US Air Force pilots lack sufficient sortie experience for combat operations – report

A recent report indicates that many US Air Force (USAF) pilots lack sufficient sortie experience to maintain combat readiness. According to John Venable of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, the average USAF pilot performs only one sortie per month, a significant decrease from 5.5 in 2023, and well below the required nine sorties per month for combat readiness. Venable noted that US operations like "Midnight Hammer" and "Epic Fury" relied heavily on the Israel Air Force, whose pilots average 20 sorties monthly. He also stated that the USAF has not released pilot sortie rate information since 2023 and faces an anecdotal pilot shortage of 4,000. Venable attributed the issue, in part, to former US Air Force secretary Frank Kendall's 2025 reallocation of funds from aviation maintenance positions.