Evaluate The Management Organization Structure Of The Washington: Fill & Download for Free

Some background first on the structure of the officer corps in the services: you could skip the first two paragraphs if you already know it. I graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1972, and was "deep selected" (selected for early promotion) to Commander in 1986. In military organizations, Commander is a rank in the CG and Navy that is the equivalent of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, Air Force, and Marines. It is the lowest rank in upper management, followed by Captain and Admiral in the CG and Navy, or Colonel and General in the Army, AF, and Marines. All the services' officer corps are "up" or "out" systems, either you are promoted up, or forced out at some point if you fail selection to the next rank. During my career (the rules change from time to time, depending on national needs from the force structure of the services), if you made it to Commander (CDR), you were guaranteed 26 years service, even if you subsequently failed promotion to Captain. Captains not selected for Admiral were forced out at the 30 year point. Lieutenant Commanders and Majors, the rank below CDR and LT COL have to exit the service after 20 years commissioned service - just enough time to earn retirement pay.The system effectively puts Commanders who failed to make Captain, and Captains who failed to make Admiral, out on the street looking for work in their late 40s and early 50s - a time when most need and expect to be maximizing their income. For those with large expectations and desires, Commander is a time when you give alot of thought to your future. Do I commit to serving for most of my adult working life, hoping to make Admiral (which puts you out of work in your mid to late 50s if you make it), or do I begin looking for an exit point so I can maximize my potential in a second career? Others are content to remain in the service as long as they can, and postpone the "what do I do next" question until the service imposes the decision by forcing them out. When I had 17 years of service, I resolved to leave at the 20 year point in 1992 so I could have a second career. I spent 1982 -1984 serving as the Aide to the Commandant of the Coast Guard (a four star Admiral), and had a "bird's eye" perspective in that position of what life would be like as an Admiral, personally and professionally.Jobs in the service generally fall into two categories, administrative or operational. Administrative jobs for CDRs are often derided as desk jobs, or paper pushing jobs, and with laughter as "command of an LMG" (large mahogany desk). Operational jobs for CDRs are Commanding Officer assignments usually, but one class of ships has Commanders as the Executive Officer. While serving as a CDR, the large expectation crowd tries to find a balance between the two, an operational tour followed by an administrative tour, and so on. Remember the Gilbert and Sullivan play that advised "Stay close to your desk and never go to sea, and you'll be ruler of the Queen's Navy?" More truth than fiction to that, Admirals select other Admirals, and most of them serve in Washington, D.C., where all the jobs are administrative.In administrative, or managerial jobs, a CDR manages systems and programs, and very few people. A CDR will have daily contact with more senior officers, to whom he or she must report, and a small support staff. In operational jobs, CDRs command (and manage) fewer systems and programs, but a lot more people. The more senior officers who evaluate performance do so through emails, messages, written reports, system outputs, and so on. There is very little one on one contact. Performance is more objectively measured in operational jobs, more subjectively measured in administrative ones (unless you miss deadlines or turn in shoddy work). Office politics play a larger role in admin jobs than operational ones - back to Gilbert and Sullivan.I loved my operational tours. They were high risk, high reward assignments and involved alot of troop time, camaraderie, rescues at sea, drug busts, military exercises with the Navy, and driving ships. You are a role model, a mentor, and the boss of a team. The highlight of my career was being the Coast Guard's On Scene Commander at Cape Canaveral after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.I endured my admin assignments. They were challenging but less gratifying. You did very little commanding and directing and alot more coaxing, and persuading. As a Commanding Officer, the buck stopped with me. In my last admin assignment (I really only had one - as my other two non operational tours were unique, Aide to the Commandant and Cadet Company Officer at the Coast Guard Academy), I had to run a gauntlet of three more senior officers, two Captains and an Admiral, to get green lighted on a major decision - the bar for what was considered a major decision was low.Long answer to a short but not simple, question.

