Shades of Vietnam…

The current ROE our aviators are laboring under is killing morale and frustrating the hell out of them…

Courtesy of Fox News…

And we’re keeping folks on deployment 9-10 months, flying the crap out of airplanes, helos and log birds. And the F-35 is sucking down billions and isn’t capable of even dropping bombs…

Robert McNamara (and the F-111 among other things) during the Vietnam war, redux.

h/t JP

Comments

Shades of Vietnam… — 15 Comments

  1. We clearly don’t want Warthogs looking for targets of opportunity while flying over ISIS occupied Iraq. Somebody might get hurt.

    The F-35 is supposed to replace the A-10 isn’t it?

  2. Clearly this generation of “leaders” no longer remembers the Nam era. Suddenly I feel a lot older.

  3. LL +1

    Of course, the obama administration really doesn’t want to defeat ISIS. The air strikes are just for show.

  4. Unfortunately I think this generation of leaders in the White House remembers Vietnam all too well – they want America to lose and suffer a loss of power and prestige, just like Vietnam.

  5. Has Congress voted to defend Syria from ISIS?
    If you think the administration won’t crucify a pilot, a squadron commander and the air commander for collateral damage from an air strike they ordered your dreaming.

  6. The F-35 is a turkey. The program never should have gotten this far. It was designed to do “everything”, and as a result it would do “anything” particularly well.

    The Navy was smart enough to ditch the F-111. They should do the same here.

  7. LL/Tim/Ed- Yeah and yeah… sigh And they DO come back without ever dropping on a lot of flights, even when they can SEE targets!

    Rev- They don’t WANT to…

    Aaron/WSF- you could be right. if so, that is TRULY sad!

    Gerry- Of course they will, they ‘want’ show trials!

    drjim- That it is… And the Navy can’t bail this time.

  8. Hey Old NFO;

    We in the Army called it the “Squad Leader in the Sky” syndrome. You have people that are more interested in covering their asses than making the calls.

  9. It is all too apparent that the lessons of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc etc have NOT been learned by our “leaders”.
    If you wish to win a war, tell the generals what you want accomplished, give them what they need to accomplish the task and stand back with your mouth CLOSED!

  10. Bob- Good point, hadn’t heard ‘that’ term before..

    PH- Yes it is!

    Rick- Yep!

    Roger- Exactly!!!

  11. Sorry I was out of the loop for a day or two…

    But this is the aspect of ‘Nam that I remember so well. And so painfully. It was just so d___ed frustrating it made me cry then. And still does. And now they’re at it again.