Mitchell Institute addresses USAF pilot shortage in new policy paper

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies has released a new policy paper titled "Want Combat Airpower? Then Fix the Air Force Pilot Crisis," addressing the United States Air Force's (USAF) shortage of fighter pilots. Heather R. "Lucky" Penney, a former USAF F-16 aviator and Senior Resident Fellow at the institute, highlights a gap of 1,150 fighter pilots, emphasizing the urgency to address this issue.

Penney warns that the USAF is not prepared to compete with adversaries like China's People's Liberation Army Air Force due to this pilot shortfall. She states, "We must build the 'fight tonight' force with enough strategic depth to successfully sustain combat operations in a peer fight."

The report questions whether autonomous systems such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) can fill this gap. However, Penney argues that while CCAs should be developed, they cannot replace human pilots. She notes, "Despite advances in artificial intelligence, autonomy will continue to have limitations and vulnerabilities that humans do not share."