The number of stressed officer career fields has nearly doubled despite high retention overall.
In this week’s edition, you can see which officers the Air Force is having a hard time retaining and what the Air Force is trying to do to keep them.
Also in this week’s edition: The Air Force will need three to six months to recover from standing down 17 combat squadrons due to budget cuts, top service officials told lawmakers.
A three-star general told Congress how long the Air Force has before those aircrew, pilots, navigators and maintainers are out of the fight.
Budget cuts have also forced Global Strike Command to cancel the Global Strike Challenge, its premier nuclear security exercise. Last year’s exercise involved about 480 airmen from seven bases.
Meanwhile, an advocacy group is calling for a three-star general to be fired for overturning the sex assault conviction against Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, a former inspector general at Aviano Air Base, Italy.
The case underscores the need to change the Uniform Code of Military Justice, said Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, who is retiring on June 21 after nearly five years as the Air Force’s top civilian.
Donley also said that further cuts to end strength and force structure could be in the works if Congress fails to reverse the deep cuts to defense spending. Although one-third of Air Combat Command will be out of commission soon, Donley says the Air Force can still respond to a crisis if needed.
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