I’ve given hundreds of cockpit tours over the years and I think the most asked question is: “How do you know what all those buttons and switches do?” It seems like a pretty silly question to those of us that fly.  Personally, I think there are a lot more interesting things in a cockpit than buttons and switches but as we’ve become a much more technologically adept society we’ve become fascinated with, well, buttons.

I think my favorite button is the magical one on my DVR which allows me to hop through commercials 30 seconds at a time.  I’ve discovered that you can watch a three hour football game in about 30 minutes because the 30 second button jumps almost perfectly from snap to snap.  It’s a wonderful thing.  Even phones and tablets have the equivalent of buttons in Apps.  Just tap the virtual button to get what you want.  So it’s not surprising when advertisers take advantage of our infatuation by including buttons in commercials.

For years Staples has been using the “EASY” button in their campaigns and some folks even buy them for their offices.   Although I’m not sure the message it gives when women put them on their desks.  So I wasn’t surprised to read that the Air Force is now being guided by a new doctrine I’ve recently seen described in some documents from the highest levels.  I think it’s being called the EASY doctrine.  There are many ways of approaching challenges.  Most organizations take a hard look at their goals, do the research to map out a path to that destination and then base decisions on the most economical and strategic path to get there.  The Air Force has now decided that the EASY doctrine can save lots of time.  It doesn’t necessarily save money or meet goals but it’s, well, easy.

Let’s apply the doctrine to some real world crisis.  No one likes losing aircraft or personnel, so if, let’s say, North Korea decides to start infringing on Japan or South Korea it would be lots of work to move forces and deploy aircraft so the “easy ” answer would be one of two choices.  Do nothing or nuke them.  Just pick one, it’s easy.  It might not be the most popular decision, but it is easy.  You can apply this new doctrine to almost any situation and it will always boil down to the two options.  Do nothing or nuke them.  What could be simpler.

Where did I get this new doctrine?  Well it seems that the Air Force has finally admitted that it’s decisions on the, let me be politically correct, Force Structure Realignment is based solely on the EASY doctrine.  But here’s the really confusing part.  They claim that closing the 911th is EASY because of its size, but in reality it’s illegal to close based on Federal law.  In reality, they COULD legally, unilaterally shut down the 908th. That would be EASY and LEGAL.  So after a lot of thought and research I’ve concluded that there must be a part of the new doctrine to which I’m not privy.  Apparently the “We have no integrity” doctrine trumps portions of the “EASY” doctrine and I suspect that there might be a “We’re just too damn stupid and stubborn for our own good” doctrine tucked in their somewhere.  I’m sure glad there’s a first amendment and I plan on exercising it every chance I get.

I think it’s time to press another virtual button.  “Click on Send”