My last blog was the morning of May 16. I began a week at Maxwell AFB, AL that day for the National Security Forum (NSF). Great thanks and good times with the officers of Seminar 6, ya'll put up with a mixed group of civilians asking some silly questions and wanting your responses in detail. By the way, it may surprise many of the civilians in the world to learn that most of the participants in Seminar 6 do not personally support the operations in Libya, but will do their jobs as demanded of them by the civilian leadership of the country.
A few observations about my time at the NSF. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley is not a very dynamic speaker and did not say much that anyone could not have gleaned from reading a few newspapers. General Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff U.S. Air Force, on the other hand is a dynamic speaker who in answering questions posed to him by civilians and officers in attendance provided blunt assessments and straight answers. Apparently a growing group of national security experts are focusing on the threat of biological and chemical attacks on civilian targets within the United States. Of course, we should be concerned about these types of potential attacks as anyone in my generation who took 8th grade chemistry already knows how to build basic explosive and pyrotechnic devices that can be the catalyst for chemical and biological attacks. Plus, you do not have to try to smuggle the chemicals and biologicals into the country, you can make them locally. Credit for a wonderful program goes to Lt. General Peck, Maj. General Kane, and Lt. Colonel Gunn. Finally, "Dutch" Holland, thanks for hosting me and making the beer and pizza run for the cigar smokers, best to you as you retire and embark on your academic program at the Bush School at Texas A&M.
Some other neat things about NSF should be noted. I got to play in an F-22 simulator, an F-35 simulator, and an F-16 simulator. I crashed the F-16, did ok in the the F-35, and taxied the F-22 into a row of parked aircraft. Thanks goes out to the 908 Airlift Wing, great show for us on the training flight--watching a cargo drop from inside a C-130 is pretty neat stuff.
Finally, I did have to come home from NSF. Of course, coming home meant one week to pack and prepare for closing and moving. My wife and I just purchased a house here in Grove City, PA. I am now a plumbing repair expert--it is called "mighty putty".
Not much for me to get upset with in the world--it all seems to be going as usual, which means death and mayhem continue, people still buy and sell commodity futures, etc.
A few observations about my time at the NSF. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley is not a very dynamic speaker and did not say much that anyone could not have gleaned from reading a few newspapers. General Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff U.S. Air Force, on the other hand is a dynamic speaker who in answering questions posed to him by civilians and officers in attendance provided blunt assessments and straight answers. Apparently a growing group of national security experts are focusing on the threat of biological and chemical attacks on civilian targets within the United States. Of course, we should be concerned about these types of potential attacks as anyone in my generation who took 8th grade chemistry already knows how to build basic explosive and pyrotechnic devices that can be the catalyst for chemical and biological attacks. Plus, you do not have to try to smuggle the chemicals and biologicals into the country, you can make them locally. Credit for a wonderful program goes to Lt. General Peck, Maj. General Kane, and Lt. Colonel Gunn. Finally, "Dutch" Holland, thanks for hosting me and making the beer and pizza run for the cigar smokers, best to you as you retire and embark on your academic program at the Bush School at Texas A&M.
Some other neat things about NSF should be noted. I got to play in an F-22 simulator, an F-35 simulator, and an F-16 simulator. I crashed the F-16, did ok in the the F-35, and taxied the F-22 into a row of parked aircraft. Thanks goes out to the 908 Airlift Wing, great show for us on the training flight--watching a cargo drop from inside a C-130 is pretty neat stuff.
Finally, I did have to come home from NSF. Of course, coming home meant one week to pack and prepare for closing and moving. My wife and I just purchased a house here in Grove City, PA. I am now a plumbing repair expert--it is called "mighty putty".
Not much for me to get upset with in the world--it all seems to be going as usual, which means death and mayhem continue, people still buy and sell commodity futures, etc.
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