A Case Study On Human Capital Mismanagement In The United States Air Force
Abstract
Today's United States Air Force does not effectively manage its human capital to develop and retain a technically literate acquisitions workforce. A detailed look at the personnel development and career progression opportunities of the acquisitions workforce, especially the Flight Test Engineer community, illustrates this problem. Data presented illustrate the shift towards the Acquisition Management and away from Scientist and Engineer career fields as rank increases. Conversely, Flight Test Engineers are discouraged from branching into Acquisition Management despite the institutional bias in that direction. Several solutions are suggested to improve the human capital management and increase the quality and relevancy of the acquisitions community at large. These solutions range from reducing the emphasis on Air Force Specialty Code when selecting Materiel Leaders to developing a warrior ethos focused on growing warfighter capabilities within acquisition professionals. The challenges facing the United States Air Force, in this era of massive recapitalization of its aged and overworked fleet, require a technically literate and dedicated acquisitions community to provide capabilities for the warfighter in 2036 and beyond.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 08, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1037964
Entities
People
- John P. Casey
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College