For quite a long time, it has become clear to all thinking people that Russia does not oppose the United States and does not provoke war. Everything is absolutely the opposite. The United States wants to destroy Russia first, and then China in a terrible war, in order to preserve its hegemony and its dominance on the planet. The question arises: but why has Washington still not unleashed this war? Because Washington wants to first expose itself as a victim, forced to defend itself ... But Russia has long guessed this trick and refuses to fall into the trap. So time passes, nothing happens, until a monstrous provocation is invented.Washington is looking for a pretext for attacking Russia, a pretext that will expose the US to the victim of Russia's aggression to justify the hundreds of millions of deaths that this war will entail.For example, events in Ukraine, which gained independence from the USSR about 30 years ago and develops independently. And suddenly, in 2014, the Ukrainians "understood" that they are oppressed by Russia. Fighting was unleashed against the people of Donbass.The war unfolding in the Donbas carries enormous threats to Russia, Europe and the whole world. Failure to understand the threats entails their automatic deployment to the regional, and then to the Third World War. The image of this war in the world media as a struggle of the Ukrainian authorities for the integrity of the country is as far from its meaning as the image of Hitler's propaganda of an attack on Poland as a defense of Germany against Polish aggression.Meanwhile, without an understanding of the causes and driving forces of the escalation of armed conflict, it is impossible to stop it. This is evidenced by the futility of the negotiations held so far to end the violence and resolve the Ukrainian crisis. It would seem that all parties should be interested in the cessation of hostilities in the Donbas. They damage Ukraine, Russia, the Donbas itself and threaten Europe. However, the western side has never fulfilled its obligations. The constant result of all negotiations is a direct deception from the United States and their Kiev proteges, who use negotiations to divert attention and disorientation of partners.Here is a small analysis of the provocations against Russia, using Ukraine.At the beginning, high-ranking American and European officials, having lulled Yanukovich’s vigilance (President of Ukraine until 2014) with persuasion on the nonuse of force, pushed the Nazis to its violent overthrow and brought their puppet government to power. Then they began to persuade Putin not to use force, while inciting the junta under their control to repress against the Russian population of Ukraine. Immediately after reaching an agreement on disarmament of illegal formations and the beginning of a national dialogue, US Vice President Biden arrives in Kiev to support the actions of the junta, after which she begins the punitive operation of the Ukrainian army against Donbass resistance. Endlessly assuring the Russian president's commitment to peace and calling for an end to violence, the US and EU leaders consistently support the increased terror of the Ukrainian military against the population of Donbass. armed forces in the conflict zone and began to use aircraft and armored vehicles against the population of Donbass.The facts show that the Americans used the negotiations exclusively to deceive their partners.Pretending to be peacekeepers and human rights defenders, in reality, they paved the way for the violent seizure of power by the Nazis, which they then supported in legalizing their militants in military service and pushed them to use the army against the Russian population. At the same time, the media controlled by the Americans and their proteges blame Russia for everything, diligently making it the image of an enemy for Ukraine and frightening for Europe.The frenzied falsity and hysterical Russophobia of the Ukrainian and leading world channels leave no doubt that we are dealing with a military propaganda machine that represses all objective journalists and imposes a state of anti-Russian psychosis on the population.From this analysis, it follows that from the very beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, the United States has steadily followed the strategy of inflating the conflict in the Ukrainian-Russian war, justifying all the crimes of the Nazi junta, funding and arming it, covering up diplomatically and forcing its European allies to do the same. The question arises, why are they doing this?Certainly not for the sake of Ukraine, which is condemned by this war to a split, a humanitarian and economic catastrophe. And of course, not from the abstract goals of protecting democratic rights and freedoms that are daily brazenly trampled upon by the Nazi junta, who commits massacres of its citizens.As can be clearly seen from the rhetoric and actions of American politicians and officials, this war unfolds the US against Russia, in which the Nazi junta acts as nothing more than a tool in the hands of the American leadership, and the people of Ukraine are used as “cannon fodder” and at the same time a victim of Russian " aggression.The immediate goal of this war is to separate Ukraine from Russia, which Bismarck set as the most important geopolitical task of the West, and in modern conditions Brzezinski.His Russophobic formula that without Ukraine, Russia cannot be a great power, has become the leading leitmotif of all American politics in the post-Soviet space. The United States went to this goal all two decades after the collapse of the USSR, having spent over $ 5 billion on the cultivation of the anti-Russian political elite in Kiev, according to Assistant Secretary of State Nuland.According to the NATO strategists, the separation of Ukraine from Russia should be formalized by the subordination of Ukraine to the European Union in the form of the Association, through which Kiev gives Ukraine sovereign rights in the field of foreign trade regulation, foreign and defense policy to Brussels. Yanukovych’s refusal to sign the Association Agreement was perceived by the United States as the withdrawal of the Ukrainian leadership