U.S. Navy aviators will see far more scrutiny of their performance and considerably
more intense competition for promotions as a result of unprecedented high levels
of pilot retention, officials said.
The soaring retention rates, combined with overall plans to downsize the Navy,
offer a mix of good and bad news, said Vice Adm. Michael D. Malone, commander
of Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Having more pilots compete for a declining number of jobs will allow the Navy
to be more selective in filling leadership positions, a situation which Malone
described as a “unique opportunity to reshape the force.” The Navy,
however, can expect to see morale suffer in the ranks, if junior officers who
fail to earn promotions are forced to leave the service to which they had intended
to commit their lifetime careers.
Malone, who retires in August, spoke last month at the Association of Naval
Aviation annual symposium, in Vienna, Va.
“We are keeping naval aviators in the Navy at rates that we have never
experienced before in our lives,” he said. Between 2000 and 2001, about
500 officers resigned annually. From 2002 to 2004, the number of departures
dropped to between 250 and 200.
Several factors have contributed to the high retention, according to Malone.
Among them was the economic recession following the 9/11 attacks, which led
to cutbacks in hiring by civilian airlines. A less obvious reason why pilots
have chosen to stay has to do with the Navy’s new approach to leader development,
Malone explained. A growing emphasis on empowering captains and commanders,
making them more accountable for their decisions, has helped keep competent
officers in the service longer.
But while people are staying in extraordinary numbers, the Navy’s aviation
units are shrinking, particularly those that fly the P-3 patrol and the Hornet
strike aircraft.
P-3 squadrons are downsizing as more of the aging aircraft get taken out of
service. Hornet squadrons will operate 10 aircraft, down from 12, and will need
only 15 pilots, instead of 17.
The decline in the number of pilots and aircraft strictly is attributed to
the high efficiency of modern weapons, Malone explained. “Warfare is a
different calculus. It takes fewer airplanes to hit more targets.”
For the first time in many years, naval aviation leaders recently conducted
a “department-head screening board,” an extensive review process
to select candidates for squadron command jobs. These reviews have been rare
events, because typically there are more jobs available than candidates. Now,
the situation is reversed. “That means some junior officers will not get
the opportunity to be a department head,” said Malone. “In some
communities [the P-3 and Hornet], it will be a substantial number.”