LOST LINK
Where command link is disabled and no topic about unmanned aircraft or the USAF is off-limits.
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AOC! Part Deux: Just What is TOA?
"One of the serious problems in planning the fight against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine." So says some Soviet document from many years ago. It remains true today, and the air operations center is a prime example of this sentiment. Muff and Yogi talk about the 603 AOC, rebranding the MQ-9 as the AQ-9, trying to expand the AOC's concept of the Reaper, and the ramifications of righteously giving an Intel Colonel what for.
Tradition: Is Heritage the Air Force's Ace in the Hole?
Traditions feel to be slowly losing their importance these days. Whether that's a product of the naval-gazing that comes with being in a peacetime military or a failure to educate new airmen on Air Force history is uncertain. What is certain, though, is that heritage is what makes the Air Force great. It's what makes people sacrifice for the greater good. On this episode of Lost Link, Muff and Yogi discuss some of the struggles with heritage and tradition in the MQ-9 community and casually toss out a few ideas on improving things.
Shitty Summer Camp: Tales From the Last Days in Afghanistan
There's little humor to be found in the last two weeks in Afghanistan, but Shiva was able to find what scraps of it he could. Muff hangs out with Shiva Trimble to talk about getting piss on your boots, losing 15 pounds in two weeks, C-RAMs as entertainment, and a few other bits of gallows humor. They also talk about the AFA conference, the future of the MQ-9, Manned-Unmanned Teaming, the AFFORGEN concept, and how compassionate, understanding friends can be the best bulwark against self-harm.
Air National Guard: Weekend Warriors or a Lethal Mafia Family?
The Guard Mafia is real. Weapons stashes, backroom dealings, national networks of contacts, budgets larger than you'd think, convoluted accounting tricks, and an indecipherable lingo only insiders understand! McFly Bolda teaches Muff the secret handshake and let's slip the secrets of the shady world of the Air National Guard. They discuss the pros and cons of joining, what Guard units are usually looking for, how MQ-9 Guard units contribute to operations, and more. Get a spoon ready 'cause there is a lot of acronym soup to be had.
How Do You Rebound After Being Passed Over for Promotion?
Muff sits down with his long-time friend Fuse Stellwagen, and they have a wide-ranging discussion that hits what being followed by an MQ-9 must feel like, requal'ing in the MQ-9, airmanship, being the air boss at the Dubai Airshow, working at AFCENT staff, getting passed over and subsequently selected for promotion, planning to retire from the Air Force, and other subjects of, undoubtedly, great import.
What Is the Air Force Stratification System?
Large organizations have long struggled to ensure they promote the right people. The Air Force increasingly relies on forced stratification to identify individuals with high promotion potential. There are benefits to this system, but also numerous significant drawbacks. Muff and Yogi get together to discuss the Nellis Effect, “halos and horns”, impacts to innovation, historical alternatives, and other issues.
The RPA Training Pipeline for Dummies
The RPA training pipeline began in late 2009 with the establishment of what is now called the RPA Fundamentals Course. RPA students now also attend Initial Flight Training in Pueblo, CO and complete the RPA Instrument Qualification course before heading to Holloman AFB, NM for Initial Qualification Training. Yogi is still deployed so, on this episode, Muff loses link with Tink Hammons to describe what the training pipeline looks like from commission through IQT and share a few stories from along the way.
A Conversation with Lt Col Eric Hendrickson
Yogi is deployed so, on this episode, Muff loses link with Hendro and they discuss Hendro's early career flying UH-1 Hueys, his famous strike on a mortar team that pretty much every RPA crewmember ever has seen, his involvement in the first days of RPAs at Holloman, his command style, mentorship in the Air Force, and how the service's violence prevention program is inadequate to achieve its stated goals.
Is the MQ-9 too Agile for the AOC?
Following significant issues with the control of airpower during Vietnam, the modern air operations center was created as a means to centralize and improve that control… and improve it has. Times they are a-changin', though, and the AOC construct now finds itself struggling to maximize the capabilities of assets like the MQ-9 that blur the lines between ISR and strike. Muff and Yogi discuss why this is the case, why the A32 and the A33 can't get it together, and what may be done to unleash the capabilities of the MQ-9 in the immediate future.