from subordination and as a threat to resume the natural process of restoring a common economic space with Russia. In order to prevent Ukraine from joining the Customs Union with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan and return Ukraine to the path of European integration, a coup d’état was organized, immediately after which EU leaders rushed to sign an illegitimate Nazi junta in the political part that contradicted the Ukrainian Constitution. Immediately after Poroshenko was proclaimed president, he declared his readiness to sign the Association Agreement in full, despite its incompatibility with both the Basic Law and the national interests of Ukraine.However, as today's actions of the USA show, Ukraine’s transition to the EU’s jurisdiction within the framework of the Association Agreement imposed on Kiev is not enough. They want to push Ukraine with Russia in a military conflict and draw the European Union into this conflict. Forcing the Nazi junta under their command to wage a full-scale war in the Donbass, the United States creates an expanding chaos crater in the center of Europe that aims at drawing Russia, and then neighboring European countries, into a fratricidal conflict. This is done not only to weaken Russia, but also to worsen the position of the European Union.Historical experience suggests that wars in Europe were the most important source of economic growth and political power of the United States. The latter became a superpower as a result of the First and Second World Wars, which resulted in a huge outflow of capital and minds from the European countries fighting against each other to America.The third world war, which remained cold, ended with the collapse of the world socialist system, which gave the United States an inflow of over a trillion dollars, hundreds of thousands of specialists, tons of plutonium and other valuable materials, and a multitude of unique technologies.All these wars were provoked with the active participation of the American “fifth column” in the person of controlled, financed and supported by the American special services spies, oligarchs, diplomats, officials, businessmen, experts and public figures. And today, facing economic difficulties, the United States is trying to unleash another war in Europe to achieve the following goals.First, the accusation of Russia of aggression makes it possible to impose financial sanctions in order to freeze (write off) US obligations to Russian structures in the amount of several hundred billion dollars to alleviate the US debt burden.Secondly, the freezing of Russian assets in dollars and euros will entail the inability of their owners to service their obligations to mainly European banks, which will create the last serious difficulties fraught with bankruptcy of some of them. The destabilization of the European banking system will stimulate the outflow of capital to the United States to maintain the dollar pyramid of their debt obligations.Thirdly, sanctions against Russia will damage the EU countries in the amount of about a trillion euros, which will worsen the already bad state of the European economy, weaken its position in the competition with the United States.Fourth, sanctions against Russia facilitate the ousting of Russian gas from the European market in order to replace it with the American shale gas. The same applies to the multibillion-dollar Eastern European market of fuel elements for nuclear power plants, which is technologically focused on supplies from Russia.Fifthly, drawing European countries into a war with Russia will increase their political dependence on the United States, which will make it easier for the latter to solve the problem of imposing a free-trade zone on the EU under favorable US conditions.Sixth, the war in Europe gives rise to military spending in the interests of the US military-industrial complex.The US itself loses almost nothing from the new war they unleash in Europe. Unlike European countries, they trade little with Russia, and their markets are almost independent of Russian supplies. As in other European wars, they will be the net winners.Thus, setting the Nazi junta against Russia, the United States does not risk anything and will certainly win.American advisers impose on their Kiev proteges the use of the most cruel weapons against the population: high-explosive fragmentation shells, cluster bombs, mines.After all, the more victims there are, the higher the expectations of Russian military intervention to protect the Russian population, the higher the risk of a new European war and the greater the American gain. This win is not only measured in money. The main prize, for which the USA is provoking the Third World War, is the preservation of world domination in the conditions of global structural changes caused by the change of technological structures.Studies show that in such periods of global technological change, advanced countries find it difficult to retain leadership, because in the wake of the growth of a new technological order, developing countries are breaking ahead, succeeding in preparing the prerequisites for its formation. In contrast to the advanced countries that are faced with the crisis of capital accumulation in obsolete industries, they have the opportunity to avoid the massive depreciation of capital and concentrate it on breakthrough growth directions.To retain leadership, advanced countries have to resort to power techniques in foreign and foreign economic policy. During these periods, military-political tensions and the risks of international conflicts