1,000 Retired Pilots Can Be Recalled to Active Duty

[LookieRookie]

 

"We anticipate that the Secretary of Defense will delegate the authority to the Secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to three years," Navy Cdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement. 

 

@HuggyU2 @Hacker @ClearedHot et al, back in the game!

Although I think just means the VRRAD will be expanded.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/10/20/air-force-recall-many-1-000-retired-pilots-address-serious-shortage/785344001/

 

Text:

WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an executive order Friday allowing the Air Force to recall as many as 1,000 retired pilots to active duty to address a shortage in combat fliers, the White House and Pentagon announced.

By law, only 25 retired officers can be brought back to serve in any one branch. Trump's order removes those caps by expanding a state of national emergency declared by President George W. Bush after 9/11, signaling what could be a significant escalation in the 16-year-old global war on terror.

"We anticipate that the Secretary of Defense will delegate the authority to the Secretary of the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots for up to three years," Navy Cdr. Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement. 

But the executive order itself is not specific to the Air Force, and could conceivably be used in the future to call up more officers and in other branches.

The Air Force needs about 1,500 pilots more than it has. Bonus programs and other incentives have not made up the shortfall.

The Air Force has been at the forefront of the Pentagon's battle against the Islamic State, flying most of the combat sorties in Iraq and Syria since 2014. 

In June, Sen. John McCain, D-Ariz., labeled the pilot shortage a crisis that would prevent the Air Force from fulfilling its mission. 

“This is a full-blown crisis, and if left unresolved, it will call into question the Air Force’s ability to accomplish its mission,” said McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee. 

Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst and vice president of the Teal Group, said the shortage stemmed from a number of issues. 

"One is competition from commercial airlines," Aboulafia said. "Another is delays and funding shortfalls in training. And, due to military operations, utilization of the aircraft and crew has been higher than expected."

On Capitol Hill, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and a member of Armed Services Committee, said that the fight against Islamic State and al-Qaeda linked terrorists will be expanding. He spoke to reporters while speaking about the four U.S. soldiers killed Oct. 4 in Niger.

Counter-terrorism rules under President Obama had been too restrictive and ineffective, Graham said.

“The war is morphing," Graham said. "You’re going to see more actions in Africa, not less. You’re going to see more aggression by the United States toward our enemies, not less. You’re going to have decisions made not in the White House but out in the field. And I support that entire construct.”

Last month, President Trump became the third president to renew the post-9/11 state of national emergency, which allows the president to call up the national guard, hire and fire officers and delay retirements.

Those extraordinary powers were supposed to be temporary. But even after 16 years, there's been no congressional oversight of the emergency. 

 

Edited October 20, 2017 by LookieRookie

[mcbush]

So it begins...

What's the over/under on how long it takes someone to challenge the max duration of a "state of national emergency"? 16+ years seems to be pushing it.

[ClearedHot]

Told you so...

[VMFA187]

How can you hold someone accountable in a position which they are forced into, which is as unforgiving as combat aviation? Sounds like an ORM nightmare. I can see the monthly Human Factor Councils (or whatever the AF calls them) already...

If all you're required to do is to brief, get dressed, man up, fly and debrief, then this would be amazing. I just can't see how you're going to force someone to do the other tasks we all despise if you're not dangling the flight carrot out there since they've already passed on it...

[snoopyeast]

[LookieRookie]

1 minute ago, goddard15 said:

"The Air Force needs about 1,500 pilots more than it has." - although we already knew this, I wonder what it means for the number of slots in the upcoming active duty UFT board. 

There's a bottleneck in UPT/FTU.

[SurelySerious]

Real issue: Will Huggy attempt to Favre it and set the record for most times returning from retirement?

[LookieRookie]

2 minutes ago, SurelySerious said:

Real issue: Will Huggy attempt to Favre it and set the record for most times returning from retirement?

That's the real reason he wanted line up cards. Needed to make them for requal.

[matmacwc]

In other news; AA, Delta and United will hire 1k more pilots in the next year

[flyusaf83]

So is this a voluntary or forced recall? If it’s voluntary, I don’t see how they’ll get more than a few guys. If it’s non-vols... I don’t think I want to be in a flying unit with dudes who are forced to be there.  There are so many problems with that.

[Termy]

It is voluntary and the amount of dudes that volunteer for this might be in the single digits.

