When confronted with a question as to whether Davis-Monthan Air Force base Commander Meger scrubbed a slide which showed a capability gap should the United States Air Force succeed in mothballing the A-10, a USAF spokesperson said that he had done so for the sake of “brevity.” The answer shocked many, but not those who have been concerned about the deteriorating culture of the Air Force.
For those who love the Air Force, like Lt. Colonel (ret) Tony Carr, but regret the culture it has adopted, the maneuvers by Meger are simply a product of that culture.
The Straus Military Reform Project reported in, Running for Cover: A Sham Air Force Summit Can’t Fix the Close Air Support Gap Created by Dumping the A-10, that Meger, delivered a “sanitized presentation to the Air Force Chief of Staff,” which failed to mention “the 10- to 12-year estimated capability gap” should the a-10 be mothballed, “nor was there any mention whatsoever of the need to maintain legacy aircraft—such as the A-10 or less capable alternatives like the F-16 or F-15E—until the F-35A reached FOC.”
The spokesperson claimed that while Meger scrubbed evidence of the need for the A-10 from the slides, he did explain the gap in his presentation to the chiefs. Contrary to that claim, sources report that – in fact – he did not do so. They claim that his performance and decision to leave that item out of the discussion is in keeping with the USAF’s accepted norms.
Carr, a former USAF pilot and publisher of the popular military website, John Q. Public, spoke out about the current Air Force on the James T. Harris radio show in response to the Meger’s brevity excuse, General Post’s treason comments, and the decaying culture of the Air force he loves.
“I served in it for a long time and saw a lot of changes. I got my crack at command and it looked to me like the Air Force was breaking, or maybe even already broken,” Carr told Harris. Carr said that the USAF has “lost the ability to listen to its own people.”
Carr said he started the popular John Q. Public blog to give people a place “to have reasonable disagreement.” However, the site might be the only place where reasonable disagreement is allowed. In light of the fact that General Post’s characterized anyone who opposed the USAF A-10 plans, as traitors, there is little doubt that the USAF not only won’t listen, but it will marginalize those who disagree with it.
To listen to the interview, click here.
Related article: Air Force “Treason” Debacle Reveals Deeper Problems