{"id":16859,"date":"2017-12-04T21:12:18","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T21:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/12\/04\/air-force-slashes-maintainer-shortfall-in-2017\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:25:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:25:34","slug":"air-force-slashes-maintainer-shortfall-in-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2017\/12\/04\/air-force-slashes-maintainer-shortfall-in-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force slashes maintainer shortfall in 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force has made considerable progress whittling down the massive maintainer shortfall that it once feared was threatening the service\u2019s aircraft readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air Force officials said that at the end of fiscal 2017, the service was short about 400 maintainers. That\u2019s 10 percent of the roughly 4,000-maintainer shortfall the Air Force reported at the end of fiscal 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of fiscal 2016, the Air Force said it was about 3,400 maintainers short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done to get the maintenance ranks back up to full strength. Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews said it will be five to seven years before the newly hired maintainers are fully seasoned and experienced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are continuously evaluating opportunities to improve our readiness as quickly and effectively as possible,\u201d McAndrews said.
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