Strike-Fighter Aviation's Expertise Crisis
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2026/july/strike-fighter-aviation s-expertise-crisis
This isn’t very hard to figure out. The problem is the nonsensical Naval Aviation career track and a post COVID airline job market compounded by a population that is producing fewer and fewer qualified candidates every year. Whether the Navy likes it or not, the people they are looking for do not join the Navy because they love briefing, debriefing, ground jobs, or anything else that does not involve the cockpit. I’m guessing if you ask, flying is all they care about. If you are a first tour JO and didn’t get the number 1 EP, the Navy has already chosen your fate. BUPERS will tell other tall tales, but that is the reality. You will never have command. There is nothing on the other side of a DH tour that appeals to a first tour JO knowing he is not the golden child. I don’t make the rules. Combine this with what was a very healthy job market in the private sector for former military pilots, including all major airlines. When I was hired at my company three years ago, the last thing I flew professionally was a C-337 part time. Prior to that, it was my last flight in and SH-60B. By then, that aircraft was already in a museum for years. I didn’t even have to work my way up from the regionals. If I can make it on that resume, how do you think the market looks to fighter guys? I don’t hear much about retention bonuses anymore, but the one I took was enough to get a guy to the DH tour to where an actual financial cost/benefit analysis was enough to keep experience and talent where needed. Sad to say, but if you want to keep people in uniform, you have to offer something to compete with the pilot job market. Money may not even be enough, but it is something the Navy can offer right now. This issue has been circulating through NAval Aviation since before I was winged. The fact is, the only thing the navy has ever done about it is hope for a terrible economy and downplay the civilian job market. On Wed, Jul 22, 2026 at 12:17 AM <mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> wrote:
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2026/july/strike-fighter-aviation... _______________________________________________ Helobubbas mailing list -- helobubbas@helobubbas.com To unsubscribe send an email to helobubbas-leave@helobubbas.com
I am a generation ahead of Brian and was in the so called T Notch. As per usual post effort/cold war/GF I they started riffing people. Even in 1990 the Soviet Union was collapsing and the cut backs were upon us. When I was up for selection, from what I remember there was 36 that week and only 1 got jets. The A-7 was going going gone, the A-6 was uncertain and Tailhook happened when I was in primary. When I was back in university in 1996-8 as a NAVCAD finishing my degree apparently the damage had happened and at least one of my FRS classmates transitioned to Jets (EA-6B) i missed that NAVADMIN or I might have done that. By the time I was a IP in the VT's in 01-03 interest in Naval Aviation was no longer on fire. We had students out of the academy barely trying and were trying to weasel their way into DOR and then Supply Corps (this was just before 9/11) Happened more than once. They saw it as a shorter commitment and a corporate path to riches. Was not anything like the challenge during my era to get jets. 1/3rd of my Onwings got jets. 1/3rd got VP, and 1/3 helo. It should be fairly apparent that the culture has shifted a lot in the past 30 years and with exception to a bump once in a while, the interest in being a Naval Aviator as a career isn't the same as in earlier eras. I have a son in law who would probably be great at it but he has zero interest in a military career. Shoot I am 58 and if they would let me go back, I would do it but there is less than zero interest in wore out 58 year old fat hairy retired Aviators despite me still having solid flying skills. Might be time for them to bring back the NAVCAD program again for enlisted folks. Doesn't help their DH issues. Stop Loss? On 7/22/2026 7:13 AM, Brian Miller wrote:
This isn’t very hard to figure out. The problem is the nonsensical Naval Aviation career track and a post COVID airline job market compounded by a population that is producing fewer and fewer qualified candidates every year.
Whether the Navy likes it or not, the people they are looking for do not join the Navy because they love briefing, debriefing, ground jobs, or anything else that does not involve the cockpit. I’m guessing if you ask, flying is all they care about.
If you are a first tour JO and didn’t get the number 1 EP, the Navy has already chosen your fate. BUPERS will tell other tall tales, but that is the reality. You will never have command. There is nothing on the other side of a DH tour that appeals to a first tour JO knowing he is not the golden child. I don’t make the rules.
Combine this with what was a very healthy job market in the private sector for former military pilots, including all major airlines. When I was hired at my company three years ago, the last thing I flew professionally was a C-337 part time. Prior to that, it was my last flight in and SH-60B. By then, that aircraft was already in a museum for years. I didn’t even have to work my way up from the regionals. If I can make it on that resume, how do you think the market looks to fighter guys?
I don’t hear much about retention bonuses anymore, but the one I took was enough to get a guy to the DH tour to where an actual financial cost/benefit analysis was enough to keep experience and talent where needed. Sad to say, but if you want to keep people in uniform, you have to offer something to compete with the pilot job market. Money may not even be enough, but it is something the Navy can offer right now.
This issue has been circulating through NAval Aviation since before I was winged. The fact is, the only thing the navy has ever done about it is hope for a terrible economy and downplay the civilian job market.
