Combat aircraft

atmosphere was not dismissed as being

dysfunctional, but was true to the term, ‘a

hard-working, patriotic American family’.

When looking at today’s family structure,

openmindedness and patriotism

towards service members appear to be

in regression. One can easily discern that

there are no normative structures nor set

demands that can be assumed when it

comes to family roles. The breadwinner

approach is dwindling — the percentage

of dual working parents in the family

environment was close to 62 per cent in

2016. There are no more gender rules,
      only astronomically high neo-normative
      societal expectations to be met by
      family members. When fed by military
      expectations, this leaves the service
      member continually questioning whether
      or not the ends are justifying their means.
      While free college, student loan tuition
      assistance, a retirement pension, and
      various health coverage plans for not only
      the service member but also their family
      may be enticing, re-enlistment is not.
      Why is this? In an age where nothing is
      certain, a pilot can be assured that upon
      completion of a 20-year career in the air
      force they will be living comfortably, and
      have the opportunity to continue their

flying career or go down an entirely new

path. But this still is not enough to fill

the present gap in pilot numbers. Once

again, it is not necessarily a logistical issue,

but one stemming from the individual’s

motives and beliefs.

Why bring this up when discussing an

issue pertaining to pilot shortages? With

this comes the pilots’ existential struggle

with guilt, especially when dealing with

family absence. The individual is left to

question whether what he or she is doing

is really worth it. The solution to retention

is not monetary but individualized, a case-

by-case, situationally dependent answer.

The solution lies within the individuals

themselves; it cannot be provided

by the USAF.

Patching leaks

When assessing how to tackle this

dilemma we must analyze answers that

do not originate from the granting of

more tangible items, such as money, but

through means of solidifying the necessity

of military service.

During a confirmation hearing for Shon

Manasco, the Assistant Secretary of the

Air Force for Manpower and Reserve

Affairs, Senate Armed Services Committee

A career as a military pilot is a

commitment to the military, which is

founded around the ideals of safeguarding the

United States

THE

PILOT CRISIS

of the changing face of life in 21st-

century America.

While some may see this issue as

simply pointing to disinterest and a lack

of monetary compensation for those

who wish to join the services, there is an

underlying aspect to this situation that

points to an existing generational gap.

The concept of ‘family time’ has taken

on much more precedence in today’s

lifestyle than before. The increased length

of deployments and decreased family

interaction have altered the way in which

prospective service members consider

their careers.

While the most efficient family structure

of the 1950s consisted of a father figure

and breadwinner working from nine to

five, returning home to a hot meal and

a welcoming family, a lifestyle suitable

for most at that time, it is becoming

increasingly obsolete. In a report for the

Council on Contemporary Families, it

is noted that, in the 1950s, 65 per cent

of all children under 15 were being

raised in these traditional ‘breadwinner-

homemaker’ families, while today only 22

per cent are. For some military families in

the mid-20th century, everyday fatherly

interaction was often lacking. This type of

Below: The

mission marks

on this F-16CM

tell the story

— active-duty

squadrons are

regularly on the

road on combat

operations.

Jamie Hunter

http://www.combataircraft.net // May 2018 27

26-28 US Pilot retention C.indd 27 20/03/2018 11:06