11 octobre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

Air Force hopes to train 1,500 new pilots each year by 2022 to help solve shortage

By:

The Air Force hopes to be able to train 1,500 new pilots each year by fiscal 2022 as part of its effort to solve its troubling shortage of aviators.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said at a Senate Armed Services readiness and management support subcommittee hearing Wednesday that the Air Force trained 1,160 new pilots in fiscal 2017, and expects to train 1,311 in fiscal 2019, before expanding further.

The Air Force has taken several steps to try to improve air crew's quality of life and quality of service, and solve problems that might be leading some to choose to leave the Air Force. Wilson highlighted efforts to reduce operating tempos, revitalize squadrons and restore support staffs so air crew can concentrate on flying, as well as generous incentive pay and bonuses.

The Air Force is also working on testing a “fly-only” technical track for interested airmen, and giving air crew greater input on assignments.

But, Wilson said, “retention efforts alone will not solve the aircrew shortage," leading the Air Force to beef up its training capacity.

Increased pilot training capacity could become even more important as the Air Force seeks to increase its number of operational squadrons from 312 to 386 by the end of 2030.

Wilson told lawmakers that restoring readiness must be a top priority of the Air Force. The service is focusing on fixing readiness in the 204 operational squadrons that would be most important in a high-end fight. By the end of 2020, she said the Air Force hopes 80 percent of those units will have the right number of properly trained and equipped airmen. And two years after that, Wilson hopes 80 percent of all 312 operational squadrons will be ready.

The Air Force has already made significant progress in cutting the maintainer shortage, Wilson said. Two years ago, the Air Force was short 4,000 maintainers, but by December, that gap is expected to be completely eliminated.

But the Air Force's work on maintenance isn't done. Wilson said these new, green maintainers must be seasoned until they have enough experience to do more complicated or unsupervised work.

Full article: https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/10/10/air-force-hopes-to-train-1500-new-pilots-each-year-by-2022-to-help-solve-shortage

Sur le même sujet

  • How the Marines will use uncrewed tech, according to acquisitions boss

    5 avril 2023 | International, Aérospatial

    How the Marines will use uncrewed tech, according to acquisitions boss

    The Corps’ experimentation with systems that require no crew comes as part of an ambitious revamp of the service.

  • Opinion: Six Ways COVID-19 Could Change Defense Sector

    2 avril 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Opinion: Six Ways COVID-19 Could Change Defense Sector

    Byron Callan The coronavirus pandemic is going to be as consequential for defense and security as were the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S. For the defense sector, there are multiple implications to ponder and possibly to begin to position for as these play out in 2021 and beyond. Large contractors should fare relatively well in 2020, compared to other sectors. They will not see the demand destruction that is ripping through commercial aerospace and therefore are unlikely to experience financial duress. That alone may enable them to act strategically and aggressively in 2020 and beyond, although there are risks to weigh as well. Here are six changes to ponder: First, a crisis the size of the COVID-19 pandemic is bound to spawn new government investment and organization to address future outbreaks. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks led to the formation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and creation of the position of director of national intelligence. It's fair to assume there will be changes in the wake of the current pandemic. Some contractors already have federal services segments that address U.S. health care. Core skills they can bring are dealing with bureaucracies, technology and regulations. There should be new opportunities in 2021 and beyond from whatever changes are made to improve the national resilience and response to future pandemics. Second, small and medium-size businesses are being stressed. The CARES Act in the U.S. may help somewhat, and changes in Defense Department progress payment rates could be another short-term relief. Large contractors might choose to vertically integrate to improve their fortitude against future shocks. Or there could be further consolidation, particularly of distressed suppliers. A reintegration of defense and commercial aerospace is a third change that might emerge. The Raytheon-United Technologies merger may be a harbinger of this shift. The ramifications of the coronavirus crisis on the air transport and commercial aerospace sectors could lead to structural changes and a need for capital, particularly in commercial aerospace. If valuations remain depressed in 2020-21 in commercial aerospace, there could be more opportunity for defense contractors to reintegrate. A fourth change could be to expectations for contractors. The model for U.S. defense since 1945 has largely been that the Pentagon pays for the bulk of research and development, and contractors can reclaim most of their own research and development as an allowable cost for which they are reimbursed. Operating margins have generally risen, compared to levels evidenced in the 1980s and before, and large contractors have in the last 15-20 years allocated most free cash flow to shareholders. It is conceivable that this model will change in the 2020s. Operating margins may appear to be ho-hum compared to other sectors, but returns on invested capital are attractive. If there is a greater squeeze on the Pentagon budget and demand for security remains steady or increases, this could compel the Pentagon to change expectations for contractor behavior. Could they be expected to take on more contract risk? Will they need to step up their own independent research and development funding or find more creative ways to access and apply technology to national security needs? On the flip side, could there be more emphasis on dual-use technology investment, as occurred in the 1990s, where research and development for defense should have commercial/civil benefits as well? A fifth potential change is in security threats and national defense strategies. Some governments and regimes might come through this crisis with their positions enhanced, having overseen relatively mild disruptions and having been able to achieve quick economic bounce-backs. Others, however, will have failed this test, and they could see new political challengers (in democracies) or be overthrown or consumed by internal unrest from competing forces or mass movements that are emboldened by recent failures. The Middle East remains a likely place for these sorts of changes; Venezuela is another. The civil war in Syria and the fighting in Libya are current examples of how state collapse and regime challenge can drag in outside interests. The U.S. National Defense Strategy that reoriented the Pentagon and contractors toward “great power” competition could be pulled in different directions depending on where fragilities emerge. Some allies may be significantly weakened, and that could bear on U.S. defense planning and export sales. It is not just the coronavirus that matters in this regard; the crash in oil prices is also a factor to weigh. Finally, the coronavirus has turbocharged federal deficits and is sending federal debt to record levels. It may take weeks or months to assess just how much is going to be added, but there will be a fourth and possibly a fifth stimulus package in the U.S. Ultralow interest rates and the urgency of limiting social and economic damage and keeping the health care system functioning make this tolerable. But higher debt raises the risk in the 2020s that if rates increase, interest outlays could weigh on defense. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/opinion-six-ways-covid-19-could-change-defense-sector

