More With Less

Posted by Jolly on September 21, 2011

I got an e-mail from an old Eagle buddy this morning after retuning from a cocktail party as an Air Attaché’ in training.  He attended a party  at the British Embassy last night to commemorate the Battle of Britain.  He uses some pretty big words for a fighter pilot, but his observations are spot on.   You’ve got to love the Brits and how they still think Fighter Pilots are da bomb.

Later this morning I was reading my daily AFA news blurb with words from the Chief of Staff about how budget cuts would reduce the size of our AF, but not it’s effectiveness or make it “Hollow.”  How is that possible? I realize that UAV’s are here to stay and play an important role, but without enough iron and fighter pilots to drive those machines how can we expect to really provide Air Superiority for our nation?

Yesterday, Slew sent me a receipt from a Super Market that kind of sums up our woes.  You know the old saying; a picture is worth a thousand words.   So our managers in Washington are willing to sacrifice our ability to provide Air Superiority for our nation, but cutting the Porter House Steak and Maine Lobster are out of the question?  YGBSM!

Last time I checked, you need to own surface to the moon in order to have Air Superiority. However, it seems more important that non-working stiffs have a steak and lobster on the taxpayer’s dime then having the ability to pay for a blanket of protection for our country.  So sleep well tonight my friends, our force is not hollow, the steak and lobster are on me, and the Morale Suppression Team in Washington is willing to have our brave men and women "die trying" to do more with less.

E-mail from Eagle Buddy:

Hi Jolly

Thought you might appreciate this somewhat sad juxtaposition of events.  As an attache' in training, of course I attend as many cocktail parties as possible to get in shape.  Earlier tonight I was at the British Embassy in DC where several hundred people were invited to celebrate the 71st anniversary of Battle of Britain Day (the actual "day" is on the 15th of Sept BTW).  The Brits still revere fighter pilots, and the Air Attache gave a rousing speech about the role of fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain to include several US volunteers (we had not yet entered WW2).  As Winston Churchill said about his fighter bro's,  "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."  

 Meanwhile, on this side of the Atlantic, I also saw this headline this morning:  "AF: UAV pilots will eventually outnumber others."  Anything wrong with this picture?  Sure glad I was flying fighters during our most recent (and last?) heyday during the 80s/90s.

 E-Mail from Air Force Association (AFA) this morning:

Or Die Trying: The US is going to have less of an Air Force, but what there is will not be "hollow," Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said Tuesday. In his headliner speech at AFA's Air & Space Conference, Schwartz said that after the current round of deep budget cuts, the USAF that emerges will be "smaller in size and scale. " He said, "We will still be an extremely capable and effective force," but, he added that force would be "able to be in fewer places and to achieve fewer effects in the rapid succession to which we have become accustomed." The risk of being smaller will be mitigated somewhat by partnering more with the other services and with allies, Schwartz said. The strategy for weathering the reductions is to "commit to readiness as a priority and hold the line against longer-term erosion in combat power availability and preparedness." Schwartz assured the audience that USAF will continue to provide "the many utilities of airpower, as only airmen can provide it. … We'll be there for our joint teammates and our nation. We will do it, or we'll die trying."

—John A. Tirpak

And, now for the rest of the story.......

What would Winston do?  Let's see more with less, or fight less with more because we could spank the hell out of anyone challenging our sovereignty...... 

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