The exception is Gen. Lester L. Lyles, an engineer, who is the head of Air Force Materiel Command. Despite the complex case, the Air Force still has critics. Last fall, Harkin urged Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen to direct the service to clarify its needs by performing another scrub of pilot requirements. Harkin said DoD should review staff requirements to determine if pilots are needed to fill these types of nonflying positions currently designated for them and more fully evaluate the merits of implementing a fly-only career path for pilots wishing to stay in the cockpit. The need to fill staff positions with pilots has not been explained well, concluded a 1999 General Accounting Office report on the matter.
Confusion reigns even on the issue of how many pilots are assigned to nonflying positions.
Consequently, the severity of the shortage was unclear to GAO because, in its view, there may still be staff jobs reserved for pilots that could be filled by other officers. This is what leads to the unfilled staff billets. GAO found some pilots were concerned about this fact as well. Though many welcomed the prospect of a fly-only career, others are concerned about the career imbalance. Some of these pilots have become concerned that they will not be competitive for promotion.