sharply increase. This is evidenced by the tragic experience of the two previous structural crises of the world economy.Thus, the Great Depression of the 1930s, due to the achievement of the growth limits of the technological structure of “coal and steel” that prevailed at the beginning of the century, was overcome by the militarization of the economy, which resulted in the catastrophe of the Second World War. The latter not only stimulated the restructuring of the economy with extensive use of the internal combustion engine and organic chemistry, but also led to a radical change in the entire world order: the destruction of the core of the world economic system (European colonial empires) and the formation of two opposing global political and economic systems. The leadership of American capitalism in entering a new long wave of economic growth was ensured by an extraordinary increase in defense orders for the development of new technologies and the influx of world capital in the United States with the destruction of the production potential and the depreciation of capital of its main competitors.The depression of the mid-70s - early 80s led to an arms race in the rocket and space sphere with a wide use of information and communication technologies, which formed the core of the new technological order. The collapse of the world socialist system that followed, which failed to transfer the economy to a new technological order in a timely manner, allowed the leading capitalist countries to use the resources of the former socialist countries for a “soft change” to a new long wave of economic growth. Capital outflows and brain drain from the former socialist countries, the colonization of their economies facilitated the restructuring of the economies of the core countries of the world capitalist system, which had previously stimulated the emergence of a new technological order through the development of an arms race in space. On the same wave of growth of the new technological structure, new industrial countries have risen, having managed in advance to create its key productions and lay the prerequisites for their rapid growth on a global scale. The political result was liberal globalization with US dominance as the issuer of the main reserve currency.The fact is that the liberal ideology that dominates the ruling circles of the United States and its NATO allies leaves no other reason for the state to expand its intervention in the economy, except for defense needs. Therefore, when faced with the need to use government demand to stimulate the growth of a new technological order, leading business circles have resorted to the escalation of military-political tensions as the main way to increase government procurement of advanced technology.It is from this perspective that the reasons for Washington’s promotion of the flywheel of the war in Ukraine, which is not a goal, but an instrument for realizing the global task of preserving US dominant influence in the world, should be considered.Along with the structural crisis of the world economy caused by the change of the dominant technological order, now there is a transition to a new secular cycle of capital accumulation, which exacerbates the risks of a world war. The previous transition from the colonial empires of European countries to global corporations as the leading form of organization of the world economy took place through the unleashing of three world wars, the outcome of which was accompanied by dramatic changes in the world political order. As a result of the First World War, the monarchical system collapsed, holding back the expansion of national capital. As a result of the Second - the colonial empires collapsed, limiting the international movement of capital. With the collapse of the USSR as a result of the Third - Cold - World War, free movement of capital swept the whole world, and transnational corporations got at the disposal of the entire world economy.But the story does not end there. The development of mankind requires new forms of organization of the global economy, which would ensure sustainable development and repelling planetary threats, including environmental and space ones. In the conditions of liberal globalization, built up under the interests of transnational, mainly Anglo-American, corporations, these challenges to the existence of humanity remain unanswered. Objectively arising the need to curb the world oligarchy and streamline the movement of world capital is achieved in the East Asian model of the organization of the modern economy.With the rise of China, India and Vietnam, following Japan and Korea, the most thoughtful researchers began talking about the transition from the Anglo-American to the Asian secular cycle of capital accumulation.In the light of the global changes described above, it is clear that the struggle for world leadership is unfolding between the United States and China, in which the United States, in order to preserve its dominance, plays its usual scenario of unleashing a world war in Europe, trying once again to strengthen its position in the world. To do this, they use the old English geopolitical principle of “divide and rule”, reviving the subconscious Russophobia of the political elites of European countries and relying on their traditional “Drang nach Osten”. At the same time, following the precepts of Bismarck and the advice of Brzezinski, they use Ukraine as the main line of split, counting, on the one hand, on the weakening and aggressive reaction of Russia, and on the other - on the consolidation of European states in their