Iraq demands put squeeze on Air Force

[Bronco Bob]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon's bolstering of its ground forces in Baghdad by borrowing money and people from its sister services is further straining a stretched Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley said Tuesday.

The result, Moseley said, is people being assigned to jobs they weren't trained for. He cited Air Force airmen being used to guard prisoners and serve as drivers and cited one instance in which a female Air Force surgeon was assigned typing chores.

"We got her back," Moseley said at a breakfast with a group of reporters.

With President Bush and Congress locked in battle over Iraq spending, the Pentagon is shifting money among services and accounts, including drawing down accounts earmarked for other later purposes, including meeting payrolls.

"Somebody's going to have to pay us back," Moseley said.

Bush has bristled at a Democratic agreement to set a timetable on the Iraq war and has said he will veto such legislation once it reaches his desk.

Moseley said that more than 20,000 airmen have been assigned into roles outside their specialties.

Among these, having to guard detainees is a prime example, Moseley said.

"Not only do we not have a prison, but very rarely do we have anybody in prison," he joked.

"So, to take our people and train them to be a detainee-guarding entity requires `x' amount of time away from their normal job," Moseley said.

Moseley said he was trying to be realistic. "We live in a joint world. We live in a military that's at war. And we live in a situation where, if we can contribute, then sign me up for it."

Still, the Air Force general added, "I'm less supportive of things outside our competency."

The general said that there is little money available to buy new aircraft and that the Air Force is overseeing an aging fleet, some of its planes going back to the 1950s and 1960s.

"Operational and maintenance costs have gone up 180 percent over the past 10 years, operating these old aircraft," he said.

On another subject, Moseley said that China was rapidly expanding its long-range air force capabilities and was becoming "very capable."

"They're getting the ability to go beyond just a 'Taiwan scenario,"' he said.

He expressed alarm at China's anti-missile test in January, in which it used a missile to destroy one of its own old weather satellites.

China's motives remain unclear, but demonstrating that it can shoot down one of its own satellites also suggests it could knock another nation's satellites out of the sky if it chose, which Moseley said would be widely seen as "an act of war."


http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/24/air.force.iraq.ap/

[defenseman]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon's bolstering of its ground forces in Baghdad by borrowing money and people from its sister services is further straining a stretched Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley said Tuesday.

The result, Moseley said, is people being assigned to jobs they weren't trained for. He cited Air Force airmen being used to guard prisoners and serve as drivers and cited one instance in which a female Air Force surgeon was assigned typing chores.

"We got her back," Moseley said at a breakfast with a group of reporters.

With President Bush and Congress locked in battle over Iraq spending, the Pentagon is shifting money among services and accounts, including drawing down accounts earmarked for other later purposes, including meeting payrolls.

"Somebody's going to have to pay us back," Moseley said.

Bush has bristled at a Democratic agreement to set a timetable on the Iraq war and has said he will veto such legislation once it reaches his desk.

Moseley said that more than 20,000 airmen have been assigned into roles outside their specialties.

Among these, having to guard detainees is a prime example, Moseley said.

"Not only do we not have a prison, but very rarely do we have anybody in prison," he joked.

"So, to take our people and train them to be a detainee-guarding entity requires `x' amount of time away from their normal job," Moseley said.

Moseley said he was trying to be realistic. "We live in a joint world. We live in a military that's at war. And we live in a situation where, if we can contribute, then sign me up for it."

Still, the Air Force general added, "I'm less supportive of things outside our competency."

The general said that there is little money available to buy new aircraft and that the Air Force is overseeing an aging fleet, some of its planes going back to the 1950s and 1960s.

"Operational and maintenance costs have gone up 180 percent over the past 10 years, operating these old aircraft," he said.

On another subject, Moseley said that China was rapidly expanding its long-range air force capabilities and was becoming "very capable."

"They're getting the ability to go beyond just a 'Taiwan scenario,"' he said.

He expressed alarm at China's anti-missile test in January, in which it used a missile to destroy one of its own old weather satellites.

China's motives remain unclear, but demonstrating that it can shoot down one of its own satellites also suggests it could knock another nation's satellites out of the sky if it chose, which Moseley said would be widely seen as "an act of war."


http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/24/air.force.iraq.ap/

the military has had to do this before. Not surprising considering the money issues which we are facing presently....it'll work itself out, without a deadline for withdrawal I might add...dman

[Garcia Bronco]

"The result, Moseley said, is people being assigned to jobs they weren't trained for."

Welcome to the world that contains the rest of the work force. :)

[Bronco_Beerslug]

the military has had to do this before. Not surprising considering the money issues which we are facing presently....it'll work itself out, without a deadline for withdrawal I might add...dmanWhat money "issues" is the Air Force "facing presently?"

[NYBronco]

"So, to take our people and train them to be a detainee-guarding entity requires `x' amount of time away from their normal job," Moseley said."

Let's use illegal immigrators... we have plenty and the source is endless.

[ant1999e]

What money "issues" is the Air Force "facing presently?"

Trust me, there are money issues.

I've had a few of my guys deployed to Iraq with the possibilty of convoy dutywith the Army. They get about a month each of convoy and Army weapons training. It really sucks, but we signed the contract.

[Rascal]

What money "issues" is the Air Force "facing presently?"

I can speak on this. Budgets are being reduced across the board. Our budget for TDY (business trips) has been reduced 2/3, O&M (hiring, promotions, etc) has been effectively eliminated, RMD money is practically gone, money for product improvements for anything other then safety is practically gone, etc. And it's not just my base or MAJCOM, it's AF wide.

