USAF pilot recall ?

[CONSO]

Air Force could recall up to 1,000 retired pilots after Trump order



Appears to be real news !!!



http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/21/air-force-could-recall-up-to-1000-retired-pilots-



The Air Force could recall up to 1,000 retired pilots after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at addressing what the Pentagon has described as an "acute shortage of pilots."
The order, which Trump signed Friday, amends an emergency declaration signed by George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Under current law, the Air Force is limited to recalling just 25 pilots. The order signed by Trump temporarily removes that cap for all branches of the military.
A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, said in a statement that the Air Force is currently "short approximately 1,500 pilots of its requirements."



Goes on


and


https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/10/20/presidential-executive-order-amending-executive-order-13223


The White House
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 20, 2017





Presidential Executive Order Amending Executive Order 13223


EXECUTIVE ORDER
- - - - - - -
AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER 13223
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and in furtherance of the objectives of Proclamation 7463 of September 14, 2001 (Declaration of National Emergency by Reason of Certain Terrorist Attacks), which declared a national emergency by reason of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York and Pennsylvania and against the Pentagon, and the continuing and immediate threat of further attacks on the United States, and in order to provide the Secretary of Defense additional authority to manage personnel requirements in a manner consistent with the authorization provided in Executive Order 13223 of September 14, 2001 (Ordering the Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty and Delegating Certain Authorities to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Transportation), it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Amendment to Executive Order 13223. Section 1 of Executive Order 13223 is amended by adding at the end: "The authorities available for use during a national emergency under sections 688 and 690 of title 10, United States Code, are also invoked and made available, according to their terms, to the Secretary concerned, subject in the case of the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, to the direction of the Secretary of Defense."
Sec. 2. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE,
October 20, 2017.

[PersonFromPorlock]

Anyone know how many USAF pilots have been forced out by the up-or-out promotion policy in the last, say, five years? I recall that the pass over rate for pilots was around 30% in my day, but that was 40 years ago.

[gums]

Salute!

The "up or out" attrition went away decades ago.

Living within a military community here in the Panhandle provides firsthand observations of our military, and not just pilots or other aircrew. We have the Ranger school, USAF Special Ops Command, 7th Special Forces Group and the F-35 training outfit.

My neighbors have "visited" the 'stan and other sandbox places more times than you can believe. The ops tempo has been brutal, and it started well before 9/11.

So most pilots and others have a minimum active duty committment and then a few years in the reserve forces. Have to check now, but folks like me that had a "regular" commission never really could go on our merry way and were subject to recall until we were old and grey.

The recall of folks in the guard and reserve units has always been available to the Pentagon. During Vietnam we had 3 or 4 guard fighter units activated when I was there in 1968. We also had a few activated for Desert Storm. Actual recall of individuals has not been all that common since Korea and WW2.

To make a political observation, the last 8 or 9 years has seen a severe cut in U.S. defense preparedness and replensihment of both machines and people. 'nuff said.

Gums sends...

[West Coast]

Could the exacerbate the shortage at the airlines.

[SASless]

While flying Security Missions for a quiet place in South Carolina where buckets of instant sunshine were reported to be in place....we had two National Guard Pilots on Staff and one Retired Regular Army Pilot.

When the Bugle sounded for the Gulf War....the two Guard Pilots did not get called up....but the Retired fellow was put on notice his government badly needed his presence.

He was not amused but he did not go which was for the good as he had done his time in combat as a Paratrooper in the 173rd Airborne in the early days of Vietnam....and then a tour flying Huey's as a Pilot.

The "System" can be very fickle.....it did not want two Blackhawk Pilots but did want an old Huey Pilot.....go figure.

[Rick777]

USAF recently that all eligible captains would be promoted to major. Not like the old days.

[PersonFromPorlock]

USAF recently that all eligible captains would be promoted to major. Not like the old days.

It's been a long time, but wouldn't the major to LC board still put people at risk of getting the boot before twenty? I suspect that the possibility of a loss of pension for reasons you can't control is enough to get pilots looking for greener pastures. And it's not like the Air Force has (or at least had) any record of consistent promotion selection policies.

[BEagle]

That sounds rather like James Stewart's recall to fly the B-36 in the 1955 movie Strategic Air Command!

Some excellent flying shots though.

However has the US suddenly found itself so short of pilots, with so many ANG and AFRes slots available?

[OK465]

It doesn't appear to say they'll necessarily be put in flying slots. :ooh:

6 ANG fighter units were activated for VN, all F-100Cs. 4 stationed in VN (ABQ, Buckley, Sioux City, Niagara Falls) and 2 back-filled at Kunsan (Lockbourne & Kansas) for USAF units pulled south.

[Danny42C]

I still have USAF Pilot's wings (gained in USAAC 1942). Any chance ?

