chairman John McCain stated, ‘You
are facing a personnel crisis, and what
confounds me is the air force comes over
to say, ‘we need more money’. You are
addressing this issue of pilot shortage
from exactly the wrong direction.’
McCain went on to jibe, ‘We need
to compensate them, but $50,000,
$70,000, whatever the hell it is, that’s
not going to attract them because they
can be outbid’. From this perspective,
the issue and solution are about much
more than money, and much more than
compensation.
It’s said that military service is a family
business, and with this comes certain
responsibilities that should be assumed
by each member of that family. In today’s
world, there are no family roles to be
assumed since the breadwinner mindset
is fading. So where do we go from here?
If the military can convey the mindset
that a career as an aviator is not based
on monetary gains, then a solution
may be feasible. A career as a military
pilot is a commitment to the military,
which is founded around the ideals of
safeguarding the United States. It doesn’t
require a spur-of-the-moment decision,
nor a financial calculation, but a deep
level of contemplation and spousal
agreement, all of which are part of
serving the military apparatus as a pilot.
That in turn demands an understanding
that sacrifices will be an inherent aspect
of the job.
Monetary compensation and an
increased benefits package are not the
answer to overcoming the current pilot
shortage, but solidifying the ideals of
a pilot’s duties in the armed service
is. USAF chief of staff Dave Goldfein is
working hard to address the issue. He
wants to remove the wealth of secondary
duties from a pilot’s working day, as well
as expanding the size of the air force in
terms of manning. This will help relieve
some of the pressure on the squadrons,
though the operational tempo doesn’t
look like easing any time soon.
The pilot shortage will be mitigated,
and the USAF will return to having a
competent fleet of dedicated pilots. What
is concerning, though, is the possibility of
a vicious cycle in which a fully equipped
USAF suffers the thinning of its pilot
workforce. By trial and error, the USAF
will remedy retention issues and be a
fully functional apparatus, but patching
these leaks in attempts to prevent this
reoccurring complication will require
persistent consideration.Left top to bottom:
Some see an air
force career as
their duty, an
ethos that needs
to be harnessed
if manning
issues are to
be overcome.
USAF/379th AEW
The KC-135 tanker
squadrons are
some of the
hardest-worked
units, away on
deployment
with alarming
regularity.
USAF/379th AEWSPECIAL REPORT // US AIR FORCE PILOT SHORTAGE
26-28 US Pilot retention C.indd 28 20/03/2018 11:06