[defenseman]

I can speak on this. Budgets are being reduced across the board. Our budget for TDY (business trips) has been reduced 2/3, O&M (hiring, promotions, etc) has been effectively eliminated, RMD money is practically gone, money for product improvements for anything other then safety is practically gone, etc. And it's not just my base or MAJCOM, it's AF wide.

Yep, it's getting tight, real tight. In a month or so, it's going to get very, very interesting. But, remember what Sen. Harry Reid said 5 months ago, the troops will get the money they need. Don't worry , the dems will come throughHilarious! .....dman

[Bronco_Beerslug]

I can speak on this. Budgets are being reduced across the board. Our budget for TDY (business trips) has been reduced 2/3, O&M (hiring, promotions, etc) has been effectively eliminated, RMD money is practically gone, money for product improvements for anything other then safety is practically gone, etc. And it's not just my base or MAJCOM, it's AF wide.Hmmm, so the Iraqi grudge match is sucking the Air Force dry?

[defenseman]

"The result, Moseley said, is people being assigned to jobs they weren't trained for."

Welcome to the world that contains the rest of the work force. :)

Just a data point. This is very, very bad. We went through this in the nineties with WJC in office. Mission was affected, sometimes to an extreme. While a comparison can be drawn to a degree with the civilian sector, when mission accomplishment may cost lives, the importance of getting the correct funding to support logistics, planning and execution (including the right people in the right spot...ie...travel costs) is absolutely imperative. It's one thing to be hamstrung financially and quality of job performance is degraded (lost profits for example), it's another to be hamstrung financially, degrading mission accomplishment and it cost someone their life....dman

[defenseman]

Hmmm, so the Iraqi grudge match is sucking the Air Force dry?

everyone is getting sucked dry. It's getting worse by the week in some cases. .....dman

*They need to do one of two things. Support the war financially, or pull the plug. One or the other. However, supporting the war financially then setting a pull out date, in stone, is just wasting money. The bad guys will lay back and wait, until the date comes, then wreak havoc in the region. Non stop genocide. Al Qaeda / Iran splitting the spoils in a sense. Why do that? No reason to even go there..........dman

[clarkster]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon's bolstering of its ground forces in Baghdad by borrowing money and people from its sister services is further straining a stretched Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley said Tuesday.

The result, Moseley said, is people being assigned to jobs they weren't trained for. He cited Air Force airmen being used to guard prisoners and serve as drivers and cited one instance in which a female Air Force surgeon was assigned typing chores.

"We got her back," Moseley said at a breakfast with a group of reporters.

With President Bush and Congress locked in battle over Iraq spending, the Pentagon is shifting money among services and accounts, including drawing down accounts earmarked for other later purposes, including meeting payrolls.

"Somebody's going to have to pay us back," Moseley said.

Bush has bristled at a Democratic agreement to set a timetable on the Iraq war and has said he will veto such legislation once it reaches his desk.

Moseley said that more than 20,000 airmen have been assigned into roles outside their specialties.

Among these, having to guard detainees is a prime example, Moseley said.

"Not only do we not have a prison, but very rarely do we have anybody in prison," he joked.

"So, to take our people and train them to be a detainee-guarding entity requires `x' amount of time away from their normal job," Moseley said.

Moseley said he was trying to be realistic. "We live in a joint world. We live in a military that's at war. And we live in a situation where, if we can contribute, then sign me up for it."

Still, the Air Force general added, "I'm less supportive of things outside our competency."

The general said that there is little money available to buy new aircraft and that the Air Force is overseeing an aging fleet, some of its planes going back to the 1950s and 1960s.

"Operational and maintenance costs have gone up 180 percent over the past 10 years, operating these old aircraft," he said.

On another subject, Moseley said that China was rapidly expanding its long-range air force capabilities and was becoming "very capable."

"They're getting the ability to go beyond just a 'Taiwan scenario,"' he said.

He expressed alarm at China's anti-missile test in January, in which it used a missile to destroy one of its own old weather satellites.

China's motives remain unclear, but demonstrating that it can shoot down one of its own satellites also suggests it could knock another nation's satellites out of the sky if it chose, which Moseley said would be widely seen as "an act of war."


http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/24/air.force.iraq.ap/

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

i hate those little icons but when i read this i laughed so hard. talk about classic quotes. try sending a Navy Storekeeper to Iraq for camp maintenance, or hell, any sailor to Iraq for anything combat related. talk about not being trained for it...

thats rich stuff.

[defenseman]

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

i hate those little icons but when i read this i laughed so hard. talk about classic quotes. try sending a Navy Storekeeper to Iraq for camp maintenance, or hell, any sailor to Iraq for anything combat related. talk about not being trained for it...

thats rich stuff.

It's already happening in some places Clarkster. Unfortunately...dman

[clarkster]

its happening right here. ive been on the block 3 times in 6 months. go to combat, with my 3 weeks of combat training. you know sailors arent programmed for that, theyre programmed to fold their clothes and tie knots. only now are they learning ROE or UODF, as far as combat goes, the navy is about 20 years behind.

[Rascal]

Hmmm, so the Iraqi grudge match is sucking the Air Force dry?

I wouldn't say dry, but it is reducing the flow.

I've been giving some serious thought recently about just leaving Iraq. The only reason why we could stay is because it will signify us as being weak and not willing to engage in a long term war. And that is something that our allies will use against us.