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DOD Needs to Reevaluate Fighter Pilot Workforce Requirements: GAO Report

Shawn Reed

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Published in MILITARY PERSONNEL: DOD Needs To Reevaluate Fighter Pilot Workforce Requirements (GAO DOD)

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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report finding that the Department of Defense (DOD) needs to reevaluate its fighter pilot workforce requirements. The report found that the DOD is facing a shortage of fighter pilots and that the current requirements for fighter pilots are too stringent.

MILITARY PERSONNEL: DOD Needs to Reevaluate Fighter Pilot Workforce Requirements (GAO - DOD)

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The report found that the DOD is facing a shortage of fighter pilots. The GAO estimates that the DOD will need to recruit and train an additional 1,000 fighter pilots over the next five years to meet its operational requirements. However, the GAO found that the DOD is not currently on track to meet this goal.

The report also found that the current requirements for fighter pilots are too stringent. The GAO found that the DOD requires fighter pilots to have at least 1,500 flight hours and to have graduated from a four-year college. The GAO found that these requirements are too high and that they are preventing the DOD from recruiting and retaining enough fighter pilots.

The GAO recommends that the DOD make changes to its fighter pilot workforce requirements. The GAO recommends that the DOD reduce the number of required flight hours and experience, and increase the number of non-rated officers who can become fighter pilots.

The GAO's recommendations are supported by a number of experts. Dr. John Stillion, a former fighter pilot and professor at the Air Force Academy, said that the DOD's current fighter pilot workforce requirements are "outdated and unrealistic." Dr. Stillion said that the DOD needs to reduce the number of required flight hours and experience, and increase the number of non-rated officers who can become fighter pilots.

The DOD has not yet responded to the GAO's report. However, the GAO's findings are likely to spark a debate about the future of the fighter pilot workforce.

The GAO's report is a wake-up call for the DOD. The DOD needs to take action to address the fighter pilot shortage and to reevaluate its fighter pilot workforce requirements. The GAO's recommendations are a good starting point for the DOD to begin to address these issues.

MILITARY PERSONNEL: DOD Needs to Reevaluate Fighter Pilot Workforce Requirements (GAO - DOD)

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