Gates promises Minot airmen money, attention

[JohnP]

Gates promises Minot airmen money, attention

By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 2, 2008 11:39:23 EST

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — Robert Gates became the first defense secretary to visit Minot Air Force Base on the same day President-elect Barack Obama tapped him to continue serving under Obama’s new administration.

Gates’ visit comes five months after he fired the service’s chief of staff and secretary in part for the mistaken transfer of six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles from Minot to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

He told airmen on Monday that Minot maintained a long tradition of excellence but described the mistaken nuclear shipment as “unacceptable.” Gates said the nuclear community didn’t receive the funding or attention it needed.

“We owe you ... the attention and the resources to do your job right,” Gates said.

Minot airmen asked the defense secretary how he plans to bolster the nation’s cyber defenses and reshape its aging fleet under Obama.

Gates had decided to pass many key decisions on aircraft acquisitions decisions to the future administration, but now that he is staying on with Obama, he said he will sit down with leaders from each service and establish priorities.

He said he worried too many Air Force capabilities are on too few platforms and feared what would happen if some of the platforms fail.

Gates also said cyber is one of his most significant concerns and service leaders must make it one of their highest priorities.

When it's broke, throw money at it.

[03_SHOOTER]

I was chatting with a few guys from up there a while back, and the general consensus is that there are too few people, doing too much work, with too little equipment. Now, being an old SAC troop, and perhaps I'm being a bit jaundiced, but SO WHAT!! While I could be mistaken, I believe that that old saying "we the unwilling, led by the unknowing, have doing so much, with so little, for so long, that we are now capable of doing anything with nothing" was invented in SAC, and if it wasn't, it sure should have been. We used to joke that the only reason it wasn't SAC's motto was because it wouldn't fit on the patch!!

[JohnP]

I remember a discussion with a sharp SAC troop once. It was -10 below zero, the wind was howling at a roughly 30 knots and holding, and the wind chill was somewhere around Arctic. He was walking around a KC-135 protecting it from the Russian spies and saboteurs wearing a parka, cold weather pants and issue leather boots covered by issued rubber boots. I asked him why he was not wearing bunnie boots. He gave me an odd look like I came from under a rock and stated, "Arkansas is not Northern Tier...."

Here was a young man, following orders, to the letter. There were not complaints. There were not arguments with superiors about we can't protect this place without the proper equipment. The job was to protect this spot with what we had to work with.

It's not money we need to be throwing at this broke wheel. We need to be throwing dicipline at the idiots that broke the wheel. Fix the dicipline, you will fix the problem.

Have I been on this soap box long enough?

[HairyEyeball]

Actually, the original read:

We are the unwilling
Led by the unqualified
To do the unneccessary
For the ungrateful.

We have done so much
With so little
For so long
We are now qualified to do everything
With nothing
Forever.

To the best of my knowledge, the origin was an anonymous UH-34 crew chief operating out of Quang Tri in support of Khe Sanh who penciled it on the blank side of a C-Ration box and posted it on the Squadron 'Bullsh*t Board'.

And John, your 'solution' applies to so much more: We've tried to 'fix' our broken education system by throwing money at it, our broken banking, mortgage, and now automobile industries by throwing money at them, when the roots of the problem lie in the lack of discipline and motivation, the replacement of qualified leadership with 'bean counters' and the politicizing of the problem. The breakdown of the military began with its transformation from a fighting force to a social experiment, and was exacerbated by the gutting it suffered at the hands of wet willie's administration - aided and abetted by the demonizing it received at the hands of the lamestream, drive-by media.

It took years after the libels of Vietnam and a Ronald Reagan to make the nation proud of its military again, but only months of the first democrat administration in over a decade to make its members pariahs. No matter how dedicated our Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen may be, no matter how much pride they take in their equipment, their accomplishments, their esprit, when your own country becomes a 'hostile environment', attention to detail isn't all that suffers.

[JohnP]

I am a product of the Carter Administration through the George the 1st. I have witnessed what happens to a unit without Spirit, without drive, but more importantly, without leadership. A unit doesn't function without all of these essential tools. I was very fortunate to have leadership that saw the spark and raised from an airman to the nail biter and bullet spitter that I became.

For the young troopers that are entering into the system, one man (or woman) can make a difference. To the new leaders of our esteemed military, be not only a leader, be a mentor. Take as many as you can under your wing and teach them right and wrong.

Always remember - Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers!

[Billyd]

Originally Posted by JohnP

Always remember - Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers!

As evidenced by our last election.

[JohnP]

Amen to that, brother.