Air Force Memo Addresses Need For Non-Combat Pilots

The overall shortage of U.S. Air Force pilots could mean that recent T-38 pilot-training graduates could find themselves assigned to non-combat roles, such as instructor pilots or flying transports and air-to-air refuelers. Graduates of T-38 training usually go on to fighters or bombers, but the acute shortage means that there aren’t enough pilots available for the other duty tracks.

According to a memo, the Air Force reported that the service is short by 1,848 pilots, “with 1,142 of those being fighter pilots.” Still, the memo identified a “significant but necessary policy change” opening up other career paths for T-38 graduates. "While we would prefer to send every qualified T-38 graduate to a fighter [Formal Training Unit], circumstances dictate that we utilize available capacity to maximize pilot production. In the near term, in addition to traditional fighter/bomber assignments, T-38 graduates will be matched to additional T-6 First Assignment Instructor Pilot assignments and opted for non-fighter/bomber aircraft."