The Air Force plans to enlist the help of prior military training instructors to bridge the gap until it can fill the 220 additional MTI slots it must have to train prospective airmen over the next two years as the service increases its active duty end strength to 332,700. CMSAF Rodney McKinley highlighted the need for the additional MTIs in an Enlisted Perspective letter earlier this year, but now he says the current MTIs, who are “doing an outstanding job and are working long hours to meet this influx,” need some immediate relief. In the short term, Air Force Personnel Center will select former MTIs—those who served in that capacity within the past four years—to return to that duty for a 179-day temporary duty assignment. (AFPC report)
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
