Why The US Air Force Is Short 1,000 Fighter Pilots Despite A $50,000 Retention Bonus

Simple Flying

While military officials, world leaders, and armchair generals are all talking about modernizing military air power through autonomy and stealth, the fact is that combat readiness levels are suffering due to a shortage of pilots. The service continues to fall short of recruiting and retention goals, even though it is offering a record $50,000 per year to pilots flying the most in-demand platforms, for a maximum of around $600,000 over the course of their career.