Achilleez

I am not a "rancher". I have cows but not many. They are not my main source of income. I run a pallet recycling business off of my farm. When I drive out in the morning to collect broken pallets I stop in at the "Sip and Bite" for coffee. I am not a liberal. I support capitalism as a much more fair and freedom-bearing system. But I also do not like handgun ownership or capital punishment.

 

Yes, my son knows I am an atheist but he also sits on the council of the youth group at my church. I will support him in whatever he chooses to beleive in. I was a scout when I was younger, and I signed up my son at the earliest opportunity. He loves it.

 

I am here because although I am not officially a member, I am semi-involved with Scouting, and frequently socialize with parents of other Scouts, occasionally becoming involved with their events, like father-son camping trips. In addition, I enjoy discussing issues and politics on the Internet, and this is one of the most civil forums around.

 

That's who I am, that's why I'm here. If you feel compelled to attack me until I leave then I'll have no choice.

 

ps. thanks for the prayer, it couldn't hurt.(This message has been edited by Achilleez)

Common people,

 

Can't you realize that for many people, myself included, atheism is not an abstance of anything. It is not void of anything, it makes perfect sense to us. Everything on Earth has a scientific explanation, and if it doesn't, it will in the future. I can live perfectly comfortable in the knowledge that there is no super-being living above me. I am alone in this and I can accept that. Of course we are all alone, we are individual conscientious (pardon my spelling) beings that live and interact with other individuals. It is not discomforting or depressing not to beleive in God. Infact, to many atheists the whole concept of an all-powerful ghost up in the sky sounds silly and ridiculous.

 

I grew up a Mennonite household, which is about the most conservative area you can go in Ontario. I beleived in God probably until around the age of 12 or 13, although I continue to go to church to this day for my families sake. But when I took Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology, I saw that there are perfectly reasonable explanations for everything going on around us. (Personally I am confused by people who claim to accept both science and fundamental Christianity, simply because they directly cross paths)Complex patterns on leaves may seem overwhelmingly intelligent, but really that are just fractals, efficient patterns that have evolved a certain way. This was also combined with the overwhelming evidence that the bible is flawed. If Genesis is accurate, then the scientists who claim that we have million year old rocks must be dirty liars. Called it divinely inspired if you will, but it was written by human beings. It was also re-written by other human beings hundreds of times, spawning countless different versions, some with more or less books than others. This inconsistancy can only lead me to beleive that it innacurate.

 

While I do not currently beleive in God, I respect the right for others to do so. I do not claim that there is no creator, I simply say that there is not enough conclusive evidence to prove that one exists at this time.

 

I still take my family to church for two reasons.

1) I think my children should have the opportunity to explore faith and pursue it if they wish.

2) I beleive the church instills positive results on my family, and it is a worthy organization which provides releif for many, regardless on what beleif system it is based.

 

Being an atheist does not mean rejecting the values taught in the bible. All are welcome in my home, and I always pick up hitch-hikers (not in American though )

 

I can respect that you beleive in God. So can you respect that I do not beleive in God?

I fail to see how a speaker's past political stances directly affect the outcome of the fundraiser. The purpose is to raise money, and so having the speaker that will draw the most income is the right speaker to choose. So long as he does not promote a right-wing polical platform, or at least refrain from attacking another, his political views seem trivial. If I go to a comedic performance, a concert or even a religious seminar, I don't care what political views they have, so long as it doesn't interfere with providing a good performance.

Huh, I guess it was silly for me to have missed that one. Stalling an investigation until the months prior to an election does seem both logical and beleivable. Of course it may mean nothing, just as Bush-Saudi Arabian relations may mean nothing. Nothing is certain.

 

Sigh... Trail Pounder. You certainly have done some snooping. Please feel free to continue, but I doubt you will be able to prove that me or my son don't exist. FYI "beleive" is spelled exactly as such. I even checked by typing it into Microsoft Word and no red squiggle appeared beneath it. Perhaps the Canadian spelling is different, like with color(colour).

That was my son, who is now 16. I said he should take a look at this forum, because he is after all a scout. He has his own account now though.

