This article in The Times (British equivalent of New York Times) indicates that perhaps even Bush could learn someting from the British military when it comes to "do or die" leadership:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1605881.ece Edited version below:
From The Times April 3, 2007
Air chief in kamikaze mission plan by Ian Evans
A senior RAF commander has told his airmen to consider flying their aircraft at terrorist targets.
Air Vice-Marshal David Walker said pilots should think about “kamikaze” missions as a last resort if their aircraft ran out of ammunition or the weapons failed.
Speaking at a conference, he said: “Would you think it unreasonable if I ordered you to fly your aircraft into the ground in order to destroy a vehicle carrying a Taleban or al-Qaeda commander?”
Last night pilots reacted with bewilderment to the suggestion. One unnamed RAF pilot speaking to The Sun said: “I’m prepared to give it a go but only if the Air Vice-Marshal shows me how to do it first.” Another said: “His idea of leadership is to suggest that it is within his power to authorise the first example of an ordered kamikaze attack in the RAF’s 89-year history.
"He is subtly suggesting that, if he wished, he could order anyone in his command to die”.
Air Vice-Marshal Walker is in operational charge of the RAF’s fighter jets including the £43 million Typhoon Euro-fighter, Tornado, Jaguar and Harrier aircraft.
The former Harrier pilot, who had his canopy shot out in action over Iraq, said that RAF airmen knew they may have to risk their lives when they enlisted.
But one audience member asked: “Imagine, as you are floating skyward towards the pearly gates having parked your jet in the desert at 500 knots, that intelligence had it wrong and that the bloke driving the car was actually a plumber taking his children to school?” He told The Sun: “Imagine trying to fly your fast pointy thing at an evading car. The bloke driving only has to swerve at the last minute and it’s goodnight Vienna, mission failed.”
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said: “Air Vice-Marshal Walker did not say he would order his crews on suicide missions. As part of a training exercise he wanted them to think about how they and their commanders would react faced with a life-and-death decision of the most extreme sort — for example terrorists trying to fly an aircraft into a British city, being followed by an RAF fighter which suffers weapons failure.
“These are decisions which, however unlikely and dreadful, service people may have to make and it is one of many reasons why the British people hold them in such high esteem.”
WOW – A real professor – the only professors I have met lately are the fake type – you know the sort – procrastinating, pontificating nobodies posing and posting as professors in the field.
Well – enough about my exploits. The article above my post here IS a bit worrying. It implies that any employer (especially a Governmental department) can ask an employee to do anything in the process of carrying out his day-to-day duties. I suspect that if the Kamikaze mission were outlined specifically in the pilot’s job description, there would be no takers for that position with that particular company. Fanatical dictators train most Kamikaze missions and the pilots believe they will return as fireflies and will be forever rewarded in the afterlife. Since WWII, with the advent of satellite technology, intelligent weaponry has moved on at great pace, thereby negating the need for Kamikaze pilots. But a myriad of problems arise from the dearth of personnel who are capable of interpreting hostile activities.
This article was great at depicting the glaring differences between Clinton's and Bush's leadership style. While it is apparent that Clinton ended his reign with a lack of trust from the American people, Bush may also be ending his with this same issue. With the war in Iraq still going on and the unfounded weapons of mass destruction, Bush maybe losing the trust of the people but in a different way. I agree with the articles assessment of different leaders being needed for different times. It would be interesting we could see how each of this figures would have behaved if their reign as president was flip- flopped. Unfortunately,we will never know.
3 comments:
This article in The Times (British equivalent of New York Times) indicates that perhaps even Bush could learn someting from the British military when it comes to "do or die" leadership:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1605881.ece
Edited version below:
From The Times April 3, 2007
Air chief in kamikaze mission plan
by Ian Evans
A senior RAF commander has told his airmen to consider flying their aircraft at terrorist targets.
Air Vice-Marshal David Walker said pilots should think about “kamikaze” missions as a last resort if their aircraft ran out of ammunition or the weapons failed.
Speaking at a conference, he said: “Would you think it unreasonable if I ordered you to fly your aircraft into the ground in order to destroy a vehicle carrying a Taleban or al-Qaeda commander?”
Last night pilots reacted with bewilderment to the suggestion. One unnamed RAF pilot speaking to The Sun said: “I’m prepared to give it a go but only if the Air Vice-Marshal shows me how to do it first.” Another said: “His idea of leadership is to suggest that it is within his power to authorise the first example of an ordered kamikaze attack in the RAF’s 89-year history.
"He is subtly suggesting that, if he wished, he could order anyone in his command to die”.
Air Vice-Marshal Walker is in operational charge of the RAF’s fighter jets including the £43 million Typhoon Euro-fighter, Tornado, Jaguar and Harrier aircraft.
The former Harrier pilot, who had his canopy shot out in action over Iraq, said that RAF airmen knew they may have to risk their lives when they enlisted.
But one audience member asked: “Imagine, as you are floating skyward towards the pearly gates having parked your jet in the desert at 500 knots, that intelligence had it wrong and that the bloke driving the car was actually a plumber taking his children to school?” He told The Sun: “Imagine trying to fly your fast pointy thing at an evading car. The bloke driving only has to swerve at the last minute and it’s goodnight Vienna, mission failed.”
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said: “Air Vice-Marshal Walker did not say he would order his crews on suicide missions. As part of a training exercise he wanted them to think about how they and their commanders would react faced with a life-and-death decision of the most extreme sort — for example terrorists trying to fly an aircraft into a British city, being followed by an RAF fighter which suffers weapons failure.
“These are decisions which, however unlikely and dreadful, service people may have to make and it is one of many reasons why the British people hold them in such high esteem.”
Source: Times database
Hi,
WOW – A real professor – the only professors I have met lately are the fake type – you know the sort – procrastinating, pontificating nobodies posing and posting as professors in the field.
Well – enough about my exploits. The article above my post here IS a bit worrying. It implies that any employer (especially a Governmental department) can ask an employee to do anything in the process of carrying out his day-to-day duties. I suspect that if the Kamikaze mission were outlined specifically in the pilot’s job description, there would be no takers for that position with that particular company. Fanatical dictators train most Kamikaze missions and the pilots believe they will return as fireflies and will be forever rewarded in the afterlife. Since WWII, with the advent of satellite technology, intelligent weaponry has moved on at great pace, thereby negating the need for Kamikaze pilots. But a myriad of problems arise from the dearth of personnel who are capable of interpreting hostile activities.
Regards,
Coral
This article was great at depicting the glaring differences between Clinton's and Bush's leadership style. While it is apparent that Clinton ended his reign with a lack of trust from the American people, Bush may also be ending his with this same issue. With the war in Iraq still going on and the unfounded weapons of mass destruction, Bush maybe losing the trust of the people but in a different way. I agree with the articles assessment of different leaders being needed for different times. It would be interesting we could see how each of this figures would have behaved if their reign as president was flip- flopped. Unfortunately,we will never know.
Post a Comment