The United States Air Force pilot diversity dilemma

• Date: 28 February 2023
• Pages: 848-871
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-10-2022-0297
• Published date: 28 February 2023
• Author: Brandon Robert Russell

The United States Air Force

pilot diversity dilemma

Brandon Robert Russell

United States Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio - Randolph,

San Antonio, Texas, USA

Abstract

Purpose –The paper aims to examine literature on the issues of the pilot shortage in the United States Air

Force and the demographic diversity dilemma within the United States Air Force pilot community and how it

relates to the National Defense Strategy. In addition, there is an examination of current initiatives designed to

combat these issues.

Design/methodology/approach –The paper opted for an exploratory review of 90 sources from 2012 to

2023 to examine the pilot shortage and pilot diversity issues withinthe United States Air Force. Three theories,

the theory of generative interactions, the theory of cognitive diversityand the identity theory, were examined in

relation to the barriers to the pilot diversity issue.

Findings –The paper provides emergent insights from the literature into the growing pilot shortage and

diversity disparity found within the United States Air Force pilot community. These issues were associated

with many barriers, including geographic disparity, socioeconomic status, culture, education, mentorship and

life balance.

Research limitations/implications –The current initiatives examined are new and, as such, warrant

future research. In particular, what are the long-term projections for the youth flight programs? An

examination of the effectiveness of improving the pilot shortage and pilot diversity within the Air Force should

be further scrutinized in the coming years as new cadets enter pilot training after accession.

Originality/value –This paper highlights a need to further study the effectiveness of youth flight programs

and other United States Air Force initiatives in improving pilot numbers and diversity.

Keywords United States Air Force, Pilot, Pilot shortage, Flight training, Diversity barriers

Paper type Professional Insights

This paper examines literature in regard to the National Defense Strategy (NDS) and Rated

Diversity Improvement (RDI) Strategy, with a focus on the pilot shortage and pilot diversity

dilemma within the United States Air Force (USAF). A number of issues affecting the pilot

career field will be examined, such as applicant qualifications, propensity to serve, degree

constraints and testing requirements. The diversity disparity in the USAF pilot career will be

discussed, with a specific focus on circumstances that have created this disparity, such as

geographic and socioeconomic basis, culture, accessibility and life balance. This section will

be further supported within the context of the theory of generative interactions, cognitive

diversity and identity theory. Finally, a look at existing programs built to improve upon

the pilot shortage and diversity issue will follow, including a discussion on the Junior Reserve

Officers’Corps (JROTC) flight program, Civil Air Patrol (CAP), Rated Preparatory Program

(RPP), Pilot Training Next (PTN) and the Aim High Flight Academy (AHFA).

According to Brown et al. (2021), there is a shortage of 2,000 pilots within the Air Force.

Since then, Everstine (2022) stated the Air Force was short 1,650 pilots, of which 1,100 were

fighter pilot billets. Additionally, 12% of the active-duty pilot population is a racial-ethnic

minority, and 6% of the population is female. By comparison, the American youth population

between the ages of 15 and 24 years is 51% racial-ethnic minority and 45% female

represented (United States Census Bureau, 2020). The two largest US Air Force Officer

accession sources, which also produce the most pilots, are the United States Air Force

Academy (USAFA), which reported a student population representing 33% racial-ethnic

minority groups, and the Reserve Officers’Training Corps (ROTC), which reported a student

EDI

42,7

848

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 31 October 2022

Revised 15 December 2022

29 January 2023

Accepted 2 February 2023

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 42 No. 7, 2023

pp. 848-871

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-10-2022-0297

population representing 31% racial-ethnic minority groups (The Inspector General

Department of the Air Force, 2020). In addition, in the fiscal year 2020, the USAFA

reported 14.4% of their pilot selects were white females, and 27.8% of their pilot selects were

from a racial-ethnic minority group. In the same year, the Officer Training School (OTS)

reported 5.9% of their pilot selects were white females and 5.9% of their pilot selects were

from a racial-ethnic minority group. The ROTC reported 7.12% of their pilot selects were

female, and 22.1% of their pilot select s were from a racial-ethnic minority group

(The Inspector General Department of the Air Force, 2021). There are challenging issues

with youth eligibility and propensity to serve in the military. Recent studies found areduction

in youth eligible to serve in the military, including health issues, criminal history and drug use

(Spoehr and Handy, 2018). There has been a notable decrease in youth willing to serve in the

military (Joint Advertising, Market Research and Studies, 2020). Other studies have found

financial constraints (Kamarck, 2019) and perceptions of cultural bias as barriers faced by

underrepresented youth in entering the Air Force, especially as a pilot (Pendlebury, 2018).

These issues, among others, have led to both a pilot diversity shortfall and a pilot shortage in

the Air Force (Caraway, 2020). Supporting theories, such as the theory of generative

interactions (Bernstein et al., 2019), cognitive diversity (Jankelov

aet al., 2021) and identity

theory (Flum and Kaplan, 2012), provide context within the issues affecting diversity. Past

diversity initiatives have put mandated nondiscrimination practices in place (Department of

Defense, 2020). However, when General Mattis (2018) called for a more lethal force in the NDS,

the chief of staff of the Air Force translated this into the RDI strategy to proactively bolster

the pilot career field through diversity (Brown et al., 2021).

Several programs have been established with the RDI strategy to improve the diversity of

the pilot career field through preaccession sources. For example, the Air Force Junior Reserve

Officers’Training Corps (AFJROTC), a military character development program for high-

school students, established flight programs at 11 educational institutions for their cadets to

earn a private pilot license (Sanders, 2020). In addition, the Air Force Recruiting Service

Detachment 1 (AFRS Det 1) completed the inaugural AHFA at Peter Prince Field in 2021,

graduating 68 youth from diverse backgrounds selected from across the nation. The

applicant selection process primarily relied on student nominations from strategically

diverse partnership organizations, such as the Organization of Black Aerospace

Professionals (OBAP) and Women in Aviation International (WAI) (Hicks, 2021). The first

year of the AHFA was completed successfully, though further research is needed to establish

practices to implement an organic and repeatable process for improving the diversity of the

applicant pool. The next section will explore the details of the RDI strategy.

RDI strategy

The U.S. Department of Defense and the military branches, including the USAF, have an

ongoing mission to provide able forces to deter war and protect the nation, as stipulated in the

NDS. With technological advancements and the changing landscape of war, to secure the

success of this enduring mission, it is imperative to adapt the employment of forces toward

dynamic and agile talent management to cultivate strategic competitiveness (Mattis, 2018).

In direct alignment with the NDS, Brown et al. (2021) recognized a need to recruit a qualified

diverse workforce to leverage creativity and innovation to solve complex global issues.

Specifically, the USAF has translated this requirement to rated aviator career fields, detailing

objectives within the RDI strategy. The RDI strategy was established across three goals:

attracting and recruiting from a diverse pool of applicants, developing and retaining rated

aviators, and leveraging data-driven approaches to optimize diversity. The next section

provides a general discussion on one of the leading problems the RDI aims to resolve, the pilot

shortage.

US Air Force

pilot diversity

dilemma

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