Creationism and Evolution cannot be taught side by side, or on any plane of equalness. They are not just two different "theories" as to the cause of the creation of the universe, they are in essence two different ways of looking at life.

 

Creationism relies on faith while evolution relies on factual evidence. You cannot teach them equally, presenting the evidence behind both and let students decide for themselves based on evidence.

 

Why? Because if material evidence were your guideline than evolution would win out every single time. If the book of Genesis is accurate, then the Earth is no more than thirty to forty thousand years old. But we have rocks on this planet thirty to forty million years old. Therefore, you cannot try to teach creationism with evidence, simply because creationism evidence is dwarfed by evolution evidence. Creationism is about faith, beleiving in a higher power that cannot be factually proven to exist, but beleiving in it anyway.

I just came from my recliner in the den watching CBC's Global Report, and came upon the news that George W. Bush is now launching his own private investigation into the events leading up to the war in Iraq (namely WMD).

 

But why was Bush so opposed to a private investigation earlier? He took the intelligence concerning WMD in Iraq to Congress and started himself up in a war. Does it not seem logical that he would have launched an investigation and made 100% certain that his reasons were valid prior to invading? Did he employ the tactic of 'shoot first ask questions later'?

 

Now he has control over all aspects of the investigation, allowing him to disclose whatever information he wants. And that in my opinion gives him too much power. So once again we must sit in the dark over the Iraqi situation, waiting for rumors to begin flowing through the press.

 

ps. don't put Janet Jackson under a magnifying glass, she'll melt.

Booooo Kathy Cox

Twice FOG, thats twice you've bashed Canada! Before you invoke upon another opportunity to insult us, I invite you come up for a stay in the autumn. It's really quite lovely. The rocky sheild with crystal clear water springs, golden maple leafs fluttering on the trees, and perhaps you will be fortunate enough to hear the call of the loon across the lake. It's quite tranquil.

 

BTW FOG, have you ever been to Canada? Let alone experienced it's judicial or criminal incarceration system? Or are you doing as so many politicians have done (and on occasion, Ace Ventura, pet detective) and talking out of your ***

 

(This message has been edited by Achilleez)

We had a collective meeting and decided to stop listening to him. You weren't invited.(This message has been edited by Achilleez)

I beleive the gaping expanse that exists between evolution and creationsim spawns from a religous standpoint, and a scientific standpoint. Some creationists disregard evolution because it blatantly contradicts biblical passage. Some other creationists disregard evolution because they reason that life is too complicated to exist on its own.

 

I mean, life is so unbelievably complicated. Few people realize it. A single fertilized egg has a hundred thousand genes, which act in a coordinated way, switching on and off at certain times, to transform that cell into a living creature. That one cell starts to divide, but the subsequent cells are different. They specialize. Some are nerve. Some are gut. Some are limb. Each set of cells begin to follow its own program, developing, interacting. Eventually there are two hundred and fifty different kinds of cells, all developing together, at exactly the right time. Just when the organism needs a circulatory system, the heart starts pumping. Just when hormones are needed, the adrenals start to make them. Week after week, this unimaginably complex developement proceeds perfectly. It's quite incredible. No human activity comes close to it.

 

The point is, this intricate developmental process in the cell is somehting we can barely describe, let alone understand. Actually, we humans have quite limited understanding. Mathematicaly, we can describe two things interacting, like two planets in space. Three things interacting, that becomes a problem. Four or five things interacting, we really can't do it. Inside a cell, there are thousands of things interacting. You have to throw up your hands. It's so complex, how is it even possible life ever happens at all? Some people think the answer is that living forms organize themselves. Life creates its own order, the way crystallization creates order. Some poeple think life crystallizes into being, and that's how the complexity is managed. Because, if you didn't know anything about physical chemistry, you could look at a crystal and ask all the same questions. You'd see those beautiful spars, those perfect geometric facets, and you could ask, what controls this process? How does the crystal end up so perfectly formed, looking just like other crystals. As it turns out, a crystal is just the way molecular forces arrange themselves into solid form. No one controls it, it happens on its own. To ask alot of questions about a crystal means you don't understand the fundamental nature of the process that lead to its creation.

