CAP and the military

[RiverAux]

Not sure I've seen anybody post a comment here advising that CAP go "less military".  If anything the overwhelming sentiment among active participants here is to make it "more military" in nature. 

[flyguy06]

Not sure I've seen anybody post a comment here advising that CAP go "less military".  If anything the overwhelming sentiment among active participants here is to make it "more military" in nature. 

Well, I read a lot of comments like "we are not the military" and " a  bunch of military wannabees" and  they talk about how some of us want to treat cadets like basic trainees. Comments like those I think come frompeople that want CAP to be more of a Homeland Security organization helping lw enforcement and less of a military organization helping the Air Force.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Flyguy:

I see those posts too.  It seems like the people are self-conscious about their rank or affiliation, and don't know themselves how to act.  The seek the familiar territory of their civilian existance, where they are not afraid to say or do something wrong.

Like accepting salutes from persons in the RealMilitary.  About half of the military folks you run into on a base will salute CAP members.  Whether it is born of ignorance, or an attitude that one is better off safe than sorry, or out of genuine respect and comradery, I cannot say.  I respond by returning the salute as I did when I wore the Army Green for real. 

Those who don't salute, exchange verbal greetings.  Also cool with me.

But some guys here get all wrapped around the axles about what to do, or what not to do.  And since they don't understand what to do, they long for an environment where such quandaries never present themselves.

[ZigZag911]

If someone greets you, respond///this is called 'courtesy'.

If someone salutes you, return it...this is called 'military courtesy'!

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that the salute is a military greeting, not a sign of subservience.

[afgeo4]

Guys... why am I seeing polar opposite and quite radical opinions?  Why does CAP need to be a purely "corporate" or purely "military" organization?  What's wrong with a benevolent, non-military organization that is structured like the military and provides an equally professional service with integrity and excellence? What's wrong with what we are?

I suggest what's wrong is us is that we aren't doing the job. I'm not saying all of us aren't. I think there are thousands of very hard working, dedicated, and able members in our organization, but as an organization, we aren't doing the job. Not to our standards, not to Air Force standards, and I'd guess not to Congress standards either. We need to change that. Too often I see people realizing our failures and coming up with the conclusion that we should switch our mission so we can be more successful. To me that's running away from the challenge... that's adapting the mission to fit us instead of adapting us to fit the mission. In my opinion that's a downward spiral.

I have to say that these posts are troubling me. I think they may be coming from our members' confusion as to where CAP is currently heading.  About what our mission is. About who we now are and who we should try to be in the future. That problem is stemming from years of neglect from our leadership. It is I fear the direct result of lack of oversight from places higher than us.  Be it USAF or the Senate, someone needs to shake things up at Maxwell for us to get going again.  Agree?  Disagree?

[JohnKachenmeister]

George:

I can't say I disagree with you, but you will need to expand a bit on your vision.

"Benevolent, non-military organization that is structured like the military..."

That sounds suspiciously like double-talk.  I really don't understand your point.

In another thread you advocate greater accountability at the unit level.  I'm with you on that, but I don't know how to establish that accountability in the absence of a linear and vertically-accountable organizational structure like the military uses.

In other postings, you seem disturbed by the vision that I and others hold that CAP should adopt a military structure and abandon the "CAP, Inc." mindset that currently infests the NHQ staff.

So, what's your vision for the future?

[davedove]

If someone greets you, respond///this is called 'courtesy'.

If someone salutes you, return it...this is called 'military courtesy'!

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that the salute is a military greeting, not a sign of subservience.

Quite true.  It seems many are hung up on the fact that the lower rank salutes the higher.  What really happens is that the lower rank initiates the salute out of respect, but the higher rank returns the salute, also to show respect.  Or at least that's the way it's supposed to be.

[afgeo4]

My vision for CAP is basically what we have now, but stronger and more capable.

