![]() ![]() Increasing the production of pilots is also more expensive than retaining aviators. Indeed, in a 2019 report to Congress, the Air Force admitted that training more new pilots cannot solve its pilot shortage. In other words, increased production of pilots is part of a longer-term solution, but only part. ![]() Plus, even if the service sends more pilots through training, it takes years for new aviators to gain the experience of the mid-career pilots who are leaving the service. But at that rate, assuming other variables remain constant, it would take more than a decade to address the current shortfall. Training new pilots and providing them with the experience that makes them more effective in combat are time- and resource-intensive.Īir Force undergraduate pilot training production was 1,381 in fiscal year 2021, up from 1,263 the previous year. An ideal solution, of course, should seek to do both.īut there are reasons to believe that the best opportunities to address the pilot shortage problem can be found in retention over production. Well, there are basically two ways to effectively address the pilot shortage problem: produce more pilots and persuade more to stay in the service. Those offers will undoubtedly seem tempting to some pilots whose active-duty service commitments are ending – mid-career officers who may be flying less or who are concerned about the impact of the military lifestyle on children who are getting older. ![]() That shortage will lead commercial airlines to offer more attractive offers to woo Air Force pilots into civilian cockpits. Indeed, according to federal labor statistics, the US airline industry needs to hire 14,500 new pilots each year until 2030, yet the United States reportedly produces just 5,000 to 7,000 pilots annually. In fact, the Total Air Force (Active, Guard, and Reserve) was short 1,650 pilots in 2021, and the shortfall will likely only get worse. The problem is that the service consistently struggles to retain enough aviators to fly those aircraft. Eyeing a possible conflict with China in the coming years, the US Air Force is trying to field next-generation aircraft in sufficient quantities to help deter aggression and achieve victory if deterrence fails. Brian Leitzke argue that more needs to be done to ensure the Air Force has a steady supply of the most critical piece of the puzzle: pilots.īeijing demonstrated its growing military strength this month as the People’s Liberation Army conducted large-scale air and naval exercises around Taiwan and even fired missiles over the island. But in the op-ed below, FDD’s Bradley Bowman and Maj. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Leon Redfern)Įach year the Pentagon spends billions of dollars upgrading older aircraft, buying new ones and developing super-secret next-generation capabilities. Friedel, 35th Fighter Wing commander, steps out of an F-16 Fighting Falcon cockpit after his fini-flight at Misawa Air Base, Japan, June 22, 2022. ![]()
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