 

So, perhaps life in itself is just an example of crystallization. A characteristic order to living things that is generated by their interacting elements.

 

Of course you can just pick up a bible and forget all this nonsense.

 

 

Adrianvs, I am intrigued by your beleifs about salvation and I wish that more Christians were as open-minded as you seem to be. My problem is that some Christians DO rank themselves higher in their mental dossier than atheists. Some of them even recognize that fact openly.

 

As for me, I can't answer your questions becuase I have no idea. And I don't expect to have any idea for a long time.

"The War of 1812. The British, Canadians, and Indians try to take out the new country."

 

That certainly is a unique way of putting it. Another way would be to say that the USA attempted to conquer Canada but was stopped at York.

 

Remember Cypress Hill?

The Mennonite church began as an offshoot of the original Anabaptists who were burned alive by the Romans for not approving of baptising infants before they could make the choice for themselves. In the 1500's they were located centrally in Switzerland, Germany, and what is now Poland and Austria.

 

They came to North America to escape persecution and established a colony in Pennsylvania and some migrated to area of Southern Ontario and Winnipeg. Today Mennonites are easily recognized for driving horse-drawn "buggies" and wearing complete black. This is of course stereotypical and only a small percentage of the Mennonite divisions adheare to the strictness of those rules. The primary drive of their culture comes from the biblical passage "be unlike the world" for the world is thought to be an evil place and only by separating themselves from it can they appreciate a true understanding of God.

 

As to the rest of your post, your words were almost as familiar to me as they were insulting.

 

You claim to bear an understanding that judgement is based on whether a person has taken the burden to seek out God in whatever form their culture has designated him. Yet you also seem to take Christ's words as unflawed truth, which also includes his claim that he is the only way into God's kingdom.

 

You can't have it both ways.

"5) The Bible warns us that the road to salvation is narrow. It further explains that those who reject Christ will spend eternity in Hell. "

 

You have hit spot on the common misconception people have about my view on this matter. I do not argue that the above statement is true. However, I do argue that there is a large difference between rejecting Christ and not knowing him in the first place.

 

Is a man brought up in a Jewish home, taught Jewish beleifs from an early age, instilled with Jewish doctrine and faith any less loved by God? If this man in whole-heartedly faithful and loves God, lives out his life to be a good person and dies among a legacy of children and grand-children, is all of that forgotten by God when he is judged?

 

If God loved this man, why did he allow him to be born into a religion that does not acknowledge Christ as their God?

 

I have long understood that had I been born into a Hindu community, I would likely be Hindu. Had I been born into a Muslim community, I would most likely be Muslim. I was born in a Mennonite community in Ontario, as a result today I am a mennonite in Ontario.

 

Does God only put the ones he loves into Christian communities, and the rest he leaves out in the cold? No.

 

So when a Christian brands himself as the only true beleiver of God, and the rest of the world has somehow been corrupted by Satan's works, I am offended. Ridicule me if you like, but I have debated this topic for 40 years and no one has yet to convince me otherwise.

Ever been to Canada?

How nice to see a thread that doesn't turn into a political or religious argument

Just incase you don't really know the situation here, I will clear it up. Beleive me I know I'm an Ontario beef farmer. Please do not listen to the media on this matter, they are covering the television with things like government subsidies, improving economic conditions, improved bse testing techniques.

 

The "government subsidies" are nothing more than a few tax breaks on feed and medicine for cattle. Doesn't do much help considering we have farmers who owe $500,000 to the bank for their farm mortgage, and have to call their retired fathers and uncles to help on the farm for no pay (a few neighbors come to mind). I'm very fortunate to have bought my farm from my father years ago so I have no debt.

 

"Improved economic conditions" is a very vague term that doens't help our farmers at all. Yes, the Canadian dollar is going up, but that does little when you have 300 head of cattle, half of whom are over 36 months old and thus are not allowed to cross the American border (not even for pet food processing).

 

"Improved bse testing techniques" will likely only reveal more cases of bse. Two cattle discovered in Alberta, suspected to have contracted the disease from feed. If that's true, then there a whole lot more cattle who are that same feed.