We keep our military structure of grades, duty assignments (they should be commesurate with grade), and uniforms.  I don't care if we stay with USAF style uniforms or go with corporate. I just don't think it matters. When it comes to our performance and missions... We need to treat each other not like we're military officers, but with the same regard as military officers treat each other. Professionalism is lacking. Attention to detail is lacking. Discipline is lacking. As far as I see it, most members do not live by the words Integrity, Excellence, and Service. I don't think we need to be a more military minded organization to do that. Law enforcement, fire departments, and other organizations have a military structure, but do not perform military duties, so in my mind those two are separate.

I want CAP to expand on our capabilities in our current missions, not take on new missions. We are medicore at best in what we do now and I for one don't want to be mediocre at more taskings. I say before we ask for new assigments, lets make sure we can do the ones we have to everyone's satisfaction. I just don't think we've achieved that yet.

Are there opportunities to better ourselves through work with USAF?  Sure!  I'd love to help out at a USAF recruiting office to learn how to be a better CAP recruiter. I just don't think we're there yet as a whole organization.  We need to change our system of funding, responsibility, and accountability so that it goes all the way up and down the chain of command from NHQ all the way down to every flight.

[Dragoon]

All true.  I think the key to CAP improvement is to focus on building a strong active membership.

1.  Establish minimum standards for attendance, conduct and training advancement to remain an active member.  Those that can't keep up go inactive or quit. 

2.  Link grade to position, so when we see an oak leaf or silver bar, or some perhaps weird CAP blue pip, we know it's a leader we're dealing with.

3.  Put everyone in the same uniform.  It can be camoflage or blue or purple.  But get us looking the same!

4.  Accept that 60,000 members will probably plummet to 40,000 as folks get upset and leave, or units are dechartered for failure to do the minimums.  And that out of that 40,000, we will have less than 10,000 active seniors.

5.  Stop putting emphasis on how many members (i.e. dues payers) and unit has, and focus on the quality of the folks we do have.  Stop making recruiting more important than training. 

[afgeo4]

All true.  I think the key to CAP improvement is to focus on building a strong active membership.

1.  Establish minimum standards for attendance, conduct and training advancement to remain an active member.  Those that can't keep up go inactive or quit. 

2.  Link grade to position, so when we see an oak leaf or silver bar, or some perhaps weird CAP blue pip, we know it's a leader we're dealing with.

3.  Put everyone in the same uniform.  It can be camoflage or blue or purple.  But get us looking the same!

4.  Accept that 60,000 members will probably plummet to 40,000 as folks get upset and leave, or units are dechartered for failure to do the minimums.  And that out of that 40,000, we will have less than 10,000 active seniors.

5.  Stop putting emphasis on how many members (i.e. dues payers) and unit has, and focus on the quality of the folks we do have.  Stop making recruiting more important than training. 

Best thing I've heard all day!

[ELTHunter]

I suggest what's wrong is us is that we aren't doing the job. I'm not saying all of us aren't. I think there are thousands of very hard working, dedicated, and able members in our organization, but as an organization, we aren't doing the job. Not to our standards, not to Air Force standards, and I'd guess not to Congress standards either.

We are medicore at best in what we do now and I for one don't want to be mediocre at more taskings. I say before we ask for new assignments, lets make sure we can do the ones we have to everyone's satisfaction. I just don't think we've achieved that yet.

I've got to disagree with these statements.  There are a lot of areas for improvement within CAP, most of them regarding organization, structure and future direction.  However, at least from my narrow point of view in my geographic area, we do perform the missions we are tasked with to pretty high degree of competance.  Considering that we are an organization staffed by unpaid professionals that are required to perform as paid professionals, I think we do a pretty darn good job.

Are there areas where we need improvement, yes.  AE (both internal and external) come to mind.  Professional Development, that too.  But, all in all, I think the congress and the community get their money's worth from CAP.

[RiverAux]

I agree with ELT.  I do not think we have a situation where the op temp is so high that it is causing essential services to decline.  I think that we are doing really well in our ES missions despite problems with the professional development and training system that supports the missions.