From the fictional characters like Ice Man and Maverick in “Top Gun” to real-life heroes such as Chuck Yeager and Neil Armstrong in “The Right Stuff,” the image of a fighter pilot from any era remains iconic. For as long as aircraft have ruled the skies, men and women have climbed into cockpits to answer their country’s call.
However, as each branch of the Department of Defense continues to modernize for future conflicts, they face a significant problem of not having enough pilots to meet the needs of today’s military. The U.S. Air Force is at the forefront of this issue.
At this year’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Air Force leadership detailed how the service is short by nearly 2,000 pilots, more than 1,100 of whom are fighter pilots.
“Suffice it to say, it remains a chronic issue, as you have highlighted, and one that these gentlemen, I’m sure will have great solutions how we’re going to fix it. It’s all easy. We know it’s not. It’s very complex, and frankly, takes input from across the force to understand best how we do what the nation requires of us as an Air Force,” Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, USAF (Ret.), vice president of strategic campaigns at Lockheed Martin said.
One way the Air Force has tried to tackle the problem is by changing how new pilots are trained and assigned to the Air Force’s wide array of aircraft and their various missions. The goal is to reduce the time it takes to move candidates through the pipeline.
“Today, the average pilot training officer is going to go to pilot training, from a commission to pilot or being mission qualified in their platform. 528 days, give or take if you’re going to mobility, it’s about 400 and some, about 430 days and it, you know, that’s way too long. We need to get airmen on their mission, in their platform, in their combat squadron,” Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, commander of the Air Education and Training Command, said.
Robinson also pointed to a program that allows candidates already possessing a pilot’s license and looking to fly refuelers or cargo aircraft the chance to start in the T-1 Jayhawk, a medium-range, twin-engine jet, rather than the traditional route of starting in the T-6. This can cut months off time spent in the pipeline and get pilots to their first assignment sooner.
“We’ve had 16 folks go through the KC-135 portion, all have passed their check rides. Q1, couple, not on the first time through, but that’s normal. And the C-130J, we’ve had 22 go through, and again, all at low risk have met on time and passed their check rides,” Robinson said.
For those set on flying fighters or bombers, they still start on the T-6 before moving onto the T-38. Once pilots graduate from that phase, they typically move onto platforms like the F-16, F-35 and B-1. While the Air Force tries to pair graduates with their aircraft of choice, they now ask airmen to broaden the scope of what they are willing to fly, such as airlift or tankers.
“It doesn’t mean that if you go to T-38 you’re not going to get a fighter. It means that you might not get a fighter. One benefit to the member is that you continue to move through your pipeline more quickly, and you get to a flight line and an OP squadron sooner than you would have going another direction, we’re looking at ways to ensure that there’s still some element of choice and that merit matters, and so how well you do certainly will matter in some of these selections. But we also need to be aware that this is good for the Air Force, and we have to fight against those things that are hurting this pilot shortage and contributing to it, and find ways to overcome it,” Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, deputy chief of staff for operations, stated.
Another avenue the Air Force is pursuing is making a concerted effort to keep pilots looking to leave active duty aware of the opportunities available in the guard and reserve components.
“Everybody’s life changes as you move through service. And you start a business, you have kids, you know, family doesn’t want to move around, whatever the reason is, the reserve component offers a position for you no matter what phase of life you’re in,” Maj. Gen. Randal Efferson, acting commander of the ANG Readiness Center, shared.
“We need this symbiotic relationship. It’s not active duty versus Reserve component, or Reserve component versus active duty. We want the right balance there. And you know my message, I really hope you stay on active duty, but if you can’t, I really need you to go to the Reserve component so that I have access to your skills when the fight comes, because that’s really all I give a crap about to be real honest with you, right? When the fight comes, will we be ready, and will I have the forces to go, to go implement our nation’s interests with kinetic air power,” Spain added.
At this point, one might think, “What if we just had fewer manned aircraft and relied more on unmanned platforms?” To that point, retired Air Force Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian offered this counter.
“As we talk, as you know, great power competition, I’d argue numbers are important, and I don’t think you guys would argue with me. And so how we do that going forward? And we can talk about mixes of man and unmanned, but people matter. War. Fighting is about humans, and humans are required to fly airplanes, and so we got to think our way through that,” Harrigian said.
With a cumulative 12 stars and decades of experience, the four airmen all agreed there is no one quick fix to this ongoing problem. They insisted it will take a holistic approach to reach recruiting, training and retention goals the Air Force has been chasing for years.
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