 

 

People are losing their farms left and right. So many cattle to feed and no money to feed them. A fat cow worth $1200 18 months ago might get you $100 today.

 

In the total perspective, the family farm was doomed anyway. Infact without government intervention it probably would've died long ago. The same thing happed out East in the 70's with individual fishing families who took a boat out with nets to catch fish. Now they all work in big fish processing plants and the fish are scarce from the huge boats who massively over fished the Grand Banks.

 

In 30 years, we'll all likely work in big agriculture plants.

 

Bse doesn't help though.

I respect your reply Adrianvs, and agree.

 

My point was that there are alot of people who do think that way. They see (or at least give the impression of it) the afterlife as a crossroads. You will be judged by God and either go to heaven or hell, based on whether you have repented your sins and accepted Christ as your God.

 

According to that logic, all non-Christians would be condemded to eternal damnation.

 

Yet when I question these areas of their beleif, I usually receive vague replies that leave me frustrated. As for me, afterlife is a great mystery that I hope I won't know the answer to before I get a chance to go skydiving

 

But when I see people wearing t-shirts that say : "Jesus Christ, it's hell without him" (yes I have seen them), I know that every non-Christian who sees it will likely be offended. Heck, I take offense to it.

 

That kind of thing IS directly mistreating others whom hold different beleifs. (Once I tapped a women on the shoulder who was wearing that shirt and asked if she thought it was appropriate to be wearing, but she seemed to have a sudden appointment with her purse and then hurried off saying she was late for something.)

Indeed, this is quite bad news for me. I can't sell them and I have to keep feeding them. Don't worry, I won't lose the farm; I operate a second business recycling pallets.

 

I know some friends in deeper mud...

 

Amen, Le Voyageur

 

I think it's funny that Brazil has begun fingerprinting Americans traveling into its country

My conclusion that mentioning hell would be appropriate was based on a few things.

 

First, you argued my statement that people can beleive in fundamentally different things and be equally right.

 

This led me to beleive that you disagreed with that statement and therefore thought there was only one true correctness.

 

Then I assumed (perhaps jumping the gun) that you were a Christian, based on the large percentage of Christians on this forum.

 

I then assumed that since you were a Christian arguing against equal correctness among different beleifs that you thought other beleifs in error. (though I know you ment no offense)

 

Since I had then concluded you were a Christian who thought others in error, I also made the assumption you would beleive in God's wrath and therefore a punishment for those who had not accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts (assuming you beleived Jesus's claim that he was the only way into God's kingdom).

 

You questioned why I thought you beleived in hell, and that's why. Too many assumptions perhaps, but that was the tone I picked up from your earlier statement.(This message has been edited by Achilleez)

IMO space should stay weapons free, but perhaps that can be owed to the fact that I am not a citizen included in the nation launching a program like this, so my security feels somewhat unnerved by it.

 

But my opinion of it aside, what are your thoughts about the validity or the probablility of this program?

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.

 

Do you beleive every single devout Jew, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist is going to burn in hell?

 

If thinking otherwise condemns me to hell as well, so be it.

This has been a concern of mine for some time now, although I have heard nothing new on the topic for about 2 years. Basically this article is an outline for America's Global Engagement Act that the Bush Administration has been supporting since day 1.

 

Be prepared, its LONG. If you havn't the time to read the whole thing, you can just read the end of it.

 

-----------------

 

GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT:

A Vision for the 21st Century Air Force

 

1.CONTENTS

Today's Air Force

Planning Into the Next Century

Air and Space Power for the Next Century

Core Competencies

Air Force People

Key Elements of Air Force Infrastructure

Looking Back to the Present to Plan for a New Century

Final Thoughts

2.AN INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT

Change in the world around us requires change in the Air Force.

The end of the Cold War swept away national security requirements that had appeared to be fixtures of the global security landscape. The Air Force anticipated the change and produced a vision for dealing with the post-Cold War world in the ground-breaking document, Global Reach-Global Power. This vision has guided the restructuring and modernization of the Air Force for the past six years. Because the change and uncertainty of the immediate post-Cold War era will endure, the Air Force must forge a new vision that will guide it into the 21st Century.

