US Air Force Bomber & Fighter Pilot Manning Has Fallen Below 70% In 3 Years While Drone Positions Are Overstaffed

According to the latest Department of the Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Military Personnel Budget Justification Book, staffing for almost all communities of aircraft types is worsening. Even the overstaffing of one category is masking the underlying aviator shortage within it. This is part of a long-running structural issue where the commercial sector offers much greater pay to qualified pilots. The United States Air Force is continuing to look for ways to address the issue, including by handing out increased incentive pay to encourage aviators to stay with the Air Force for longer.