What would you like to see CAP accomplish at the national level in 2012?

[RiverAux]

What one thing would you be happiest to see CAP accomplish at the national level in 2012?  Be specific.  I don't want to see generic statements like "I'd like to see CAP and the AF have a closer relationship". 

[rustyjeeper]

This may seem generic--
but how about update the regulations that are far out of date...
and get a few things like the I-Cut and New E.S. Specialty Track tests made available this year?

[a2capt]

Sort out the uniform mess, or at least make an earnest effort to do it with blatant evidence visible. Period.

No ICLs, no moratoriums, no excuses. Just do it.

[Al Sayre]

Kill the triangle thingy and come up with a single coherent identity plan to be used to market CAP.

[rustyjeeper]

Kill the triangle thingy and come up with a single coherent identity plan to be used to market CAP.

Just curious, but why does everyone hate the "triangle thingy" so much? I am no fan of it by any means- but I am very confident that someone at NHQ could come up with much worse- if they gave it their full attention
Coming up with and acting upon a identity plan,  or finishing up some of the other projects that never seem to get done would be time well spent.
I am afraid that some genious would come up with a pink beret on top of a bowling ball head riding in a biplane as our new officail logo or something worse....
Me- I prefer a "triangle thingy" to whatever the marketing geniuses can think of.....

[GroundHawg]

Sort out the uniform mess, or at least make an earnest effort to do it with blatant evidence visible. Period.

No ICLs, no moratoriums, no excuses. Just do it.

+1 (and it would be ideal if all the things I want changed get changed and all the things I like stay the same )

[Al Sayre]

Kill the triangle thingy and come up with a single coherent identity plan to be used to market CAP.

Just curious, but why does everyone hate the "triangle thingy" so much? I am no fan of it by any means- but I am very confident that someone at NHQ could come up with much worse- if they gave it their full attention
Coming up with and acting upon a identity plan,  or finishing up some of the other projects that never seem to get done would be time well spent.
I am afraid that some genious would come up with a pink beret on top of a bowling ball head riding in a biplane as our new officail logo or something worse....
Me- I prefer a "triangle thingy" to whatever the marketing geniuses can think of.....

Because it dilutes our "Brand recognition".  The old "Prop in Civil Defense Triangle" has been around for since the 1940's and is widely recognized, much as the script Coca-Cola logo, Apple's Apple, AT&T's "Yellow Pages", and many other corporate logos are widely recognized.  It has been our identity for 70 years.  Using numerous additional logos such as the Round Seal, Command Shield and Triangle Thingy tends to confuse the outside observer as to our identity and makes us look schizophrenic as an organization.  We need to follow the lead of the big well recognized corporations and stick with what works well.

[rustyjeeper]

Thanks for the explanation.
I agree the  Civil Defense prop is a well established symbol as are the logo's of Coca-Cola, Nike,  etc. all  are brand recognition- no question of it. But with that said I can remember a triangle thingy logo from WIWAC (80's) which was very commonly used.
No doubt about it CAP does need to market itself better, I had to search for it in order to rejoin my unit. I have always lived within 20 miles of the same unit and for many years I never heard of them until I specifically looked to see if they still were in existance because I had a child who I wanted to getthe same opporunities I had a a cadet. If I had known that CAP was still active and around I might have rejoined sooner than I did. Rarely in MA is the CAP on the news or mentioned in the papers, although over the past year I have seen improvement on that, and I hope the trend continues with or without triangle thingies as a logo. Personally I think the organization just needs to promote itself and worry less about branding on a National level, get the name and what we do as the civillian Auxillary of the Air Force out there- that is what attracts the younger generation. I think at least.....

[a2capt]

No, the one you remember WYWAC is *not* TTT. That is the Civil Defense Prop logo.


That thing on the right - they tried to used it on the magazine for a few issues. It makes it say "VALUNTEER" D'oh!

That thing .. someone got petitioned to make a cute little logo for a Summer board meeting and ... well, it stuck, and it sucks.  ..and it's creeping all over everything, and they've had agenda items to legitimize it since.

The Uniform Manual mess is probably more important, as I said in my first post.  OTOH, this could be in a stretch considered part of uniformity.