To enable the Air Force to meet the challenges of change, the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force initiated a rigorous, systematic, multifaceted examination of future demands on the Air Force as a member of America's joint military force. This revolutionary effort has had the deep involvement of Air Force leaders. It was guided by a Board of Directors consisting of senior military and civilian leaders, and chaired by the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff.

After extensive study and discussion, the Air Force senior leadership began to build this Air Force vision for the 21st Century. It was shaped by Joint Vision 2010, the new guidance published by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Air Force leaders understood that their new strategic vision must meet the national security needs of the nation, and a national military strategy that has as its focus an increasingly U.S.-based contingency force. The Air Force also recognizes the emerging reality that in the 21st Century it will be possible to find, fix or track and target anything that moves on the surface of the earth.

Global Engagement: A Vision for the 21st Century Air Force is based on a new understanding of what air and space power mean to the nation-the ability to hit an adversary's strategic centers of gravity directly as well as prevail at the operational and tactical levels of warfare. Global situational awareness, the ability to orchestrate military operations throughout a theater of operations and the ability to bring intense firepower to bear over global distances within hours to days, by its very existence, gives national leaders unprecedented leverage, and therefore advantages.

This strategic vision addresses the entire Air Force-people, capabilities and infrastructure-and charts the course of the Air Force into the first quarter of the 21st Century. The vision is the first step in the Air Force's back-to-the-present approach to long-range planning. Although this strategic vision document establishes overall direction, the Air Force will develop a Long-Range Plan to make the vision come true. Formulating a coherent, shared strategic vision is a critical step, but the real challenge is to make the vision actionable and implementable.

A.Today's Air Force

Explorations of the future must proceed from where the Air Force stands today: the world's most powerful air and space force. New technology and new operational concepts already offer an alternative to the kind of military operation that pits large numbers of young Americans against an adversary in brute, force-on-force conflicts. This new way of war leverages technologically superior U.S. military capabilities to achieve national objectives. It is a strategy of asymmetric force that applies U.S. advantages to strike directly at an adversary's ability to wage war. It offers potentially decisive capabilities to the Joint Force Commander to dominate the conduct of an adversary's operations across the spectrum of conflict.

But technology and tactics only go so far. Our core values, history, mission and the professionalism with which they are brought together are what make us the institution we are today. Our core values are simple and forthright:

Integrity first

Service before self

Excellence in all we do

These values are both a guide and source of great pride to the men and women of the Air Force team. As we plan for the future, it is important to remember that what makes the Air Force successful will not change. Quality people define the Air Force. From the flight line to the depot to the workstation transmitting on-orbit satellite repair instructions, it is the professionalism and dedication of our people that makes the Air Force the preeminent air and space force to meet the nation's needs.

The men and women of the Air Force can build upon a tremendous heritage. They are the beneficiaries of an Air Force forged in World War II by the vision of airmen such as General Henry H. (Hap) Arnold. We have the opportunity today, on the eve of the 21st Century, to build a new vision that will ensure the future vitality of our force. Our challenge is to dominate air and space as a unique dimension of military power. Global Engagement provides the strategic blueprint for meeting that challenge.

A.Planning Into the Next Century

For all the transformation the world will undergo in the next 30 years, fundamental U.S. national security objectives will remain largely as they have been for the past 220 years: to ensure our survival as a nation, secure the lives and property of our citizens, and protect our vital national interests.

Securing those vital interests under future conditions, however, will significantly change the demand for U.S. military capabilities into the 21st Century. In Joint Vision 2010, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has provided a common direction for our Services into the next century. The Chairman's vision calls for the capability to dominate an opponent across the range of military operations-Full Spectrum Dominance. The plan to achieve this goal comprises four operational concepts to guide future joint warfare development-Dominant Maneuver, Precision Engagement, Full-Dimensional Protection and Focused Logistics. In addition, Full Spectrum Dominance requires Information Superiority, the capability to collect, process, analyze and disseminate information while denying an adversary's ability to do the same.

