In today’s Washington-Post there is an interesting article on the drone pilots in the USAF. Unpinning this article is the tension between Jet Pilots and the newly minted Drone Pilots. It is also about culture and potential to radically alter the fighter-bomber centric pilot culture of the USAF. One quote stands out,
“”Why does the country need an independent Air Force?” the senior civilian assistant to General Norton A. Schwartz the service’s chief of staff, had written. For the first time in the 62-year history of the Air Force, the answer isn’t entirely clear.”
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As many are aware, I am not big fan of the USAF, in particular the fighter and bomber mafia. However what is being accomplished by Drone Pilots of the Army, USMC, and Air Force is fundamentally altering the battlefield. While the Marine Corps and Army use enlisted soldiers to fly their Drones (and by the way they are smaller and are used more at the tactical level of operations), the USAF has chosen to use Officers, not located in theater but flying the Drones from a remote location in the US. As the WaPo article points out the USAF is for the first time are training non-aviators to be Drone Pilots. Clearly this is a step in the right direction, yet I must ask the question, why it must be a commissioned officer. Should the USAF consider allowing enlisted pilots (something that was used by the Air Corps in WWII), or perhaps as they are technicians, should they consider a Warrant Officer program. The majority of the Army’s aviators for years have been Warrant Officers. I don’t have an answer but whatever the USAF decides will fundamentally alter the culture of the USAF.