[rustyjeeper]

You are most likely correct, but if someone like me isnt sure and does recall (or thinks they do) then in fact it is close enough to have done it's job!
I prefer the one on the left myself.  BUT to me it is'nt really important since either logo I can associate with the "CAP brand" in my head- too much energy gets devoted into the small things and nothing ever gets fixed...
Nike had it right- Just do it!

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

Sort out the uniform mess, or at least make an earnest effort to do it with blatant evidence visible. Period.

No ICLs, no moratoriums, no excuses. Just do it.

Someone wake me if that happens.

[Hawk200]

This may seem generic--
but how about update the regulations that are far out of date...
and get a few things like the I-Cut and New E.S. Specialty Track tests made available this year?

Second.

Sort out the uniform mess, or at least make an earnest effort to do it with blatant evidence visible. Period.

No ICLs, no moratoriums, no excuses. Just do it.

+1 (and it would be ideal if all the things I want changed get changed and all the things I like stay the same )

+1 more. Don't care what they do, just do it. Theodore Roosevelt: "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

Let's quit doing the worst thing.

[rustyjeeper]

Ditto that entire post :clap:!

[arajca]

Develop a standard for disaster relief/response training.

Accept that there are far more members that can do ground work than can do air work and utilize those members effectively.

Update all pamphlets more than four years old.¹

Same with regs.¹

Develop a cohesive branding plan, including four - six website templates for units to use.


¹ If no update needed, re-release with current date.

On the emblem discussion, notice the first three are visually easy to relate to each other. Red prop on a white triangle on a medium blue field. Contrast with the TTT - red prop overlaid on a light blue hollow triangle. All have the words Civil Air Patrol, but only the first three reflect our affiliation with the Air Force - two with words, one with shape.

[Huey Driver]

One idea we have circulating at the wing level CAC is having three levels of model rocketry, just like specialty tracks and ground team levels, etc. I'm not familiar with the curriculum for model rocketry, but I feel like it could be possible to have basic, senior, and master ratings in model rocketry. Along with this would come the basic badge, then with a star, then with the star in a circle... or something along those lines.

Ideas? Suggestions? Corrections?

[SarDragon]

One idea we have circulating at the wing level CAC is having three levels of model rocketry, just like specialty tracks and ground team levels, etc. I'm not familiar with the curriculum for model rocketry, but I feel like it could be possible to have basic, senior, and master ratings in model rocketry. Along with this would come the basic badge, then with a star, then with the star in a circle... or something along those lines.

Ideas? Suggestions? Corrections?

What problem does this solve? What need does this fill that would justify the increased cost?

[arajca]

One idea we have circulating at the wing level CAC is having three levels of model rocketry, just like specialty tracks and ground team levels, etc. I'm not familiar with the curriculum for model rocketry, but I feel like it could be possible to have basic, senior, and master ratings in model rocketry. Along with this would come the basic badge, then with a star, then with the star in a circle... or something along those lines.

Ideas? Suggestions? Corrections?

What problem does this solve? What need does this fill that would justify the increased cost?

Continues interest in Model Rocketry. If you progress into designing and building model rockets, application of math and physics. More of the whole 'lost' mission - AE.

I'm actually working on something similar, not ready for release yet.

[SAR-EMT1]

Develop a standard for disaster relief/response training.

Accept that there are far more members that can do ground work than can do air work and utilize those members effectively.

Update all pamphlets more than four years old.¹

Same with regs.¹

Develop a cohesive branding plan, including four - six website templates for units to use.


¹ If no update needed, re-release with current date.

On the emblem discussion, notice the first three are visually easy to relate to each other. Red prop on a white triangle on a medium blue field. Contrast with the TTT - red prop overlaid on a light blue hollow triangle. All have the words Civil Air Patrol, but only the first three reflect our affiliation with the Air Force - two with words, one with shape.

+ 1   to all of the above.

[Extremepredjudice]

Diversifying our income sources.

Deciding on one logo. I'd rather move to the terrible triangle than have 3 or 4 logos.

Creating tests for promotions that test on regs. I had a c/TSgt. Ask me what reg was the uniform manual.
The average member hasn't read the regs. We can all agree CT users are above average.

Allowing members to wear ABUs as an option, at least.

Other than that I wish for the usuals, better regs, better relationship, etc.

