Increasing Fighter Pilot Retention with Improved Basing Decisions
Increasing Fighter Pilot Retention with Improved Basing Decisions

Author: Russell H. Williams

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 103

ISBN-13:

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The Air Force currently faces a substantial pilot shortage. Two decades of elevated operational tempos, tight budgets, and robust airline hiring have motivated pilots to leave active duty service in record numbers, eroding the Service's stock of experienced aviators. The global recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic may have temporarily subdued commercial airlines' demand for military trained pilots, but these conditions won't last forever, and soon the Air Force will once again need to retain experienced aircrew when the airlines are hiring. This dissertation leverages a value-added model to identify changes to Air Force basing policy that could improve fighter pilot retention outcomes. Using a value-added model to analyze twenty years of fighter pilot retention data highlights significant variation in retention outcomes at installations across the USAF's basing posture. Comparing retention outcomes to the communities surrounding military installations can demonstrate pilots' revealed installation preferences. Investigating recent retention trends at prospective F-35 bases yields insights into the potential retention consequences of future basing decisions. This dissertation recommends that the Air Force continue to gather as much data as possible about pilots' personal and professional preferences, so that individuals can be matched with tailored, retention improving assignments. Next, the Air Force should use these preferences to more fully understand pilots' revealed assignment and installation preferences. Lastly, these preferences should be incorporated into the Air Force's Strategic Basing Process to move the Service towards a basing posture that passively supports pilot retention with every basing decision.

Three Recommendations for Improving Air Force Pilot Retention
Three Recommendations for Improving Air Force Pilot Retention

Author: Tobias Switzer

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13:

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Former Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein publicly called the service's pilot shortage a crisis in 2016 when the Air Force had a deficit of 1,500 pilots. Today, the gap is 2,100 pilots. The global pandemic and subsequent impacts on the airline industry will result in more pilots remaining in the service, for now. However, in the next few years, over 20,000 airline pilots will reach the mandatory age limit of 65 and will have to be replaced. The Air Force has a short window of opportunity to make longer military service more attractive to its pilots. Retention is critical because of the massive investment of resources to train a combat-ready pilot and because the Air Force needs its experienced pilots to take on advanced leadership and management roles. This report proposes three ways the Air Force and Congress can increase pilots' career satisfaction and gain longer service commitments without additional outlays. These recommendations increase a pilot's agency inside the Air Force while giving the service more stability and predictability in its pilot manning.

Three Non-monetary Recommendations for Improving Air Force Pilot Retention
Three Non-monetary Recommendations for Improving Air Force Pilot Retention

Author: Tobias Switzer

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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"Beginning in 2012, early departures of active duty Air Force pilots accelerated to red-line levels causing a massive shortage today. Upon completion of their service commitments, 4,255 pilots separated in the 2012-2019 period compared to 2,529 in 2004-2011. A normal stream of departures quickly became a cascade as too many pilots eschewed full military careers and part-time opportunities to serve in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves as well. Former Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein publicly called the pilot manning situation a “crisis” in 2016 when the Air Force believed it was short 1,500 pilots. Since then, Air Force senior leaders, including three Secretaries of the Air Force, have regularly testified in Congress about the pilot shortage and the potential adverse effects on national security, if left unchecked. Requiring roughly 20,000 pilots between active, guard, and reserve components, the Air Force is straining to meet its defense obligations. The departures over the last decade resulted in a current shortage of 2,100 pilots, 1,300 of whom fly fighters."--Introduction.

Military Personnel
Military Personnel

Author: Mark E. Gebicke

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2000-04

Total Pages: 74

ISBN-13: 9780788187254

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DoD reported shortages of 2,000 pilots at the end of FY1998 and projected that shortages would continue for several years. Retaining qualified pilots is important to ensure that operational requirements can be met and to recoup the substantial investments the services make in training their pilots. This report reviews and identifies reasons for the military pilot shortages and offers solutions. It determined: the services' reported and projected estimates of their pilot shortages; the basis for the services' pilot requirements; key factors that account for the reported pilot shortages; and concerns that are causing pilots to consider leaving the military. Tables.

Fighter Pilot Retention and the Squadron Perspective
Fighter Pilot Retention and the Squadron Perspective

Author: Urban E Dishart (III.)

Publisher:

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13:

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The USAF is currently experiencing a serious pilot retention problem that is not merely a short-term cyclical phenomenon. Retention numbers are low and forecast to remain that way into the next decade. This study will discuss fighter pilot retention in the Tactical Air Forces (TAF) and suggest a perspective from the squadron level. This study will review the history of pilot retention, describe the causes of the attrition, discuss programs that respond to those causes, and show the unit level perspective. The study concludes that fighter pilots are leaving the Air Force for reasons that go beyond the financial draw of the airlines and that the solution to the problem is in the fighter squadron itself.

Reducing Air Force Fighter Pilot Shortages
Reducing Air Force Fighter Pilot Shortages

Author: Albert A. Robbert

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780833091734

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Examines potential paths for overcoming the persistent and critical shortage of fighter pilots that the Air Force has faced over the past several decades.

Flattening the Curve
Flattening the Curve

Author: Troy Wing

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 29

ISBN-13:

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"This study analyzes how the United States economy's cyclic nature relates to airline hiring trends and, therefore, pilot shortages in the United States Air Force. By understanding the economy's significance concerning the pilot retention cycle, the Air Force can more accurately forecast when increased retention efforts are necessary and can proactively implement incentive tools. This paper first discusses the Air Force pilot shortage history and establishes a relationship between the United States economy, airline pilot hiring, and Air Force pilot retention. It then discusses the Air Force's historical and current retention mechanisms and concludes with recommendations the Air Force should take to reduce the pilot deficit."--Abstract.

Fighter Basing Options to Improve Access to Advanced Training Ranges
Fighter Basing Options to Improve Access to Advanced Training Ranges

Author: Bradley DeBlois

Publisher:

Published: 2021-10-31

Total Pages: 78

ISBN-13: 9781977406439

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The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has determined that its fighter pilots do not currently have sufficient access to training ranges with airspace, threat emitters, targets, and electronic support measures capable of representing advanced potential adversaries. The USAF is developing a plan to upgrade certain ranges with these capabilities. In addition, the USAF may consider potential fighter squadron restationing options that would improve access to the upgraded training ranges. The authors developed an optimization model to determine the combinations of range upgrades and squadron restationing options that provide the highest levels of effectiveness given different policy constraints. They developed one-time move costs associated with squadron restationing and compared those with preliminary range upgrade cost estimates. Finally, the authors collected data on the risks from natural hazards and power outages for the set of bases and ranges under consideration. The authors found that range upgrades alone might not ensure sufficient access to advanced ranges and that restationing fighter squadrons can provide additional access, but the amount depends on institutional freedom to make restationing decisions. The one-time costs for restationing a fighter squadron and range modernization are on the same order of magnitude, but range upgrades may be substantially more expensive over the long term. The authors recommend that the USAF assess the effectiveness, costs, and risks of restationing presented in this report against other potential solutions for providing access to advanced ranges.

Absorbing Air Force Fighter Pilots
Absorbing Air Force Fighter Pilots

Author: William W. Taylor

Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 14

ISBN-13: 9780833031822

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The US Air Force is facing unprecedented problems in its efforts to provide adequate training for new and inexperienced pilots in its operational fighter units. This report assesses the Air Force's training dilemma with a view to finding ways to remedy it in both the short and long term.