Dan Reno says:
Most here in the helo community have worked with AF types around the world and perhaps like me still have some as friends. And so the following "secret' talk amongst the V22 folks is a perfect example of why Army & Marine helo jocks, officer & enlisted crew alike, chuckle under their breaths over some of the boisterous claims made here and afield about the V-22.
Dan,
The 'secret' talk you refer to has nothing to do with Air Force versus Army/Marines as you have made it out to be. The difference is that the guys working in Special Operations regardless of whether they come from the AF, Army, Marines/Navy are forced by the government to be held to a higher standard of OPSEC accountability due to the nature of their mission profiles. They have no choice but to maintain a much higher degree of security than the 'regular forces.'
It is obvious that you have not worked on the other side of the fence (although I'm 'sure' you have many friends who do/have). Additional binding contracts for those working in special job categories have to be signed by those given higher
clearances that have requirements and strict legal consequences that are over and above those agreed to by service members not involved in Spec Ops. They include mandatory agreements to be held liable for 'treason against the United States' for ANY information released that is of a classified nature even if it has been circulated in the public domain. They can neither 'confirm nor deny' because with their proprietary
knowledge doing so turns rumor into 'official' information.
Those who make claims of having to hold back information are NOT being 'boisterous,' they are doing what the United States government requires them to do. This holds true for All the Services.