[ol'fido]

I would like to see the Task Guides for ES changed to regular CAP manuals and the certifications for various mission positions such as GT, MRO, etc. changed to another format. I don't want to reduce the knowledge and practical skills necessary for qualification. In fact, I think they should be increased. I just want a training and certification program that doesn't foster a "Checkbox" mentality.

[EMT-83]

... We can all agree CT users are above average...

We can?

[Spaceman3750]

Dear Santa,

In 2012, please bring me:

• Squadron staff officers that know their jobs well and stay in their lanes,
• Ground team members that are dedicated and get their requirements completed without my hounding them,
• New members that spend more time learning the norm than trying to "fix" the squadron,

And finally

• Seniors that are more concerned with getting our missions done than what color tutu they're supposed to wear to the meeting on Tuesday or whether or not national can pay for widget X from Y fund (saving for those who are at NHQ). After all, NHQ is going to do what NHQ will and there's not a darn thing any of us can do about it besides waste our time complaining.

Signed,

A wishful CAP officer

EDIT: PS - No more changes for the sake of change. That means no changes to training programs without a stated educational goal to back them up (does this mean I just violated wish #4?)

[LTC Don]

I would like to see the Task Guides for ES changed to regular CAP manuals and the certifications for various mission positions such as GT, MRO, etc. changed to another format. I don't want to reduce the knowledge and practical skills necessary for qualification. In fact, I think they should be increased. I just want a training and certification program that doesn't foster a "Checkbox" mentality.

60-3 is allegedly under review/update.  I would say the entire ES 'mission' needs a thorough overhaul.

Indeed, I believe we need to change the 'Emergency Services' mission into "Civil Air Patrol Emergency Management" with all ES and Operations-related functions folded into "CAPEM"  The reason for this natural maturation is to essentially follow the Air Force model as they have changed or re-formed the old USAF Disaster Services into Air Force Emergency Management.  I believe such a move would help re-form our ES 'missions' to better follow current Federal Statute (Title 10 and 36), and allow us to closer associate to not only AFEM, but FEMA/DHS.  CAP desperately needs to solidify partnerships with these organizations, and not just pay lip service to them.

Integrated into the CAPEM overhaul would be a comprehensive move to make either the NPS SAR technician OR the NASAR SARTECH series the new Ground Team Member standard with the relevant missing aircraft tasks simply added as additional training modules. We must make a comprehensive effort to re-focus our so-called SAR resources into competent, highly trained missing-person personnel, while still maintaining our missing-aircraft skill-sets (This would NOT include running around airports looking for false-alarms.  Don't even get me started on this decades old debacle.).  I call into question the highly touted percentage of "SAR" work we do for the Air Force, when compared to the number of SAR missions being conducted nationally for missing persons and missing aircraft.

Old USAF Disaster Response Force:


Current USAF Emergency Management logo:




Cheers,

[CAP_Marine]

Integrated into the CAPEM overhaul would be a comprehensive move to make either the NPS SAR technician OR the NASAR SARTECH series the new Ground Team Member standard with the relevant missing aircraft tasks simply added as additional training modules. We must make a comprehensive effort to re-focus our so-called SAR resources into competent, highly trained missing-person personnel, while still maintaining our missing-aircraft skill-sets

I agree with you very strongly on this point. Whether or not one agrees that NPS or NASAR or another organization is the right one (we've all read the arguments elsewhere), we are missing out on a significiant piece of the SAR pie by not having a training standard for missing person searches. There are far more missing children and elderly than there are crashed, missing or overdue aircraft and this is an excellent opportunity for us to serve our community. We are working very closely and successfully with local LE and Emergency Management in establishing a working relationship. The thing they say they need from us over and over is assistance with missing persons. We are going to make it happen (and do so within the applicable regs) but it would be nice if we had a CAP standard to follow while doing so. I don't feel there is a reason for CAP to reinvent the wheel when there are already solid and successful standards we could readily adopt out there.

I also feel the same about disaster relief, as was also noted above. Here again is another shining opportunity for CAP to develop and roll out a standard. This will not only help unit leaders in deciding what their squadrons should and shouldn't do as part of the DR mission, but would also make our capabilities clearer to tasking organizations. For those that say just to let ORM be your guide, I agree to a point. I still think we would be better off with a written and cohesive plan, standard, or guideline. People don't question what the Red Cross does. They know it, and call for them when appropriate. It should be the same for CAP.

