By 2017, that had shrunk to 55 - a 59 percent decrease. The Air Force, for one, used to have 134 fighter squadrons in fiscal 1989.

The Air Force offered 54 fighter pilots early retirement incentives in the 20 drawdown that followed the implementation of sequestration, GAO said.

The Marine Corps’ fighter pilot authorization levels began declining in 2012, but so did their staffing levels, and the Corps’s fighter pilots were 76 percent manned at the end of 2017.ĭeploying fighter pilots more frequently causes family instability and leads to career dissatisfaction, GAO said.Īnd a high operations tempo makes it harder for aviation squadrons to rebuild readiness, GAO said.Īll this has come at a time when the services shrank their end strengths and squadron numbers, partly due to the sequestration-related budget cuts that began taking effect in 2013. But staffing levels only ticked up slightly, which meant the manning levels plunged from 94 percent to 64 percent over that one-year period. * The Marine Corps saw a sharp spike in its authorized fighter pilot positions from 2006 to 2007, when the authorizations grew from roughly 1,050 pilots to about 1,600. By 2017, that gap had swelled to 136 fighter pilots, or 26 percent short of what the Navy was authorized, GAO said. In 2013, the Navy was 57 fighter pilots short, or 12 percent, at the completion of their first operational tour at sea, which is completed between three and six years of service. * The Navy has similar problems with its fighter pilot manning levels, GAO said. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean M.

Carl Vinson is participating in a sustainment training exercise in preparation for an upcoming deployment. 9, 2017) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Vincent Sanchez directs the pilot of an F/A-18C Hornet from the “Blue Blasters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34 on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) flight deck.

Marine fighter pilot