Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said Wednesday he is “not considering stop loss” as a means of retaining pilots in the service. Gen. Carlton Everhart, boss of Air Mobility Command, told CQ Roll Call Monday that the service was mulling the possibility of retaining Active D?uty pilots beyond their established dates of separation or retirement. Speaking at a Heritage Foundation event in Washington, D.C., Goldfein said the pilot shortage is certainly “a national level issue,” but that the use of stop loss is a “secretary and a presidential decision in a time of emergency.” The Air Force, Goldfein told the audience, is “not in a state of emergency.” This doesn’t mean he’s unconcerned about the pilot crisis. Goldfein said he has “enlisted the help of Congress on the behalf of the Joint Chiefs” to address the issue in addition to facilitating a host of service initiatives aimed at raising pilot retention. “There is not going to be one big program” to address the shortage, Goldfein said, “it’s going to be 100 little things” that work to improve morale by allowing them to focus on their work as pilots. “Pilots who don’t fly … they won’t stay with us,” he said.
This entry was updated April 13 to accurately reflect Gen. Carlton Everhart’s title.