RE: Leadership and Management - is NOT about decision making or control, is it?

Steve,

Just to go "way over the top" here's a little "statement" from our
squadron web site.

THE MISSION of ATTACK

1. The mission of the aircraft carrier is to put ordnance on target.
Everything else such as Indian Country, unreps, "the grid", SSC, and
anything else starting with F- is simply support for the attack mission.

2. You win the war by killing the bastards by the thousands, not one at
a time at twenty thousand feet.

3. In peacetime, DCM is something the attack pilot uses to rejoin off
the range. 

4. In wartime, DCM is something the attack pilot uses to turn and shoot
some asshole in the face who's trying to stop the attack pilot before he
destroys his high value target.

5. There is no such thing as "defensive" DCM. I become offended when
someone jumps me enroute to my target, and much offense is intended when
I have to take the time to blow his ass off.

6. Concerning the tally of Medal of Honor winners in southeast Asia, the
score tells it all: Attack - 5, Fighter - 0.

7. In wartime, our POW's were not released because the enemy sent
representatives to sit smugly at "peace talks". They were not released
because domestic antiwar groups unwittingly played into the hands of the
enemy, and tied the hands of their countrymen at arms. They were not
released because the enemy lost five aircraft to a select few called
"aces". They were released because brave men took their bombers downtown
and spoke personally to their captors in the only language the enemy
understands: Iron bombs raining down on their heads.

8. These lessons have been forged in blood and steel by all those attack
pilots and bombadiers who have gone before you; back when happiness was
flying Spads; back when jets were hard-lightin' and mean, and only
quiche-eatin' airline pukes flew fans; back when Spads roamed valleys
and spit death to those who would try to stop them; in an earlier time
when the biggest cadillac in town was called BUFF and when men took
pride in decorating their leather flight jackets with "I've been there"
patches, and the enemy hid every 1 + 45 because he knew the next cycle
of the attack carrier was headed his way. Times change, technology
changes, but the men in the cockpit must be the same brave warriors
every age has counted upon in time of peril.

9. Finally, and this is the bottom line, real men fly attack because
they understand the most fundamental law of wartime negotiations; you
negotiate with the enemy with your knee in his chest and your knife at
his throat.

Glen 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Ropa [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:52 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: [xpAdoption] Leadership and Management - is NOT about
> decision making or control, is it?
> 
> I LOVE war stories!  I have just needed to comment, all the Fighter
Jocks
> I ever talked to, when they were being honest, said that it was the A6
> drivers who were the "breed above", unless you were referring to
altitude.
> You have much more room for error at 30,000 feet than down on the
deck,
> where attack craft play.
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Alleman, Glen B. [mailto:[email protected]]
> > Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 8:24 AM
> > To: [email protected]
> > Subject: RE: [xpAdoption] Leadership and Management - is NOT about
> > decision making or control, is it?
> >
> >
> > Ron,
> >
> > War stories follow...
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Ron
> > > Subject: Re: [xpAdoption] Leadership and Management - is NOT about
> > > decision making or control, is it?
> > >
> > [snip]
> > >
> > > Good example. I see that there isn't much room for enabling in the
> > usual
> > > sense here. But is there any? For example ...
> > >
> > > Do different flight leaders lead differently in any
> > significant ways?
> >
> > [>] Not in significant ways. Only at the micro level in terms
> > of flying
> > technique, detailed paths once on target, and exit routes
> > which depended
> > on local weather. The terrain was known, the hostile sites known for
> > avoidance, etc. The mission was planned down to the minute prior to
> > launch. The head ways over target were tight in 1970. In 1990 the
same
> > aircraft tail numbers off the same ship (CV-61 Ranger) held head
ways
> > that were a 1/3 the time (seconds) we had 2 decades before - the
> > addition of software!! Also they only made one pass over the
> > target, it
> > took 30 years to figure that out.
> >
> > > Do flights ever split up to take different mission components? Do
> > different
> > > flight leaders let that happen differently or cause it to happen
> > > differently?
> >
> > [>] This is all pre-planned, usually 2 hours if briefing prior to
> > flight. Wake on a typical day was 3:30 AM, for a 7:00 AM launch.
> > Secondly once the flight goes "feet dry" (over land) an AWACS
controls
> > the group - usually 2 flights of 2 or 4 flights of 2. For the
> > Navy this
> > was an EC-121 or E-2C, with regional radar, flying high and behind
us.
> > The mission could be re-purposed but this came from the CAG
(Commander
> > Air Group), to the Wing, then Squadron, then to the AWACS, then to
> > flight leader, then to us. This happened rapidly. In the current
> > technology this all comes over a digital link (JTIDS) - again nice
CMM
> > Level 5 software. But no matter what there almost no room for
> > independent process in the A6 role.
> >
> > There are other "seek and destroy" roles. The BARCAP (Combat
> > air patrol)
> > who flew F-4's (a real air craft), they had patrol areas and engaged
> > anything that came their way. They flew out front when we went
north,
> > the "cleared our path." That mission was much like you suggest above
-
> > find something new engage, and adapt to the changing
> > conditions, "lead"
> > the group to a new and emerging mission.
> >
> > We just hauled ordinance to the target dropped it and got back to
the
> > ship as fast as possible.
> >
> > > What is the approach, for example, to "targets of opportunity"?
> >
> > [>] In the North no. In I-Corp (1st Marine Division and 101st
> > AB ground
> > support) there were "free fire zones" where targets of
> > opportunity could
> > be found, but this was rare.
> >
> > [>] The movie image of a free wheeling pilot is just that a
> > movie. Only
> > the fighter jocks got to "play." All you ever prayer for in Naval
> > aviation was that your air craft didn't have wind shield
> > wipers, so the
> > A6 mission meet that test. The F-4 guys were breed well above me.
> >
> > > Ron
> >
> > [>]Glen B. Alleman
> >
> >
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