common of all senses.

There's a relatively good rule of thumb I tend...

2011-12-03T17:10:03.713-08:00

There's a relatively good rule of thumb I tend to agree in regards to political positions: If the left and right agree (or disagree) with a given proposition or legislation, said item should be discarded and a new beginning made. I agree with Sen. Paul completely though I don't support many of his other views. This new legislation trying to wend its way onto the American "freedom" landscape is seriously flawed, misguided and overreaching. This provision has no oversight! That fact alone should make it disappear into the scrap heap of bad congressional 'ideas.'

@-emerson: Thanks for your comment; I basically ag...

2011-11-30T02:10:20.116-08:00

@-emerson: Thanks for your comment; I basically agree although I would point out that in the military, a 'top down' mentality is de rigueur and as officers (and NCOs) we are trained and expected to lead by example.
I think this crew is coloring outside the lines (clearly they shouldn't be in uniform and certainly not armed) because the attitude they engender is supported by many above them. The tone of a duty section is set by those in charge.

Thank you PYB for your post/comments and your service.

Thank you, PYB, for being one of the few (in the m...

2011-11-23T06:22:30.677-08:00

Thank you, PYB, for being one of the few (in the military no less) to question this picture. I'm
'just a lieutenant' but I know this is totally inappropriate.

@Neal:
"A couple of enlisted dudes taking a picture of a sign on their lunch break is hardly the beginnings of some fissure in the civilian/military relationship."

Not the beginning, no. There's a pervasive air of 'we know best' in the military with regards to civilian opinion. The reason these guys will get away with their sign is because some people who are 'seven degrees of separation' away from the president take the stance that, "...it doesn't really bother me. I'll be perfectly honest and say that that has a lot to do with me agreeing wholeheartedly with their sentiment to begin with."

I'm reminded of the parody "America F*ck ...

2011-11-20T19:55:24.985-08:00

I'm reminded of the parody "America F*ck Yeah" youtube video.

And, offense intended, PYB, but it is my opinion that those men in the picture (apparently over in Bagram) are not defending my right to free speech. What they are doing is serving an ever-growing US Code-issuing freedom-sucking authoritarian crony corporatist police state.

I can thank whomever Neal considers his direct chain of command or his "bosses" for that. And I can thank Neal and his bosses for all the times they failed to uphold their oaths to honor the Rule of Law in this nation and live within the confines and be guided by of the US Constitution. Congress included. They take the oath, too.

Oh, and I forgot to thank the military industrial complex. And the fear mongering interventionists who have driven a interventionist US foreign policy for the past 100 years. Thank you to those whose decision it is to put US troops in harm's way for "humanitarian reasons" and "world policing" throughout the globe. And thank you to the people who could put a stop to it, but do not.

And before anyone's panties get bundled, I love the people of this country, I am blessed to be a citizen here, and I have no intention of leaving it. But, after 10 years, I cannot say I am any safer than before 9/11. I CAN say with absolute certainty that I have less freedoms than I did before then. All in the name of "the war on terror" (or "the war on a tactic"). Freedoms taken in exchange for safety granted is a falsehood. And I pretty much figure that after 10 years of constant troop deployments and equipment being used and abused, this country is at more risk that what it was 10 years ago.

But what do I know? I am only a mundane. I will quit my bitching. Back to work.