Meanwhile AFRC still has a 16 year TAFMS restriction on the bonus.  I am going to run the numbers to see the money breakdown for a LtCol AGR to keep going past 20 or retire, start drawing retirement pay then come back in as a traditional reservist.  (Another program that is open at the moment)

[BashiChuni]

I think it’s funny they listed mccain as a Democrat from AZ. 

Thats the more accurate label anyway

[Jaded]

There already exists a program to allow to voluntarily recall 25 people. 0 have signed up so far. This program increases that number to 1000. It makes no sense to increase the number of slots if there is no interest anyway, unless the plan is to start involuntary recalling people. 

[BFM this]

4 minutes ago, Jaded said:

There already exists a program to allow to voluntarily recall 25 people. 0 have signed up so far. This program increases that number to 1000. It makes no sense to increase the number of slots if there is no interest anyway, unless the plan is to start involuntary recalling people. 

This is not VRRAD, if I'm reading correctly.  I did not catch the word "voluntary" anywhere in the article.  This is a "recall", with specific omission of the word "voluntary".  

Still think it's noise and posturing.  I think this would be a bigger grenade to throw than stop-loss, and we haven't heard that bandied about.  ...too much.  ...yet.

[Jaded]

14 minutes ago, BFM this said:

This is not VRRAD, if I'm reading correctly.  I did not catch the word "voluntary" anywhere in the article.  This is a "recall", with specific omission of the word "voluntary".  

Still think it's noise and posturing.  I think this would be a bigger grenade to throw than stop-loss, and we haven't heard that bandied about.  ...too much.  ...yet.

From a good source: "First blush from A1 is this just let's us open VRRAAD from 25 pilots for 12 months to up to 1000 pilots for 3 years...but still VOLUNTARY!!! I'll get you more info on Monday.”

[Prozac]

Sure sounds like this opens the door to involuntary recalls. The real post 9/11 national emergency is the fact that the USAF is stocked with "leaders" who thought it was a good idea to involuntarily separate people in the face of an impending pilot shortage that even a first year ROTC cadet could see coming. Now their piss poor prior planning constitutes a national emergency?  Unfuckingbelievable. 

[Day Man]

If anyone needs to get out of this, PM me I know the way...

[LookieRookie]

8 minutes ago, Day Man said:

If anyone needs to get out of this, PM me I know the way...

Identify as an attack helicopter?

[Stoker]

3 hours ago, mcbush said:

So it begins...

What's the over/under on how long it takes someone to challenge the max duration of a "state of national emergency"? 16+ years seems to be pushing it.

We've been under a state of emergency for the past 38 years due to the Iran hostage crisis. Last I checked, those hostages were returned a while back.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Emergency_Economic_Powers_Act#Current_subjects_of_IEEPA_emergencies

[matmacwc]

29 minutes ago, Day Man said:

If anyone needs to get out of this, PM me I know the way...

VA disability might do it

[Jaded]

12 minutes ago, matmacwc said:

VA disability might do it

Here's what I don't understand. You can fly in the guard and reserves with very high disability ratings. Would AD be any different?

[HU&W]

Go to the source, not the news articles.  

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

"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."

Of particular interest is item F in 688, which says "(f)Waiver for Periods of War or National Emergency.—Subsections (d) and (e) do not apply in time of war or of national emergency declared by Congress or the President."  Which he just declared.

Sub (d) is the one that excludes certain retirees.  Sub (e) is the one that sets time limits on the recall.

For 690, a similar provision removes the 25 cap during national emergency, as declared.  There is no cap of 1000. There is no cap.

There is also no provision in either the EO or Title 10 that says it has to be voluntary.

[HU&W]

4 hours ago, flyusaf83 said:

So is this a voluntary or forced recall? If it’s voluntary, I don’t see how they’ll get more than a few guys. If it’s non-vols... I don’t think I want to be in a flying unit with dudes who are forced to be there.  There are so many problems with that.

That's why you put the non-vols on a staff.  Then you push the AD guy that's replaced on staff back to a cockpit.

[RTB]

4 minutes ago, HU&W said:

That's why you put the non-vols on a staff.  Then you push the AD guy that's replaced on staff back to a cockpit.

I’m sure that staff job will be running like a finely tuned machine. 

[Sprkt69]

6 hours ago, LookieRookie said:

There's a bottleneck in UPT/FTU.

And the bottleneck at the CAF level too. (Absorption rate exceeded)