Is Automatic Takeoff and Land Going to Save Us?
THIS EPISODE IS TEMPORARILY OFFLINE PENDING CONTENT REVIEW.
ATLC is coming to eliminate C-band LR operations and the MQ-9 community is approaching a crossroads. Muff and Yogi lose link with Hicks Braxton, share stories about MQ-9 launch and recovery operations, and discuss the implications for the future. What does this mean for RPA airmanship and the community as a whole? Will we stop with automating the takeoff and land segment or is this just further commoditization of airpower?
What can we learn from ze German aces?
Both Manfred von Richthofen and Hans-Joachim Marseille are airpower exemplars from a time when aviation was young and much of the way we think about ourselves today has its roots in the conflicts during which these two men dominated the skies. Muff and Yogi disable command link, wax poetic about these two enemy aces, and contemplate what eternal truths can be learned from their experiences dominating the air during WW1 and WW2.
America in Afghanistan: What the heck does Sun Tzu know, anyway?
Muff and Yogi lose link again, this time over Afghanistan. (Who hasn't?) They discuss our noble entry into the conflict, talk about some hard truths regarding American preeminence and the shifting global power balance, recount some personal stories from their time flying the MQ-9 over the country, and wonder if we actually learned anything from failing to meet our stated objectives.
Who Were the Heroes of Apollo 13?
Muff and Yogi lose link again, this time with Dollar Boyer, and discuss the movie Apollo 13. On the surface it is a movie about three intrepid heroes surviving a Saturday trip to the moon after their spacecraft suffers a catastrophic failure. You know the story, but who really saved the day and does the answer to that question have any implications for the future of airpower?
Are Geographically Separated Units Good or Bad for your Career?
Muff briefly details how the RPA community got into the GSU game, then Muff and Yogi each recount their significantly different experiences at the 20th Attack Squadron, and discuss the various pros and cons of GSUs. Muff also describes his recent experience in the backseat of a Holloman F-16.
To Instruct or to Teach?
That is the question… that Muff and Yogi prattle on about during this episode. We discuss the differences between teachers and instructors, the diminishing cachet of the piloting profession, the effects that has on students, the part of the production process instructors should be focused on, the aspects that should be left to commanders, and some concrete things instructors can do to make the learning experience better for everyone involved.
A Conversation with Maj Michael Byrnes, Ph.D.
Muff and Yogi sit down with Dr. Byrnes and discuss his Air and Space Power Journal experience, the impact of his Nightfall articles, the real innovation that remotely piloted aircraft represent, changing culture in a bureaucracy, and what the future of unmanned aircraft may hold.
A Few Good RPAs
Muff and Yogi tell the story of early efforts at unmanned aviation that dramatically changed the course of one prominent American family. They also recount stories of stealth, surface-to-air missile defense, supersonic reconnaissance, and other adventures in remotely piloted aircraft that have had long-lasting effects on the USAF.
Where Have the Airpower Stories Gone?
Muff and Yogi lose link again and talk about the importance of stories to organizational culture, lament the lack of compelling airpower stories from the modern age, put forth some thoughts on why RPAs just aren't getting the love they deserve, and wonder what that all means for the future of the RPA and military aviation as a whole.
Is Innovation Overrated?
In this episode Muff and Yogi discuss what innovation is, how calls for innovation in the abstract can yield less-than-desirable results, the ostracization of now-celebrated innovators like John Boyd and Billy Mitchell, and how the noble pursuit of innovation can be corrupted in bureaucratic organizations.
Will the MQ-9 Have a Role in Strategic Competition?
Agile Combat Employment is the hottest operational-level topic in the Air Force right now. As we venture back into an era of “strategic competition”, there are budgetary threats on the horizon for the vaunted MQ-9 Reaper and few people think it capable in a high-end, nonpermissive fight. Muff and Yogi ask what they think is the obvious question: does it need to be?