  • La Pologne serait prête à payer 2 milliards de dollars pour une base américaine, qui pourrait s'appeler «Fort Trump»

    20 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Terrestre

    La Pologne serait prête à payer 2 milliards de dollars pour une base américaine, qui pourrait s'appeler «Fort Trump»

    M.C. avec AFP Une réponse au « comportement agressif » de la Russie. La Pologne est prête à débourser au moins deux milliards de dollars pour l'implantation d'une base militaire américaine sur son sol, une offre que le président Donald Trump a affirmé étudier « très sérieusement ». Le président Andrzej Duda « nous a offert beaucoup plus que deux milliards de dollars » pour l'installation d'une base permanente dans son pays, a indiqué Donald Trump lors d'une conférence de presse commune à la Maison Blanche avec son homologue polonais. « Nous étudions cela très sérieusement », avait-il fait savoir plus tôt dans le Bureau ovale avant leur entretien. Il a précisé que les Etats-Unis examinaient cette requête polonaise « d'un point de vue, en premier lieu, de protection militaire pour les deux pays et, aussi, de coût ». Dans la soirée, la Maison Blanche a indiqué dans un communiqué que « les Etats-Unis s'engagent à explorer les options pour un rôle plus important de l'armée américaine en Pologne, et nous intensifierons nos consultations pour déterminer la faisabilité du concept ». « Les résultats de ces efforts contribueront à la défense non seulement de l'Europe centrale et orientale mais aussi de l'Alliance tout entière », a poursuivi l'exécutif américain en référence à l'Otan dont fait partie la Pologne. « Fort Trump » Lors de leur conférence de presse commune, le président polonais a appelé Donald Trump à « déployer plus de soldats américains en Pologne ». « J'espère que vous prendrez la décision de déployer plus d'unités et d'équipement (...). J'aimerais voir une base américaine permanente en Pologne », a-t-il ajouté, suggérant de l'appeler « Fort Trump ». Le ministre américain de la Défense Jim Mattis a salué plus tard les efforts de la Pologne pour augmenter son budget militaire, tout en insistant sur le fait qu'aucune décision n'avait été prise concernant une éventuelle base américaine sur son territoire. « Les questions sont nombreuses », a-t-il souligné auprès de journalistes au Pentagone. « Comme vous le savez, il ne s'agit pas seulement d'une base. Il s'agit de zones d'entraînement, il s'agit d'infrastructures de maintenance au sein de la base, toutes ces choses, ce sont beaucoup de détails que nous devons étudier avec les Polonais », a-t-il expliqué. « Donc aucune décision n'a été prise, nous l'étudions et nous travaillons ensemble ». Aggraver les tensions entre l'Occident et la Russie Aux côtés de Donald Trump, Andrzej Duda a également longuement insisté sur « le comportement agressif » de la Russie, évoquant notamment la situation en Géorgie voisine ou en Crimée qui font partie de la « violation permanente du droit international » par Moscou. « Il y a toute une panoplie d'arguments en faveur du fait que la présence des forces armées des Etats-Unis dans cette région est absolument justifiée », a poursuivi Andrzej Duda. « Je suis convaincu qu'il n'y a pas de méthode plus efficace pour empêcher une guerre que de montrer que nous sommes prêts à repousser une attaque à tout moment », a-t-il affirmé. Des propos appuyés par le milliardaire new-yorkais : « Il y a beaucoup d'agressivité dans cette situation. La Russie a agi de manière agressive. Ils respectent la force. (...) Et nous avons la plus grande force au monde, surtout en ce moment ». Une telle initiative, si elle se concrétisait, pourrait cependant créer des crispations au sein de l'Otan, dont la Pologne est membre, mais aussi aggraver encore un peu plus les vives tensions entre l'Occident et la Russie. https://www.20minutes.fr/monde/2338979-20180919-pologne-prete-payer-2-milliards-dollars-base-americaine-pourrait-appeler-fort-trump

Toutes les nouvelles