traditional desire to colonize Ukrainian lands.The calculation of American geopolitics seems accurate, and the action - infallible. For six months, they spent a blitzkrieg, actually occupying Ukraine and subjugating the EU to anti-Russian hysteria. At the same time, due to the appropriation of part of the Ukrainian assets, one and a half billion dollars was spent on organizing the coup d'etat and bringing its puppet government to power with the relative legitimization of its agent as president of Ukraine. Russia has managed to save only the Crimea from the occupation by the American-Nazi regime, and the bleeding Donbass becomes a chronic zone of armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The latter, as it seems to American puppeteers, they were lured into a political trap.The use of the Russian army to liberate the Donbass guarantees that the EU and NATO will be drawn into the war against Russia. The non-use of force to force the Nazi junta to the world will create a growing crater of chaos in the center of Europe, which is already internationalizing, becoming the center of destabilization of Russia.The development of a regional, and possibly world war on favorable US conditions seems inevitable. Russia seems to them doomed to a severe defeat due to the loss of Ukraine that has already taken place, firstly, and the consolidation of all developed countries of the world, including Japan and Korea along with NATO allies, and secondly. As conceived by American geopolitics, the defeat of Russia should entail its return to American control, as was the case under Yeltsin, and the weakening of Europe - its economic submission through the formation of a transatlantic free trade zone on American terms. Thus, Washington hopes to strengthen its position and maintain world domination in competition with rising China.There is, however, a miscalculation in this “iron” and cynical logic. Acting on the basis of the archetypes of European geopolitics two centuries ago, the Americans resurrected the corpses of European fascism and built political Frankenstein in Kiev, who began to devour his parents. The first planned victim was Yanukovych and his entourage, who raised the Ukrainian Nazis as sparring partners. The next victim was the European politicians who supported the coup d'état, which lost elections to the European Parliament.To stop the war, you need to stop the action of its driving forces. At this stage, the war takes place mainly in the economic, informational and political plane. With all the power of the United States, their economic superiority is based on the financial debt pyramid, which has long gone beyond sustainability. For its collapse, it is enough for the main creditors of the USA to dump the accumulated US dollars and treasury obligations on the market. Of course, the collapse of the US financial system will entail a serious loss of all holders of US currency and securities. But, first, these losses for Russia, Europe and China will be less than the damage from the next world war unleashed by American geopolitics. Secondly, the earlier the withdrawal from the financial pyramid of American obligations, the lower the losses will be. Third, the collapse of the dollar financial pyramid will finally give the opportunity to implement the reform of the global financial system on the basis of justice and mutual benefit.The dominance of the United States in the information sphere is a key factor in the zombies of Europeans, thus subordinating its influence to the political leadership of European countries. But, as Alexander Nevsky said, God is not in power, but in truth. The flow of lies and falsification broadcast by the US-controlled global media must counterpose an objective information flow through social networks, regional and national television. This, of course, will require effort. But with a creative approach, the truth will make its way, because the threat of a new world war scares every person and, ultimately, stimulates the search for its causes.The public subconsciousness of European nations, especially the people of Ukraine, will quickly recall the horrors of the past war with the correct formation of an associative series of modern and real fascists and their accomplices.Grown by American geopolitics, Frankenstein looks no better than Hitler's attack aircraft, an objective presentation of information about the Ukrainian Nazis will quickly evoke a feeling of disgust and fright in the European man in the street.Finally, US domination in world politics is based more on the habit of their allies to submit to the Washington Regional Committee than on the real dependence of European and Japanese politicians to American residency. As soon as the dollar financial pyramid begins to fall apart, Americans will have nothing to pay for the maintenance of their military bases and global media. Germany and Japan will be able to free themselves from the oppressive feeling of the occupied territories.Of course, the United States should not be portrayed as a “colossus with feet of clay”. In the hands of American geopolitics, weapons of mass destruction that can destroy all of humanity.And when the ladies from the White House praise the Ukrainian Nazis for the "restrained" use of force, the world is filled with horror at the irresponsible stupidity and bravado of the White House’s masters, capable of destroying half-humanity for their personal image.These intentions of the USA have already been demonstrated under presidents Eisenhower, Truman, who wanted to bomb Korea atomic bombs; under Kennedy, who almost started an atomic