Totally understand that it's not just a VFA issue. Nobody these days arrives at their fleet squadron thinking they're going to get 40-hour months for three years. But to echo what
@Python1287 and
@wlawr005 have said, I can add a couple thoughts on VFA retention based on what I've seen.
At risk of sounding like a complaining millennial... a few years ago my squadron went through a safety workshop/seminar. We were in transition to our neglected Rhinos at the time (which I should probably add some stories about in the "Should I take that aircraft" thread for you guys) and my Training Officer brought up a question to the O-6 running the event. "How can we expect to be tactically proficient on cruise when our jets are barely flyable, we regularly face in-flight emergencies, and we're unable to achieve the tactical hard deck?" The O-6 essentially said "deal with it." Well, this Captain was wearing a 3000 hour patch and had been in the reserves since he was a JO. He proceeded to tell us how his reserve squadron had little notice that they were deploying and that they made it happen and they did well on deployment. He looked at our TO and said "you need to figure it out." Nevermind the fact that his squadron was filled solely with O-4s and O-5s with tons of experience and flight time. The complete disconnect was appalling, to say the least.
This is not an isolated event, and I bring that story up to highlight the tone-deaf approach of senior leadership. I get it, this is the military, and we work with what we have. But the complete apathy from a guy like that and many other leaders I've talked to about this issue doesn't really give JOs confidence that things will change or that leadership cares.
I have personally witnessed many senior leaders say how they've been through tough times and still made it happen, like the story above. Those were also the days when there was no credible threat and the most complex thing you had to worry about was BFM and basic intercepts by today's standards. The sheer complexity of our tactics and wide spread of mission sets these days make it impossible for aircrew to be good at their primary job, FLYING, with the hours they're getting. When guys have been struggling to get THD and they get their asses kicked during workups, I'm not surprised that they leave disgruntled, especially after hearing every O-4+ in the O Club talk about the "glory days." You can't tell me with a straight face that there is a severe lack of opportunities to "see that one again" when aircrew don't meet the bar, and many get a pass when they shouldn't.
I hate the fact that I don't have a solution to the flight hour/manning/maintenance problem, but something has to change.
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