1.Joint Vision 2010-Guidance toward 2025

These concepts form a lens through which the Air Force looks to the first quarter of the 21st Century.

What the Nation Will Need From Its Military in 2025

WHAT?

Protect the nation's interests, wherever and however they are threatened

Respond to new challenges and new missions

Hedge against surprises

Support national information needs

Provide strategic and operational choices

Respond to changing science and technology

WHERE?

In non-traditional environments

In the shadow of NBC weapons, or after the use of NBC weapons

Increasingly from the CONUS

Global infosphere

HOW?

To win the nation's wars decisively by dominating the battlespace

With minimal human losses

With minimal collateral damage

With reasonable demands on the nation's resources

In accordance with the nation's values

As partners in joint-combined and regional operations

WHEN?

Immediately, when called upon

A.Air and Space Power for the Next Century

Full Spectrum Dominance depends on the inherent strengths of modern air and space power-speed, global range, stealth, flexibility, precision, lethality, global/theater situational awareness and strategic perspective. Air and space power also contributes to the level of engagement and presence necessary to protect and promote U.S. national interests by augmenting those forces that are permanently based overseas with temporary or rotational deployments and power projection missions.

Ensuring that air and space power continues to make its unique contributions to the nation's Joint Team will take the Air Force through a transition of enormous importance. We are now transitioning from an air force into an air and space force on an evolutionary path to a space and air force. The threats to Americans and American forces from the use of space by adversaries are rising while our dependence on space assets is also increasing. The medium of space is one which cannot be ceded to our nation's adversaries. The Air Force must plan to prevail in the use of space.

Space already is inextricably linked to military operations on land, sea and in the air. Several key military functions are migrating to space: Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR); warning; position location; weapons guidance; communications; and, environmental monitoring. Operations that now focus on air, land and sea will ultimately evolve into space.

All the Services depend heavily on space assets to support their missions. The Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Space Command (USCINCSPACE) is already tasked with the missions of space control and force application in support of the joint warfighter. The Air Force will sustain its stewardship of space and will fully integrate Air Force space capabilities in joint efforts to support the needs of the nation.

The Air Force recognizes that any further use of space will be driven by national policy, international events, threats moving through and from space, and threats to U.S. space assets. However, the nation will expect the Air Force to be prepared to defend U.S. interests in space when necessary.

A.Core Competencies

Our core competencies represent the combination of professional knowledge, airpower expertise, and technological know-how that, when applied, produces superior military capabilities. A particular core competency is not necessarily unique to the Air Force. Speed, flexibility, and the global nature of its reach and perspective distinguish the Air Force's execution of its core competencies.

The first quarter of the 21st Century will demand that the Joint Force Commander field robust, flexible capabilities to cope with a wide range of contingencies. Each military service must present to the combatant commander a set of relevant and complementary capabilities. This presentation allows the Joint Force Commander to consider all options available, and to tailor campaign plans to best meet the military objectives of the mission.

The Air Force contribution to the Joint Force Team is graphically depicted as an arch at left. It begins with a foundation of quality people. Air Force men and women carry out the core competencies of Air and Space Superiority, Global Attack, Rapid Global Mobility, Precision Engagement, Information Superiority, and Agile Combat Support. These are represented as an arch because they are all mutually supporting and provide synergistic effects. These competencies are brought together by global awareness and command and control to provide air and space power to the Joint Force Team.

Within the Air Force, core competencies provide a bridge between doctrine and the acquisition and programming process. In the context of long-range planning, defining future core competencies provides strategic focus for the vision. Each core competency illuminates part of the strategic vision that will guide decisions and set the course toward the Air Force of the 21st Century.

Air and Space Superiority

Global Attack

Rapid Global Mobility

Precision Engagement

Information Superiority

Agile Combat Support

1.AIR FORCE COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION

The key to ensuring today's Air Force core competencies will meet the challenge of tomorrow is Innovation. Innovation is part of our heritage as airmen. The Air Force was born of a new technology-manned powered flight. Innovation will enable the Air Force to evolve from an air force to an air and space force on its path toward space.