war with the USSR; under Reagan, who threatened the star wars.The current situation, however, differs from the era of the Cold War in that the American administration does not consider Russia as an equal opponent, trying to bring us back to defeatism under Yeltsin.American advisers to both the current and past Ukrainian leadership tirelessly convinced the latter in their total superiority over Russia, which they represented as an American dominion. Intoxicated by the collapse of the USSR, American geopolitics consider Russia to be their rebellious colony, which must be tamed forever as an integral part of their empire. They proceed from the unviability of Russia in conditions of global isolation, clearly overestimating the degree of its influence. This reassessment of their capabilities brings American geopolitics, on the one hand, gives them a sense of impunity and permissiveness, creating the risk of a global catastrophe. But, on the other hand, it is the source of their weakness when confronted with real resistance, for which they are not morally and politically ready.So the decisive actions of the Russian leadership to repel the American-Georgian aggression in South Ossetia, as well as rescuing the population of Crimea from the genocide by the United States-grown Ukrainian Nazis did not leave them a chance to win. Faced with the determined resistance of Assad, the United States and its European allies could not occupy Syria. They won only where the victim could not offer real resistance due to either the demoralization and betrayal of the ruling elite, as in Iraq or Yugoslavia, or the total superiority of the forces of the aggressor, as it was in Libya.The instinct of national self-preservation, inherent in Vladimir Putin, sets a hard limit on any foreign interference with Russian policy. Attempts to intimidate him with sanctions, international isolation or support of the opposition will not be successful. As well as the sanctions themselves or isolation from the West due to the global importance of Russia and the multi-vector nature of its foreign policy. Unfortunately, the American establishment does not understand this. He is being led by reactionary forces who are counting on easy neo-colonization of Russia and naively convinced of America’s eternal domination.Based on the fact that the armed conflict in Ukraine is the prologue of another world war, unleashed by the United States against Russia in order to maintain world domination, for its relief and victory, it is necessary to build the correct coordinate system and accurately determine the actions of all participants. The battlefield has the following configuration:- The United States is an aggressor country, provoking the Third World War in order to maintain world domination;- the provocation of the Third World War is being waged against Russia, which the USA is trying to present as an aggressor in order to consolidate the Western world in order to defend American interests;- American geopolitics have relied on the cultivation of Russophobic Ukrainian Nazism in the continuation of the German and English traditions of weakening Russia;- Ukraine is actually occupied by the United States through the organized coup and the establishment of Nazi dictatorship controlled by them;- European countries are forced to participate in the war against Russia against their national interests.Based on this, we must evaluate the resistance of Donbass as a movement in defense of not only the local population from the Nazi junta, but also in the defense of Russia from the American aggression, as well as the entire world - from the Third World War.The fighters of the Donbas people's militia are defenders of the Russian world, who are not on their own will at the forefront of the Third World War. The city with the symbolic name Slavyansk has already become a symbol of this heroic defense. Like the Brest Fortress, this small city confronts many times the superior forces of the Euro-Fascists at the cost of the lives of its inhabitants. They die not only for the Donbass, they die for all the people of the Russian world and all of humanity, saving us from the new world war. At the same time, they spare the lives of the Ukrainian military, are released to the will of prisoners sent to the slaughter by the Nazi junta.With all the heroism of the fighters of the people's army of Donbass, they cannot stop the world war themselves. Russia's military intervention could reverse the situation and stop the aggression of the Nazi junta.But at the same time, the result will be a NATO being drawn into the conflict, which will entail its internationalization and will be another step towards unleashing a world war. To stop it, you need to create a broad international coalition of countries capable of coordinated action to stop American aggression.These actions should be aimed at undermining the American military-political power, based on the emission of the dollar as a world currency.First of all, they should include the refusal to use the dollar in mutual trade and dollar-denominated securities for the placement of foreign exchange reserves. Dollar instruments should be assessed as extremely risky, and their use should require maximum redundancy.Along with measures to undermine the ability of the United States to finance the growth of military spending, political efforts are needed to form a broad anti-war coalition to denounce American aggression and expose its organizers in Washington and Brussels. Of particular importance is the political activation of European business, which the unleashing of a new war in Europe does not promise anything good.