[Melchett01]

It doesn't appear to say they'll necessarily be put in flying slots. :ooh:

6 ANG fighter units were activated for VN, all F-100Cs. 4 stationed in VN (ABQ, Buckley, Sioux City, Niagara Falls) and 2 back-filled at Kunsan (Lockbourne & Kansas) for USAF units pulled south.

I read just that a few weeks back in one of the US military papers/sites. Apparently those recalled will go to staff jobs annotated as aircrew posts, to enable the current incumbents to move back to cockpits.

[golamv]

They will just go on and on and on ....

[newt]

Great. Can’t wait to get my letter to come back and fly the Typhoon 👿👿👿👿👿

[SASless]

Manned Drones.....now there is something for BAE to market to the RAF!:ok:

[galaxy flyer]

Just look at the OPSTEMPO since G.H.W.B started it all with Panama in Dec 1989:

Just before Panama, tanker reflagging that got a USN Frigate damaged. Lots of airlift
Desert Storm: largest activation ever for ARC, 500,000 deployed.
Due to the incomplete war and “no-fly” zones, Northern Watch in Turkey and Southern Watch in the Gulf was a rotating commitment of two-three fighter wings. Billions spent annually, heavy ARC participation including low density units like AWACS and CSAR. Airlift in constant demand for all the moves.
FRY in Italy: more rotations of all services in the Bosnia Serbia fiasco. Non-stop movements, lots of deployments, mostly AD but also ARC. My reserve C-5 wing flew weekly trips in support.
9/11 and Iraq War, plus Afghanistan, you know the rest.

The US military has been at war for nearly 30 years, 16 of them under administrations committed to the “peace dividend”; committed to the premise America spent too much on the military but refused to reduce the level of effort. That’s a career.


GF

[sandiego89]

Although the issues of flight hours and airline hiring has undoubtedly had an effect, has the USAF really taken a hard look at aircrew assigned to non-flying duties? While I was working with places like the Joint Staff and NORTHCOM, I was truly staggered by the number of winged aviators assigned to combatant commanders, post grad schools, HQ, support command etc. While it is necessary to have talented folks in certain commands, and was deemed required "ticket punching" for promotion, the billet increases in these huge staffs and COCOMS was part of the problem.

[Turbine D]

The USAF thanked the Trumpster for his executive order, but they do not intend to recall retired pilots. Stay tuned for the tweet barrage to follow...

[bafanguy]

The USAF thanked the Trumpster for his executive order, but they do not intend to recall retired pilots. Stay tuned for the tweet barrage to follow...

Here you go. A rather succinct message from the Brass:

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/10/22/air-force-no-plans-to-recall-retired-pilots-to-fix-shortage/

[twb3]

USAF recently that all eligible captains would be promoted to major. Not like the old days.



What is the source for that information? Be advised that if it came from "The Duffel Blog", that site is satire -- sort of military-themed version of The Onion.


TWB

[Lima Juliet]

What is the source for that information? Be advised that if it came from "The Duffel Blog", that site is satire -- sort of military-themed version of The Onion.


TWB

No other than General Goldfein. Stated at recent state of the Air Force address with his Command WO. Also the Air Force Times...

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/09/15/beginning-in-december-major-promotions-for-all/

[gums]

Salute!

In 1967, we saw 4 year groups from USAFA move from Lt to Captain within 18 months. The U.S. Army moved folks from 2 Lt to Captain in less thn two years, and my brothet-in-law was one.

So the normal 4 and a half years to reach the rank of captain became 3 and a half for my class. The class ahead was moved up a half year and the class behind mine was moved up to 3 years. My roomie at Bien Hoa pinned on his railroad tracks in June of 1968 and he was a 1965 grad. I pinned on mine in January that year. Class of 62 was Jan of 67, 63 was July of 67.

+++++

If we roll back the clock a long ways then we see Ike moving from a lite colonel to a 5 star in as many years.

Gums sends...

[SASless]

Gums,

The US Army grew just a bit in those five years as yo remember!

The Army Air Corps had Colonels who had no need for a razor they were so young....and attrition in the Eighth Air Force made for rapid promotions as the losses had to be made up when leaders were killed, wounded, captured, or went missing-in-action.

[Rick777]

Nothing new about this. The USAF did this a few years ago too. Guys go back into desk jobs requiring a rated officer. A friend of mine had recently gotten out and hired at Continental. Being junior sucked so he went back on active duty for 3 years and added to his retirement. He then came back to United much less junior.
This is definitely a bad deal for airlines desperate for experienced pilots though.

[bafanguy]

Yet another update:

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/10/23/air-force-pilots-recalled-under-trump-order-will-serve-as-instructors-staff/

[T28B]

Glad to see what the actual content of this thread concerns, since the title led me to believe that, as with our own motorized transport, there was a factory defect and the USAF was recalling all of its pilots until the defects were repaired. :E
As you were.