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, a slight improvement from last year, with the largest gaps in company-grade officers and fighter pilots.
This shortage forces experienced field-grade officers into flying roles, diverting them from staff positions and potentially hindering future leadership development.
To address the shortfall, the Air Force is recalling retired pilots and implementing strategies like accelerated training programs (UPT 2.5, Civil Path to Wings) and internal preparatory programs for active-duty airmen.
Despite progress in training more pilots, fully resolving this long-standing shortage is expected to take 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.”