The Air Force is such an easy target that I will forgo that opportunity - richly deserved as it is - and discuss the issue more generally, with an admitted filter of an Army career. It is an unfortunate truth that our military is becoming more mediocre and the center of the curve is sliding down. I saw it in my military career and it is only worse now. We manage to chase out most of the true societal chaff at the low end. We also frustrate the high achievers so badly that most of them leave as well. With both tails of the curve diminished, that leaves the mediocre middle. The end result is a muddling, mediocre middling Military.
I am now retired, but I fear that much the same has happened within the aerospace industry. Plenty of bright guys...but plenty of stupid management to wilt the grass. A shortage of competence and integrity, thus the disaster of the 737 MAX MCAS software, so terribly reminiscent of the Ford Pinto debacle (profit over prudence).
The Air Force is such an easy target that I will forgo that opportunity - richly deserved as it is - and discuss the issue more generally, with an admitted filter of an Army career. It is an unfortunate truth that our military is becoming more mediocre and the center of the curve is sliding down. I saw it in my military career and it is only worse now. We manage to chase out most of the true societal chaff at the low end. We also frustrate the high achievers so badly that most of them leave as well. With both tails of the curve diminished, that leaves the mediocre middle. The end result is a muddling, mediocre middling Military.
I am now retired, but I fear that much the same has happened within the aerospace industry. Plenty of bright guys...but plenty of stupid management to wilt the grass. A shortage of competence and integrity, thus the disaster of the 737 MAX MCAS software, so terribly reminiscent of the Ford Pinto debacle (profit over prudence).