New study shows grim outlook for future of Air Force pilot shortage
An Anecdotal &quot;I quit&quot; I read a couple of years ago about the (then impending) pilot shortage:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jqpublicblog.com&#x2F;punching-out-latest-dear-boss-letter-decries-air-forces-lack-of-true-leadership&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jqpublicblog.com&#x2F;punching-out-latest-dear-boss-l...</a><p>Dear Boss,<p>I’ve fucking had it. I’m finally giving up on my Air Force and I’m throwing in the towel. Flying fighter jets is no longer cool enough to outweigh the bullshit, and so I’ve broken the mach for the final time. You’re going to believe that I’m leaving because I’m tired of deploying, that I’m sick of the queep, and that I seek the money bags and greener pastures of the Airlines. I’ve heard you on TV spouting those same lines over and over. Boss, I probably will join the airlines, but that’s not why I’m leaving. I’m leaving because my wife (I love my wife) got tired of hearing me come home every night and bitch about how the leaders of my Air Force are running it into the ground. I’m leaving because you took the coolest job on the planet, you, the leaders of this job, and you ruined it. You took one of the few jobs left in the world that kids hang posters of on their walls, and you made it so damn miserable that thousands of guys like me are calling it quits. And the worst part is, you have no idea HOW you made it miserable, and even less of an idea how to fix it. You are focusing on the second and third order effects, but not the root cause.<p>Boss, you were a fighter pilot. You were trained for years in how to identify the root cause. I know you have the ability to dig past the airlines, ops tempo, queep, and other reasons you’re currently focusing on, and find the DFP. I know that you know what it is, I just don’t think you have the stones to call it out in public and do something about it, so I’m pulling the handles.<p>Yes, life in my Air Force has gotten tough. But the real reason I’m leaving boss, the heart of the issue is this. I’m a leader, I always have been. People follow me because I’m good in the Air, I have a strong act in the bar, and I give a shit about the people that work for me. And because I’m a true leader, I will never lead in this Air Force. Instead, the guys that are leading in my place, and in the place of all of the others like me, are boot-licking, risk-averse, yes men who have spent an entire career being faithful followers and couldn’t lead a 2 ship to the end of the runway. They’ve been rewarded their entire careers for being non-confrontational, making only safe decisions, punishing downhill and protecting uphill, and most importantly, being loyal to the bad leaders above them.<p>That’s the real problem here, boss…. loyalty has become the new CURRENCY of your Air Force. More than integrity. More than excellence. More than tactical ability. More than taking care of the people in your charge. Absolute loyalty to your superiors is what gets you promoted. And in return for that loyalty, you get protection. Protection by your bosses for every stupid, unethical, illegal, hair-brained, vindictive decision you make that degrades morale, drives people out, and makes good leaders like myself write this letter.