On Wed, Jul 22, 2026 at 12:17 AM <mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> wrote:
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2026/july/strike-fighter-aviation...
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I think we are in complete agreement. The Navy, just like the AF if we were expanding this, is at the mercy of Goldwater-Nichols. The AF doesn’t punish pilots for being pilots like the Navy does however. Like Kevin, I committed the cardinal sin of leaving the seawall to train pilots. I earned three EPS there, but they might as well have DUIs as far the way the Navy treated me after that tour. I would have been way better off jumping ship to the Coast Guard. To my knowledge, no other federal agency manages pilots this way. Marc mentioned some solutions that in my mind were very good and even successful. The problem is that “the system” exists to make COs, not experts, and many of these programs simply faded away due to lack of interest from Big Navy. The flying warrant officer program comes to mind. The OP-T career path you mentioned is another. When I was banished to the desert following my DH tour, I qualified as one of the very few Navy space officers. The 1 star weatherman admiral at Vandenberg in charge of making it a career path for folks like me punted completely. There were a lot of good thoughts out there for how to leverage our unique skills and expertise. Airwing staff weaponeering, targeteering and retain intel functions for example. Ultimately he did what leaders of the day did. He marched in place long enough to check a career box and moved on. Let us also not forget that BUPERS was far more concerned with DEI initiatives over talent. Guess what. DEI wasn’t really as into the cause as we were told and bailed after minimum effort with full veterans benefits. On Wed, Jul 22, 2026 at 11:23 AM Kevin Black <kblack1967@gmail.com> wrote:
I am a generation ahead of Brian and was in the so called T Notch. As per usual post effort/cold war/GF I they started riffing people. Even in 1990 the Soviet Union was collapsing and the cut backs were upon us. When I was up for selection, from what I remember there was 36 that week and only 1 got jets. The A-7 was going going gone, the A-6 was uncertain and Tailhook happened when I was in primary. When I was back in university in 1996-8 as a NAVCAD finishing my degree apparently the damage had happened and at least one of my FRS classmates transitioned to Jets (EA-6B) i missed that NAVADMIN or I might have done that. By the time I was a IP in the VT's in 01-03 interest in Naval Aviation was no longer on fire. We had students out of the academy barely trying and were trying to weasel their way into DOR and then Supply Corps (this was just before 9/11) Happened more than once. They saw it as a shorter commitment and a corporate path to riches. Was not anything like the challenge during my era to get jets. 1/3rd of my Onwings got jets. 1/3rd got VP, and 1/3 helo. It should be fairly apparent that the culture has shifted a lot in the past 30 years and with exception to a bump once in a while, the interest in being a Naval Aviator as a career isn't the same as in earlier eras. I have a son in law who would probably be great at it but he has zero interest in a military career. Shoot I am 58 and if they would let me go back, I would do it but there is less than zero interest in wore out 58 year old fat hairy retired Aviators despite me still having solid flying skills. Might be time for them to bring back the NAVCAD program again for enlisted folks. Doesn't help their DH issues. Stop Loss? On 7/22/2026 7:13 AM, Brian Miller wrote:
This isn’t very hard to figure out. The problem is the nonsensical Naval Aviation career track and a post COVID airline job market compounded by a population that is producing fewer and fewer qualified candidates every year.
Whether the Navy likes it or not, the people they are looking for do not join the Navy because they love briefing, debriefing, ground jobs, or anything else that does not involve the cockpit. I’m guessing if you ask, flying is all they care about.
If you are a first tour JO and didn’t get the number 1 EP, the Navy has already chosen your fate. BUPERS will tell other tall tales, but that is the reality. You will never have command. There is nothing on the other side of a DH tour that appeals to a first tour JO knowing he is not the golden child. I don’t make the rules.
Combine this with what was a very healthy job market in the private sector for former military pilots, including all major airlines. When I was hired at my company three years ago, the last thing I flew professionally was a C-337 part time. Prior to that, it was my last flight in and SH-60B. By then, that aircraft was already in a museum for years. I didn’t even have to work my way up from the regionals. If I can make it on that resume, how do you think the market looks to fighter guys?
I don’t hear much about retention bonuses anymore, but the one I took was enough to get a guy to the DH tour to where an actual financial cost/benefit analysis was enough to keep experience and talent where needed. Sad to say, but if you want to keep people in uniform, you have to offer something to compete with the pilot job market. Money may not even be enough, but it is something the Navy can offer right now.
This issue has been circulating through NAval Aviation since before I was winged. The fact is, the only thing the navy has ever done about it is hope for a terrible economy and downplay the civilian job market.
On Wed, Jul 22, 2026 at 12:17 AM <mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> wrote:
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2026/july/strike-fighter-aviation... _______________________________________________ Helobubbas mailing list -- helobubbas@helobubbas.com To unsubscribe send an email to helobubbas-leave@helobubbas.com
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participants (3)
-
Brian Miller -
Kevin Black -
mgbrattland＠gerlecreek.com