Identification of Potential U.S. Air Force Skill Gaps

About this book

In February 2024, the Secretary of the Air Force announced proposals for changes to the Department of the Air Force to reoptimize the organization in preparation for potential future conflicts. The changes include structuring U.S. Air Force (USAF) operational wings as mission-ready units of action and developing Mission-Ready Airmen whose training focuses on the mix of skills needed for wartime operational mission readiness. This initiative will require the development of new training programs for airmen. Thus, USAF leadership wants to understand which skill gaps must be filled as the USAF transitions from its current organization to the new one. In this project, the authors aimed to identify gaps between the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes (KSAOs) currently available among USAF active-duty personnel and the KSAOs needed to meet the demands of conflicts with peer competitors. The authors used a mixed-methods approach, which included interviews, a modified-Delphi process, and analyses of USAF-developed training tables and plans, to address this objective. The authors discuss the capability areas identified as critical for the USAF to effectively address future co…