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11/14/17

USA: Air Force faces serious 2,000-pilot shortage - by Ellen Mitchell

Top Air Force leaders and lawmakers are warning that a pilot shortage of 2,000 could cripple the service, leaving it unready to handle its responsibilities.

"With 2,000 pilots short, it'll break the force. It'll break it," Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said on Thursday during the annual State of the Air Force news conference.


The Air Force needs 20,000 pilots minimum to fly its wide range of aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters, transport planes, support attack planes and cargo aircraft. At the start of the year, it said it had 18,500 pilots, well short of its minimum.

As of last week, the shortfall has jumped to a full 2,000 - meaning about 10 percent of its positions are unfilled. The majority are fighter pilots.

The problem is not that the Air Force is having trouble recruiting. It's that airlines are offering bigger paychecks, and pilots are leaving when they are up for reenlistment.

The Air Force has tried to get its pilots to stay by offering contract extensions of just one or two years with $35,000 bonuses. That's much less of a commitment than the five- and nine-year extensions typically offered.

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