{"id":30725,"date":"2020-07-07T21:38:07","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T21:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/07\/heres-where-the-air-forces-pilot-shortfall-is-the-worst\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:58:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:58:00","slug":"heres-where-the-air-forces-pilot-shortfall-is-the-worst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/07\/07\/heres-where-the-air-forces-pilot-shortfall-is-the-worst\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s where the Air Force\u2019s pilot shortfall is the worst"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite the Air Force\u2019s full-court press in recent years to close its persistent and troubling pilot shortfall<\/a>, the gaps in crucial categories remain \u2014 and in some cases, have worsened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force closed out 2019 with roughly 1 in 10 bomber, fighter and special operations pilot billets vacant<\/a>, according to statistics the service provided at Air Force Times\u2019 request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in two cases, the manning situation is consistently heading in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among 11B bomber pilots, for example, the Air Force was more than fully manned from 2015 to 2017. But manning fell 17 percentage points in recent years, from a high of 108 percent in fiscal 2016 to 91 percent in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for 11F fighter pilots, the gap remains, year after year. Manning levels dropped to 90 percent in 2017 and 2018, before increasing to 93 percent \u2014 but still below full manning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11S special operations pilots themselves saw a steep drop-off from 2017 to 2018, when manning fell from 98 percent to 92 percent, and then declined further to 88 percent in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force said its manning statistics cover pilots who were lieutenant colonels or below, and excluded most staff positions, the document said. The Air Force declined to release actual manning numbers broken out by type of pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a June 25 interview, Maj. Gen. Jake Jacobson, director of the Air Force\u2019s aircrew crisis task force, which was established to fix the shortfall, said those manning numbers don\u2019t tell the whole story about Air Force pilot manning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force makes sure its pacing units \u2014 combat-coded squadrons that need to be ready for a high-end fight against a major adversary like China or Russia \u2014 are manned at 100 percent, Jacobson said. Other operational units, such as training units, are typically manned at between 95 percent and 100 percent, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you had access to our classified reporting system \u2026 what you\u2019d see is the manning at the tactical edge, at the combat-unit levels and the training units, are higher than the numbers you see in the bomber, fighter and\u201d special operations pilot fields, Jacobson said. \u201cWe make a conscious decision as a service to man the units that do the work of the United States Air Force, out on the leading edge, as close to 100 percent as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what that means, Jacobson said, is that the shortages appear not at line units, but on the staffs at the numbered Air Force, major command, combatant command and headquarters levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the staffs around the world paid a penalty\u201d to keep tactical units fully manned, Jacobson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/th>FY 2015<\/th>FY 2016<\/th>FY 2017<\/th>FY 2018<\/th>FY 2019<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
11B bomber<\/td>106%<\/td>108%<\/td>105%<\/td>92%<\/td>91%<\/td><\/tr>
11F fighter<\/td>95%<\/td>94%<\/td>90%<\/td>90%<\/td>93%<\/td><\/tr>
11H rescue<\/td>92%<\/td>93%<\/td>96%<\/td>96%<\/td>102%<\/td><\/tr>
11M mobility<\/td>125%<\/td>120%<\/td>113%<\/td>106%<\/td>108%<\/td><\/tr>
11R recon\/\nsurveillance\/\nelectronic warfare<\/td>131%<\/td>149%<\/td>143%<\/td>133%<\/td>127%<\/td><\/tr>
11S special operations<\/td>96%<\/td>99%<\/td>98%<\/td>92%<\/td>88%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force has \u2014 at least in the short term \u2014 arrested the downward trend in pilot manning, Jacobson said. The manning problem worried top Air Force leaders so much that Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein and former Secretary Heather Wilson repeatedly warned that it had the potential to \u201cbreak the force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a sign of improvement, Jacobson said that a combination of improved production and retention has helped the Air Force keep its inventory roughly level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, he said, the service leaders aren\u2019t satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing 2,100 short isn\u2019t in the Air Force\u2019s best interest,\u201d Jacobson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Capt. Joshua Logie walks away from a B-52 Stratofortress at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, after an exercise. The Air Force continues to struggle with pilot retention even after offering big bonuses to entice them to stay. (Staff Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overall, Jacobson said, the entire Air Force finished fiscal 2019 short about 2,100 pilots \u2014 950 in the active-duty Air Force, 650 in the Air National Guard, and 500 in the Air Force Reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A deeper look at those numbers shows more about the challenge facing the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the active-duty side, Jacobson said, the Air Force finished 2019 short about 1,700 rated company-grade officers \u2014 lieutenants and captains. But it was over capacity among its field-grade officers, particularly majors and lieutenant colonels, by 750. Those numbers combined account for the overall 950-pilot shortfall on active duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\t