In 2002, I wanted to get two Boeing 767–300ERs (which later became B777–200s) and fly between the States and Europe (livery pictured below). September 11, 2001, turned things upside down and put these plans on hold indefinitely. This model was for two long-range aircraft going between four cities internationally. Starting a US domestic airline would change the model somewhat, the fleet requirements would be for smaller airplanes, but the corp structure/financials would be the same.This is the first time I have ever published or told this story outside of my team. You ready? Here we go!Olympic Airways was no longer going to fly their US/Canada-Greece routes, and I thought it would leave a vacuum in the market (which it did), more specifically the following routes: ORD-ATH-ORD, IAD-ATH-IAD, JFK-ATH-JFK (between Athens and Chicago, Washington DC and New York JFK). In 1999, it was just an idea, which was soon to change…In the spring of 2000, while taxing to the gate at LAX, I saw the blue livery of the A340 Air Tahiti Nui from my window seat. I did some research on the airline, and found out, in 1998, Air Tahiti Nui, or “TN”, started long-haul services flying from Papeete (capital of French Polynesia) to Los Angeles and Tokyo with two A340s.Their business model was similar to what I wanted to do over the Atlantic, the only difference being TN flew over the Pacific. Mr. Nelson Levy, the founder of Air Tahiti Nui, was an incredible, charismatic, gentleman in his 40s. You would never notice his 5′7″ height because his personality was larger than life. He was able to get funding from the French Polynesian government for his airline and ended up taking a large chunk of the shares. He still kept minority share and the CEO title.E-mail exchanges between the two of us led to telephone conversations. Mr. Levy, pictured with me in 2000 (above) at TN’s headquarters, with the Air Tahiti Nui livery in the background and me holding the Aellas livery blueprint.Mr. Levy gave me the gift of full access to his entire organization in Papeete. He provided me with an empty cubicle at TN’s headquarters, at no charge, and allowed me to meet with the various divisions, sort of an incubation set-up. It was truly incredible. In the span of about eight months, I was able to go back and forth to Papeete (I only had to pay the taxes for the business class seat) and put together my business plan, and most importantly, work on the numbers.The market analysis showed routes to/from Athens to/from various cities in the United States and Canada to be hugely underserved for business travelers, tourists and “VFRs” or Visiting Friends and Relatives. (The study also showed Athens-Sydney/Melbourne/Johannesburg underserved as well.)Boeing’s North American sales office liked the concept. I started working with Boeing to secure two 767–300ERs financed by GE Capital (TN assisted in the process) and other funding sources. As the project started to materialize, it changed to two 777–200s.For the sake of space and time, there are big chunks missing. I am going to stay away from anything to do with the financials side, some marketing aspects and other things, like scheduling, I don’t think would be relevant to share. Also, Boeing has a website called StartupBoeing - Boeing: StartupBoeingHere is the cover page business plan for Aellas, this was the first livery rendition drawn according to specification (below). It took me a good two years to put this plan together, taking all the information collected from meetings with Air Tahiti Nui, Boeing, various airport authorities and other sources. Note the Table of Contents - about 100 pages for a macro-level snapshot for a start-up airline. The numbers were the most important part and a lot of work went into making sure everything was identified and realistic.A new US airline has to obtain an FAA 121 Flight Certificate (each country has their own counterpart to the FAA), the time frame being twelve to fourteen months. The Chief Pilot has to be a part of this process. Also, we had to get approval from the Greek Aviation Authority to obtain right to fly into and out of Athens.Other things on the list:Jeppesen supplies the software for proper flight planning. They also supply weather en route among other things.ATPCO - anything that has to do with fares, fare displays, confirmation numbers, all goes through Airline Tariff Publishing Company. They in turn, “push” it to SABRE for it to be published. Every travel agency company/travel website has a “PSUEDO Code” (pronouced pu-say-dough). So when you look for fares online, the airline had to file them and “push” it through. Also the airlines publish “Private Fare Filings” for specific consolidators, travel agents, websites, etc. This is why you may find different fares on multiple websites.Sabre for revenue, global evaluation capabilities, market share info, comparing fares.