Military personnel: strategy needed to improve retention of experienced Air Force aircraft maintainers : report to congressional committees / United States Government Accountability Office.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

United States. Government Accountability Office, author, issuing body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Air Force--Personnel management.

United States.

United States. Air Force.

Airplanes, Military--Maintenance and repair.

Airplanes, Military.

Employee retention--United States.

Employee retention.

Manpower planning--United States.

Manpower planning.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (iii, 49 pages) : color illustrations, color photographs

Other Title:

Strategy needed to improve retention of experienced Air Force aircraft maintainers

GAO-19-160 Air Force aircraft maintainers

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : United States Government Accountability Office, 2019.

Summary:

Air Force aircraft maintainers are responsible for ensuring that the Air Force's aircraft are operationally ready and safe for its aviators--duties critical to successfully executing its national security mission. With more than 100,000 maintainers across the Air Force's active and reserve components, according to Air Force officials, aircraft maintenance is the Air Force's largest enlisted career field-- accounting for about a quarter of its active duty enlisted personnel. The conference report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 included a provision for GAO to review the adequacy of the Air Force's aircraft maintainer workforce. This report assesses the extent to which, from fiscal years 2010 through 2017, the Air Force (1) had aircraft maintainer staffing gaps, (2) experienced attrition of maintainers and took steps to help retain maintainers, and (3) met its annual technical school completion rate goals for maintainers. GAO analyzed aircraft maintainer staffing levels, loss and reenlistment rates, and technical school completion rates from fiscal years 2010-2017, the most recent data available; conducted five non-generalizable discussion groups with maintainers; and interviewed aviation industry, Department of Defense, and Air Force officials. What GAO Recommends GAO recommends that the Air Force develop annual retention goals and a retention strategy for aircraft maintainers. The Air Force concurred with both recommendations.

Contents:

Background

The Air Force has significantly reduced overall aircraft maintainer staffing gaps but continues to lack experienced maintainers

The Air Force has increasingly lost experienced aircraft maintainers and does not have goals and a strategy to improve retention

The Air Force has consistently met technical school completion rate goals for aircraft maintainers

Conclusions.

Recommendations for executive action

Agency comments

Appendices.

Notes:

"February 2019."

"GAO-19-160."

In scope of the U.S. Government Publishing Office Catalog and Indexing Program (C&I) and Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP).

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (GAO, viewed February 6, 2019).

OCLC:

1084658765