U.S. Air Force is Short 1,650 Pilots, Report Says

The shortage of fighter pilots has prompted the service to staff operational units with field grade officers, a service official said.

Kimberly Johnson

Tuesday, April 05, 2022 at 10:20 AM ET

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The USAF reported it employed 13,789 active duty officers with a pilot aeronautical rating in 2021. [Courtesy: Nellis Air Force Base]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force is currently short 1,650 pilots, particularly company-grade officers and fighter pilots, although this is an improvement from the previous year's deficit.
This shortage forces retired pilots to return and more experienced field-grade officers to fly missions instead of filling staff positions, creating a potential long-term pipeline problem.
The Air Force is actively implementing strategies to alleviate the shortfall, including accelerating pilot training programs, creating pathways for civilians and active-duty airmen with flying experience, and increasing the number of pilots trained annually.
Despite making headway, officials state that fully correcting the long-standing pilot shortage will be a lengthy process, likely taking a decade or more.

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The U.S. Air Force is short 1,650 pilots and has brought back retired pilots to help fill staffing gaps created by a lack of company-grade officers, according to a new report.

“That’s an improvement over last year, where we were just over 1,900 pilots short,” Maj. Gen. Albert Miller, Air Force director of training and readiness for operations, told the Federal News Network recently. “We see that as a positive for the Air Force, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to get us back to where we want to be.”