“Open Sky”/Gaitan responsible for baggage and boarding passes, this was going to be outsourced to Swissport.IATA Registration, Set-up of Codeshare/Interline Network, Set-up of Ground Operations, Completion of Department of Transportation Criteria, Landing Rights at ORD, IAD and ATH as well as securing gate availability.Below you will see the Organizational Chart for Aellas, which would be similar to any start-up airline. The Chief Pilot would manage a total of 16 pilots and co-pilots, 45 flight attendants would be under the Chief Purser, and all the Station Managers would report to the COO. This for two Boeing 777–200s serving four cities, three in the United States and one in Athens, Greece.A 767–300ER Route Analysis Summary from Boeing, below (note the various routes). There is one for the 777–200 as well, but not pictured. Many parts of the business plan has been purposely omitted.Some key points and facts:Air Tahiti Nui livery is a flower dropped in the water.Air Tahiti Nui executives told me when their newly purchased A340 landed at the Papeete airport for the delivery, they got emotional and teary-eyed.Upon boarding a Papeete-Los Angeles flight, the pilot came to my seat, and asked me to follow him to the cockpit. One of the most incredible memories of my life - flying jump seat on the A340 for take-off.I met with the various airport management offices of the three airports. This is where I was able to get airport rates (like the document below) and discuss the process of securing a slot.Olympic Airways was tentatively going to give Aellas their JFK slots in exchange for a codeshare. At that time, Olympic was very interested to work together.I discussed with the CEO of Ethiopian to codeshare the US-Athens-Addis Ababa route. The Aellas flight would connect to a Athens-Addis flight 2–3xs a week.The engines are better off without paint and/or logo. This is because if the outer shell needs to be replaced (or an engine) it can be taken off another plane without having to worry about matching the color or logo. The same goes for the nose.Swissport was to be the handling agent on behalf of Aellas at all airports. The Airport Manager at the various airports would serve as liaison between Aellas and Swissport. Swissport provides passenger handling, weight and balance of aircraft, ramp/cleaning, aircraft maintenance, deicing and counter space. Also cargo handling, departure lounges for VIPs and biz class passengersRoyal Olympic Cruises (ROC) committed to 40,000 to 50,000 seats during the May through August, 2003–2005, for their cruise ships. ROC wanted a separate check-in counter at airport as well as their logo on the headrests for a number of seats. Shortly after 9/11, ROC ran into financial problems and was folded into the Louis Group.Wanted to take advantage of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.I met with the then CEO of United Airlines who put me in touch with the codeshare office. I have to dig up the correspondence between United and Aellas for names, but at that time they were, “…happy with the Lufthansa relationship” but were interested in an interline agreement, which is one step before a codeshare.I met with founders of Aegean Air to see if there were any opportunities to work together. Aegean was just beginning to offer a handful of international destinations. They were not too happy with the plans for Aellas.Most in-flight magazines are out-sourced to publication houses like Conde-Nast.Cost of catering for business class per seat is less than $20.Business class kits are some times given by the brand being marketed, otherwise are very inexpensive to produce, about $2-$5.Studies showed a handful of other cities between US to/from Southern Europe are underserved like Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome and Athens. Also charter opportunities existed for the winter months in the Southern Hemisphere$100 million cash to start was what was needed for my model. Air Tahiti Nui thought $70 million was the magic number. You want to have cash available just in case.Looking back, the airline would have hit major headwinds, from 9/11 to the oil crisis and the economic meltdown in 2008–2009.Airport authorities monetize every movement from the moment the plane lands at their airport until it departs. Below you will find two of five pages from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for Washington Dulles, every airport has more of less the same breakdown. Every single action has a price tag - take a look below, which I found to be very interesting. For the first year of service, airlines flying into Athens Airport received a full year of services gratis.A sliver of the numbers part of a business plan for an airline, below. I want to give you an idea of how detailed and thorough a plan is for a start-up airline. The model was kept simple and uncomplicated. Cargo was also included, roughly 10% of revenue.At that time, before the announcement of the Dreamliner, Boeing told me I should get some 737 long-hauls and start flying them across the Atlantic because that is where the future is headed (what Norwegian is doing now).Cash Airplane Related Operating Costs, below, for four types of long-haul aircraft.LOPA or “Layout of Passenger Arrangement” (below). This was during a time when lie flat in business class was a new concept, also the entire economy class cabin was to be similar to United’s Economy Plus.Airline services are broken into four “Modules”, each giving a snap-shot of the the entire airline: Module One - General Information; Module Two -Configuration Data; Module Three - On-board Services (below); Module Four - Ground ServicesADDITION: Some questions I am being asked,Will you consider starting this up again? I never say never. The landscape has changed. Greece is in an economic spiral (even though Aegean is making money) and now United, Delta, and now, Emirates (Emirates!) have jumped into the picture. For Emirates to make this their second European-US route says a lot. What I would do differently is do exactly what Air Tahiti Nui is doing - changing to an all Dreamliner fleet. This is what I would do, the 787 is a very good airplane, and a workhorse. I would get a fleet of 787s and fly to Europe non-stop from places like Kansas City and Des Moines.