Impact of Scheduled Attrition Rates on Meeting Monthly Sortie Goals in United States Air Force Bomb Wings
Abstract
During home station training operations, United States Air Force (USAF) bomb wings use a 5-year historical loss rate, also known as attrition, to predict future losses in the monthly flying schedules. The purpose of the attrition is to ensure that units meet their sortie contract consistently. In an era of decreasing force size, it is important for units to maximize aircrew training operations, without wasting manpower and resources. Thus, the primary research question is as follows: Is the current USAF scheduling technique of using a 5-year historical attrition rate an effective way to ensure that bomb wings consistently meet their monthly sortie contracts? Statistical analysis shows that the bomber fleet is more likely to meet the sortie contract in months with high scheduled attrition than in months with low scheduled attrition. Additionally, the research introduced the application of disruption management as a method to manage a flying schedule built with no scheduled attrition to increase the unit's efficiency and the schedule's effectiveness. The author recommends that the USAF stop using attrition scheduling in its bomb wings, and that it conduct research to identify what capability shortfalls are masked by attrition.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 12, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA501951
Entities
People
- Craig M. Giles
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College