The Air Force is committed to a vigorous program of experimenting, testing, exercising and evaluating new operational concepts and systems for air and space power. It will provide additional emphasis in six areas of ongoing activity in Air Force centers of excellence. That will be accomplished with a series of focused battle laboratories for space, air expeditionary forces, battle management, force protection, information warfare and unmanned aerial vehicles.

These new battle labs will be aimed, both institutionally and operationally, at our core competencies. Creating focused battle labs will explore new ideas and foster innovative technologies that will improve the capabilities of our core competencies.

The rate of technological change has accelerated and the nation's future force must keep pace to maintain its military edge. We must reinvigorate the spirit of innovation and creativity that has long been the hallmark of the United States Air Force.

A.Air Force People

People are at the heart of the Air Force's military capability, and people will continue to be the most important element of the Air Force's success in capitalizing on change. The Air Force of tomorrow and beyond must encourage individuals to be comfortable with uncertainty and willing to make decisions with less than perfect information. Accordingly, our people must understand the doctrine, culture and competencies of the Air Force as a whole-in addition to mastering their own specialties. Emphasis on creating an Air Force environment that fosters responsiveness and innovation, and rewards adaptability and agility will be crucial as we move into the early part of the next century. Many things may change, but the Air Force of the first quarter of the 21st Century will continue to place a high priority on maintaining the high quality of its men and women, and on providing quality of life for Air Force members and their families.

1.THE TOTAL FORCE OF THE FUTURE

One sign of change in the Air Force will be how the definition of the Air Force operator develops in the future. At its birth, all Air Force operators wore wings. Future definitions of operators will change as the Air Force changes. Moreover, all combat operations in the 21st Century will depend on real-time control and employment of information, further broadening the definition of the future operator. In the future, any military or civilian member who is experienced in the employment and doctrine of air and space power will be considered an operator.

The composition of the future Total Force will change as the nature of air and space power changes. As a result, the Air Force is committed to outsourcing and privatizing many functions now performed internally. The force will be smaller. Non-operational support functions will increasingly be performed by Air Force civilians or contractors. Most uniformed personnel will be operators and a greater percentage will be from the Reserve components.

To prepare for the changes ahead, the Air Force has reviewed, generally reaffirmed and initiated some adjustments to its career development patterns for its officers, enlisted and civilian force. To ensure its future leaders all share a full and common understanding of air and space operations, the Air Force decided to create a new Air and Space Basic Course. This course will focus on the history, doctrine, strategy and operational aspects of air and space power. The desired outcome is for each new officer and selected senior NCOs and civilians to have a thorough knowledge of the day-to-day capabilities of combined air and space operations. Most officer graduates from this course will go directly to operational jobs as their first assignment before performing their functional specialty.

The Air Force will seek new opportunities to capitalize on the synergy of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve forces in an integrated TOTAL Force. In its effort to maximize and improve operational effectiveness and efficiency, the Air Force will explore additional opportunities for new Guard and Reserve missions as well as expanding the use of Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMAs) . The Air Force's ability to rely upon and integrate its Reserve components is already a fundamental strength, one that will continue to play a major role for the nation in the next century.

1.A FORCE GROUNDED IN CORE VALUES

The ideals embodied in the Air Force core values are:

Integrity first

Service before self

Excellence in all we do

They are universally prescriptive. Despite the uncertainty of the future, the Air Force can say with certainty that today and tomorrow, it must live up to these ideals or it cannot live up to its responsibilities. Our core values are fundamental and timeless in nature, and reach across the entire force. Our core values are values for service, values for life, and must be reflected in everything that we do.

A values-based Air Force is characterized by cohesive units, manned with people who exhibit loyalty, who want to belong, and who act in a manner consistent with Air Force core values, even under conditions of high stress. To ensure this values-based Air Force, three elements-education, leadership and accountability-provide a framework to establish the strongest imprint of shared Air Force core values. In the Air Force of tomorrow, as in the Air Force of today, these stated and practiced values must be identical.