[SARDOC]

I would think it would take longer than just 2012.  I would like to see Civil Air Patrol make efforts to becomes the premier Search and Rescue/ Disaster Relief agency.   With Air Force Support we can coordinate with FEMA to do this on a national level.  Just spitballing.

[exFlight Officer]

Develop a standard for disaster relief/response training.

Accept that there are far more members that can do ground work than can do air work and utilize those members effectively.

Update all pamphlets more than four years old.¹

Same with regs.¹

Develop a cohesive branding plan, including four - six website templates for units to use.


¹ If no update needed, re-release with current date.

On the emblem discussion, notice the first three are visually easy to relate to each other. Red prop on a white triangle on a medium blue field. Contrast with the TTT - red prop overlaid on a light blue hollow triangle. All have the words Civil Air Patrol, but only the first three reflect our affiliation with the Air Force - two with words, one with shape.

+2 

[stillamarine]

I would think it would take longer than just 2012.  I would like to see Civil Air Patrol make efforts to becomes the premier Search and Rescue/ Disaster Relief agency.   With Air Force Support we can coordinate with FEMA to do this on a national level.  Just spitballing.

+1

No reason why this can't happen.

[JeffDG]

I would think it would take longer than just 2012.  I would like to see Civil Air Patrol make efforts to becomes the premier Search and Rescue/ Disaster Relief agency.   With Air Force Support we can coordinate with FEMA to do this on a national level.  Just spitballing.

+1

No reason why this can't happen.

I did see, I think it was in the Open Cockpit (avail on eServices), that Col. Rushing (former SER commander and national VC candidate) is now listed as a liaison to FEMA.

[blackrain]

ADRS. Advanced Digital Reconnaissance System.

An architecture that combines a number of reconnaissance systems including FLIR,visible spectrum and Archer for CAP to enhance our remote sensing capabilities among other capabilities.

Would really like CAP to stay relevant.

[Duke Dillio]

How about a return to full time USAF auxiliary status with less politics?  Would that be too much to ask?

I'd also like to see a top down effort to integrate our resources more efficiently with the local authorities. 

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

How about a return to full time USAF auxiliary status with less politics?  Would that be too much to ask?

I fully and completely agree with you.

I also believe that to do such a thing would require an effort/miracle on par with Moses' parting of the Red Sea and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader turning away from the Dark Side of the Force.

Too many people in CAP like the status quo and in fact would like us to be even more "corporate," to move further away from the AF and to see us out of the AF uniform (no, I'm not trying to turn this into a uniform thread).

The politics will remain as long as the GOB networks remain.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

Deciding on one logo. I'd rather move to the terrible triangle than have 3 or 4 logos.

My pick would be:



or this, which never should have been abandoned:



I'd rather have nothing than that bloody awful triangle, but if a triangle just has to be there:

[exFlight Officer]

How about a return to full time USAF auxiliary status with less politics?  Would that be too much to ask?

I'd also like to see a top down effort to integrate our resources more efficiently with the local authorities.

How about a return to full time USAF auxiliary status with less politics?  Would that be too much to ask?

I fully and completely agree with you.

I also believe that to do such a thing would require an effort/miracle on par with Moses' parting of the Red Sea and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader turning away from the Dark Side of the Force.

+1 

[SKYKING607]

In large media markets, NHQ take the lead to push a CAP video and/or PSA's.  In large urban areas, news and public affairs folks get hit by a variety of CAP squadrons and often get confused who is the local CAP?

[SAR-EMT1]

I would think it would take longer than just 2012.  I would like to see Civil Air Patrol make efforts to becomes the premier Search and Rescue/ Disaster Relief agency.   With Air Force Support we can coordinate with FEMA to do this on a national level.  Just spitballing.

+1

No reason why this can't happen.

Yeah there is... our HUGE reliance on cadets as ground team manpower. Not going to happen as long as so many Minors make up the team rosters.

[SAR-EMT1]

Decide on one logo.

...or this, which never should have been abandoned:

+ 1,000,000

This one was perfect for us and I hope and pray it comes back.

[rustyjeeper]

the above works for me!