Episodes

  • #20: AOC! Part Deux: Just What is TOA?

    #20: AOC! Part Deux: Just What is TOA?
    Dec 29 2022
    "One of the serious problems in planning the fight against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine." So says some Soviet document from many years ago. It remains true today, and the air operations center is a prime example of this sentiment. Muff and Yogi talk about the 603 AOC, rebranding the MQ-9 as the AQ-9, trying to expand the AOC's concept of the Reaper, and the ramifications of righteously giving an Intel Colonel what for.
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • #19: Tradition: Is Heritage the Air Force's Ace in the Hole?

    #19: Tradition: Is Heritage the Air Force's Ace in the Hole?
    Dec 2 2022
    Traditions feel to be slowly losing their importance these days. Whether that's a product of the naval-gazing that comes with being in a peacetime military or a failure to educate new airmen on Air Force history is uncertain. What is certain, though, is that heritage is what makes the Air Force great. It's what makes people sacrifice for the greater good. On this episode of Lost Link, Muff and Yogi discuss some of the struggles with heritage and tradition in the MQ-9 community and casually toss out a few ideas on how to improve things.
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    1 hr and 55 mins
  • #18: Shitty Summer Camp: Tales From the Last Days in Afghanistan

    #18: Shitty Summer Camp: Tales From the Last Days in Afghanistan
    Oct 26 2022
    There's little humor to be found in the last two weeks in Afghanistan, but Shiva was able to find what scraps of it he could. Muff hangs out with Shiva Trimble to talk about getting piss on your boots, losing 15 pounds in two weeks, C-RAMs as entertainment, and a few other bits of gallows humor. They also talk about the AFA conference, the future of the MQ-9, Manned-Unmanned Teaming, the AFFORGEN concept, and how compassionate, understanding friends can be the best bulwark against self-harm.
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    1 hr and 39 mins
  • #17: Air National Guard: Weekend Warriors or a Lethal Mafia Family?

    #17: Air National Guard: Weekend Warriors or a Lethal Mafia Family?
    Oct 5 2022
    The Guard Mafia is real. Weapons stashes, backroom dealings, national networks of contacts, budgets larger than you'd think, convoluted accounting tricks, and an indecipherable lingo only insiders understand! McFly Bolda teaches Muff the secret handshake and let's slip the secrets of the shady world of the Air National Guard. They discuss the pros and cons of joining, what Guard units are usually looking for, how MQ-9 Guard units contribute to operations, and more. Get a spoon ready 'cause there is a lot of acronym soup to be had.
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    2 hrs and 14 mins
  • #16: How Do You Rebound from Being Passed Over for Promotion?

    #16: How Do You Rebound from Being Passed Over for Promotion?
    Aug 22 2022
    Muff sits down with his long-time friend Fuse Stellwagen and they have a wide-ranging discussion that hits what being followed by an MQ-9 must feel like, requal'ing in the MQ-9, airmanship, being the air boss at the Dubai Airshow, working at AFCENT staff, getting passed over and subsequently selected for promotion, planning to retire from the Air Force, and other subjects of, undoubtedly, great import.
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    1 hr and 46 mins
  • #15: What Is the Air Force Stratification System?

    #15: What Is the Air Force Stratification System?
    Jul 31 2022
    Large organizations have long struggled to ensure they promote the right people. The Air Force is increasingly relying on forced stratification to identify individuals with high promotion potential. There are benefits to this system, but also numerous significant drawbacks. Muff and Yogi get together to discuss the Nellis Effect, “halos and horns”, impacts to innovation, historical alternatives, and other issues.
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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • #14: The RPA Training Pipeline for Dummies

    #14: The RPA Training Pipeline for Dummies
    Jun 9 2022
    The RPA training pipeline began in late 2009 with the establishment of what is now called the RPA Fundamentals Course. RPA students now also attend Initial Flight Training in Pueblo, CO and complete the RPA Instrument Qualification course before heading to Holloman AFB, NM for Initial Qualification Training. Yogi is still deployed so, on this episode, Muff loses link with Tink Hammons to describe what the training pipeline looks like from commission through IQT and share a few stories from along the way.
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    1 hr and 55 mins
  • #13: A Conversation with Lt Col Eric Hendrickson

    #13: A Conversation with Lt Col Eric Hendrickson
    May 22 2022
    Yogi is deployed so, on this episode, Muff loses link with Hendro and they discuss Hendro's early career flying UH-1 Hueys, his famous strike on a mortar team that pretty much every RPA crewmember ever has seen, his involvement in the first days of RPAs at Holloman, his command style, mentorship in the Air Force, and how the service's violence prevention program is inadequate to achieve its stated goals.
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    2 hrs and 3 mins