The Air Force will continue to reinforce its core values in all aspects of its education and training. The goal is to provide one hundred percent of the Total Force with core values education and training continually throughout a career. The Air and Space Basic Course will also ensure that the Air Force's future leaders, military and civilian, have a common, shared foundation in core values, doctrine, and operations.

A.Key Elements of Air Force Infrastructure

Defining our future core competencies tells us what business the Air Force will be in as it enters the 21st Century. But the Air Force must change the way it does business if it is to meet the future demands for air and space power. Continuing pressure on resources will make increased efficiency and reduced infrastructure costs necessary for success.

The Air Force has long recognized the importance of responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and will strive to achieve the highest standards for efficiency. Ensuring the nation has capabilities to hedge against unforeseen and multiple threats across the full spectrum of conflict puts a premium on efficiency. The real penalty for inefficiency is not just wasted dollars, but unmet demand for military capabilities.

Our warfighting activities will be designed for effectiveness and our support activities will be designed for efficiency. All support activities will be run more like businesses, using the "best practices" gleaned from top performers. Air Force personnel will focus on preparing for and conducting military operations-their competence-while support activities not deployed for combat will be performed by a robust civilian and competitive private sector. The Air Force is committed to the organizational and cultural change to make this vision a reality.

 

The Air Force will increase the efficiency of its modernization process through the focused exploitation of emerging information technologies and by accelerating its ongoing acquisition reform program. It also will strengthen the concept of integrated weapon system management by clarifying relationships between single-product managers, their customers and the depot and contracted activities that support them.

The Air Force is committed to the aggressive reduction of infrastructure costs. The role of commercial industry will be maximized to ensure "best-value practices" throughout the development and production process. These activities-research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E) , and sustainment-will be consolidated into Centers of Excellence encompassing mission areas directly related to Air Force core competencies. The Air Force will also explore teaming with the other services to form Joint Centers of Excellence for RDT&E.

Inefficiency drains resources needed for the capabilities the nation needs from its future joint force team. The overlap and redundancy of test and evaluation facilities must be reduced through streamlining, integration, outsourcing and privatization. New technologies, particularly in testing through modeling and simulation, must be exploited to reduce costs and improve effectiveness.

The Air Force's determination to become more efficient will also affect the composition of its future workforce. Its commitment to an aggressive program of civilianizing many combat support functions, asThe Air Force's determination to become more efficient will also affect the composition of its future workforce. Its commitment to an aggressive program of civilianizing many combat support functions, as well as outsourcing and privatization, will push more support functions into the civilian workforce and, in many cases, into the private sector.

The Air Force believes that one of its most important attributes is a sense of community among its members and their families. Far more than simple "pride in the team," this factor builds the motivational identity and commitment that underlie our core values, career decisions, and combat capability. The excellence of our installations and Quality of Life standards contribute to this, and to the general well-being of the members of the Air Force family. The Air Force is rededicating itself to both maintaining this sense of community and finding new and more efficient ways of providing it.

A.Looking Back to the Present to Plan for a New Century

This document sets out a new Air Force strategic vision for the 21st Century. It provides a vision of the future and a path back to the present to guide today's planners. Following this path requires a revitalized and institutionalized long-range planning process.

The Long Range Plan will identify those initial steps and transition decisions which are necessary to reach the goals outlined in this strategic vision document. Transition decisions are critical to formulating meaningful divestment and investment strategies, to making transitions from sunset to sunrise systems and capabilities, and to providing the milestones and feedback mechanisms that ensure accountability. The Long Range Plan will further guide the Air Force's other planning and resource allocation processes.

A.Final Thoughts

Global Reach-Global Power prepared the Air Force to deal with the challenges of the transition era following the Cold War. Global Engagement: A Vision for the 21st Century Air Force charts a course that will take the Service beyond this transitional period and into the future. It is a future in which dramatic changes wrought by technology will be the norm. It is also a future in which the core values of service, integrity and excellence will continue to sustain the men and women of the Air Force. Most importantly, the Air Force's devotion to air and space power will continue to provide the strategic perspective and rapid response the nation will demand as it enters the 21st Century.

Our Vision Statement remains: Air Force people building the world's most respected air and space force. . .global power and reach for America.