The pay isn't competitive with the civilian world. The ancient infrastructure, tools, personal & vehicle/aircraft armor, boots/uniforms, health care, food, ammunition & firearms, aircraft, computers, dormitories/housing, & civilian support personnel are all purchased from the lowest bidder. Free medical care isn't free; patients are practice for doctors & PAs - those of us who almost died due to botched medical care have to get treated at civilian hospitals where they have to fix us at tax payer expense because the doctors who join aren't at the top of their class or don't have the money for malpractice insurance. Military doctors who hurt you aren't punished or stigmatized. Budget cuts make it very difficult to change any of this. Because the AF is over strength & budget cuts affect opportunity in the military everything is negatively affected. One mistake will ensure you get kicked out if you're enlisted; whereas officers are given several opportunities to reform unless it's a DUI or a positive drug test. The AF has a lot of power over the individual; can tell you not to walk & talk on the phone & you must follow that rule. You lose some rights when you join the military. The Air Force is a caste society where the enlisted corps are worked really hard, (the "untouchables"), and the officers, (who control Air Force personnel & budgets), receive many opportunities. Favoritism is a fact of life; it happens a lot. Therefore, if you're a favorite of the right officer,(or civilian), you can go far (regardless of caste). Misogyny is the norm; therefore sexual assault is a problem & larger than reported in the news. Subtle racism is tolerated. People in jobs which typically pay very little or which have no correlation to a civilian job are typically treated very poorly since management can always say "leave if you don't like it & there are lots of people without jobs who would kill for this opportunity". Doing more with less is the culture. Doublespeak is paramount. Job proficiency isn't evaluated but volunteering on your off time is. The religious right rule with no recourse since the Air Force Academy inculcates christian religion into the officer's education. Planned obsolescence works - young, fit Airmen are used/abused for 4 years then it's hoped they'll get out leaving a job open for yet another new Airman... older, more experienced Airmen have less job quotas b/c they're more expensive since they've probably risen in rank & are paid more. If you're injured in war the service will work hard to "fix" you but if you have catastrophic "issues", (mental or physical), you're separated once you're stable, (not fixed), from the USAF & the civilian funded "Center for the Intrepid" may rehabilitate you on a case-by-case basis because the VA is overwhelmed with an increase of damaged personnel, lack of personnel and a decrease of funding all courtesy of Americans who "support our troops".
