Canada should open its doors to military pilots from other countries to address a critical shortage of skilled pilots to fly its helicopters and planes, the chief of the Royal Canadian Air Force said.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Lieutenant General. Al Meinzinger said the military is currently working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to facilitate and streamline the registration of experienced overseas pilots.
“We wouldn’t be able to influence … or ask for specific results,” he said. “But I think it is a valuable opportunity for us to continue to attract individuals who would like to come to Canada and continue serving as Air Force members.”
The initiative is the latest in a long list of actions by the Air Force in recent years as it has tried to ensure that it has enough experienced pilots to both train new recruits and lead flight missions domestically and internationally.
The severity of this pilot shortage has been repeatedly noted by military officials and others like the federal auditor, raising concerns about the short- and long-term implications for Canada’s defense and security.
Meinzinger said some progress had been made in addressing this deficiency. The Air Force is said to have around 1,500 pilots and was short by 225 at the end of December 2019. Currently, according to Meinzinger, the Air Force is short by 130.
Most of this progress, however, is due to a reorganization that reclassified about 60 vacant pilot positions to so-called “flight operations officers” who are responsible for planning and coordinating missions rather than flying them.
“We are small 130 pilots,” said Meinzinger. “But when you add 61 you are really closer to 195 … So the aggregate has improved a bit.”
Progress has been less than the military and government had hoped.
Efforts have been made since 2018 to retain experienced staff. These include better support for military families, recruiting reservists for basic maintenance, and creating a position as flight operations officer to keep pilots in the air rather than creating desk jobs.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was also optimism that the financial troubles faced by commercial airlines would lead to an influx of former military pilots who had broken out to perform in the private sector but were now on leave or unemployed.
However, despite a dedicated unit in his office responsible for liaising with former Air Force personnel and an advertising campaign touting the benefits of being recruited, Meinzinger only about 15 pilots have decided to put their uniforms back on.
“It’s not a significant number,” he admitted. “I would rationalize it by saying that individuals may have already moved into civilian jobs and are likely trying to see if they can get their old job back, or in some cases individuals have been given leave.”
In this context, Meinzinger hopes that pilots who flew with other military personnel and now want to fly to Canada will not be blocked by bureaucratic bureaucracy or other technical obstacles.
The Air Force Commander suggested that the majority of those interested in a Canadian Forces uniform are from NATO or European countries, but may also be from other countries such as India.
“Of course we’d really appreciate that because often they have thousands of hours of experience and it’s a great opportunity,” he said.
The drive for more pilots is challenging the entire military recruitment and training system caused by the global pandemic. Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Lieutenant General. Wayne Eyre said recruiting has dropped two-thirds over the past year.
Meinzinger said the decline had an obvious impact on the Air Force, compounded by the closure of various training facilities due to the pandemic.
“It will be a challenge for us,” he said. “We have to tackle this demographic problem strategically.”
Lee Berthiaume, the Canadian press
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