I honestly don't think even the AF expected to meet their number without doing a RIF. Historically, they never have been able to do so when this was offered in the past.
I am sure the numbers are out there because I recall reading that the biggest one overmanned and on the chopping block was SPs, and that I was shocked to see nurses were also being cut. If you look at the numbers, and if 300 are to be cut, minus out rated cadets, it is going to come in at a much higher rate than the overall 8% the AF will be cutting for the non-rated 13 and 14s. I.E if they can only take from non-rated, and for those 2 years they have 1500 to take from, the percentage is not 8%, but 20%.
~ Hopefully my math is wrong.
Now if the AFSC is 110% manned, than I would expect that it will be not 8 or 20%, but much higher.
Sheriff and Thompson,
Bullet and I were discussing this the other day, and I asked him directly why the Army utilizes enlisted, and the AF only has officers. I thought I knew the answer, but wanted to double check with him.
There are many reasons, but here are the top few.
1. The RPA fliers originally came in from the pilot world. It took the term flying a desk to the literal definition. Our friend is at Creech, an O5, he flew in his previous life the F15E.
~ You had to be an officer.
2. RPA pilots came from UPT schoolhouse until recently. All RPA pilots also have a flight class 1 physical. This is the AF, these officers also have the ability to strain into flying airframes like a 15E.
3. The RPAs that the AF fly are not as tiny as the Army, theirs are the size of real aircraft....IOWs quite large, landing them is not akin to an Xbox game. Thus, why they have their own schoolhouse and originally came out of UPT. People don't realize x-winds actually are harder in the real world than on Xbox.
4. The AF RPAs drop live ammunition which costs a lot of money, some are recon. Didn't ask Bullet, but I would assume the same amount as anything on the Strike Eagle. They would prefer to have pilots to make the final call. There is only one shot.
5. They have a retention rate as is already, JMPO, but the hierarchy may have done a cost benefit analysis and between the costs to train, and retention it maybe that an O2 is not any cheaper than an E6 if they can keep the O2 without a doubt for 6 years, whereas the E6 they may lose in 3 years.
~ Sometimes it is not the cost to employ, but to retrain that is a factor.
So there you go, this could be totally off the mark, but that is my opinion.
I have to say if the AF was smart they would follow their sister services and have more WOs. They could use them just like the Army and Navy does for rated.
