US Air Force pilots lack sufficient sortie experience for combat operations - report
MIAS expert John Venable noted that the pilot shortage facing the US military is anecdotally 4,000 open slots, though the official number is 2,000.
A recent report from the Military Times highlights concerns that many US Air Force (USAF) pilots may not possess adequate sortie experience to be combat-ready. According to John Venable, an expert at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies (MIAS), the average USAF pilot currently flies just one sortie per month, a significant decrease from the 5.5 sorties per month observed in 2023.
This decline has brought the current rate below the minimum required 9 sorties per month for combat-readiness, as outlined in past service statements.
The disparity becomes even more pronounced when compared to the Israel Air Force, whose pilots average 20 sorties per month. During Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury, the US military operation largely relied on the Israel Air Force for sortie experience. As of 2024, the USAF had 325 combat-coded fighter aircraft out of its total of 1,084 active aircraft, with 634 of those jets being mission-capable.
Venable argues that the overall picture shows a significant shortfall, with 325 aircraft representing only half of what was available during the Desert Storm conflict. He suggests that the USAF has not publicly released sortie rate information since 2023, despite a reported pilot shortage of around 4,000 open slots, while the official figure stands at 2,000.
Venable attributes at least part of the issue to former US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's reallocation of funds away from aviation maintenance positions in 2025, a decision made during his tenure under then-US President Joe Biden.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
