'We Need More Bodies': Ronny Jackson Sounds The Alarm On Short-Handed Air Force Medical Staff

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[00:00:00]When yields back, chair now recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Dr. Jackson.

[00:00:03]Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh thank you, gentlemen, for being here today.

[00:00:06]Appreciate your time. Uh before we get started, General, I I I want to also thank you for taking time to meet with the uh Sheppard Military Affairs Committee and members of the Wichita Falls community during their recent DC flying. That was much appreciated. Thank you.

[00:00:18]Um during my most [clears throat] recent visit to the Air Force Base, a pressing issue came to my attention. Currently, Air Force installation unit manpower document authorizations, the UMD, primarily reflects uh reflect permanently assigned personnel, and there is no requirement to account for the sustained support demands generated by large rotational student populations.

[00:00:38]As a result, major training installations like Sheppard, which produce 48%, which produces 48% of our tech training graduates and 50% of all US fighter pilots, experience severe manpower shortfalls relative to their actual day-to-day workload. For example, the 82nd Medical Group at Sheppard must provide care for more than half of the Air Force's annual throughput of airmen in training, as well as for student pilots in the Euro-NATO Euro-NATO Joint Pilot Training Program. Yet, none of these rotational trainees are captured in the base's UMD authorizations.

[00:01:09]General, [clears throat] is the Air Force open to a new approach that properly resources the workload generated by rotational student populations? Specifically, what are your thoughts on integrating an installation's average daily load, the ADL, the steady state population physically present and requiring installation support into UMD authorizations to improve manpower planning for central services like housing, medical care, logistics, security, and base operations?

[00:01:36]Um yes, uh Congressman agree. Uh they they do have a lot of folks there, and in fact, um just in March, uh we author- authorized some special pay increases for the staff that's uh that's there at um Sheppard. Uh so that uh we you know, one, we can keep more people there, uh so that um the they can uh support uh support the base.

[00:01:57]Um it's um a a 35% uh increase for uh GS uh 11 and 12, and then a a lesser increase for for higher rank structures, but um agree with you that uh we we need to do something.

[00:02:12]Uh and and this these measures will help us with that to keep the the base population that's there working um while we have additional people there going through training. Absolutely.

[00:02:22]Yeah, I think that's key. I mean, paying them more money and my second question is going to come is going to address a little bit of that as well, but we need more bodies too, I think. You know, just with my previous example with the having been in in the in the medical corps for a while, uh you know, it's uh it it it it it's it's difficult to retain people when they're in that environment where they're so overwhelmed with the you know, the number of patient the number of people that they're responsible for every day because they're just short bodies. So, yeah.

[00:02:45]Agreed. And the 27 budget also allows for an increase [clears throat] in the total end strength of the Air Force. And as we look at where there are needs, because we'll have those extra bodies that will be funded, we'll be able to apply those in places where we're short-handed. Perfect. I got one more quick question here, and then I have two questions I'm going to submit for the record for you, Mr. Secretary, but uh I'm I'm increasingly concerned by the declining manning levels for the civilian simulator instructors, particularly Shepherd Air Force bases 80th Flying Training Wing, home to the Euro-NATO Joint Pilot Training Program.

[00:03:16]An aging workforce and rising retirements are creating critical shortages of these instructors, directly threatening our pilot generation pipeline. Because these GS positions compete directly with the private sector, namely commercial aviation and advanced tech industry, start pay and benefit disparities, as well as slow hiring timelines, severely limit the Air Force's ability to recruit talent. Left unaddressed, this short this shortage will force reductions in class loading, worsening the Air Force's broader pilot shortfall. Mr. Secretary, are you and your team aware of of growing challenge, and how can the Air Force, whether through direct hire authority, expanded use of special salary rates, recruitment incentives, retention allowances, or other targeted hiring flexibilities, mitigate this issue and help ensure consistent instructor manning at critical training installation installations like Sheppard?

[00:04:08]Yeah, thanks, Congressman.

[00:04:10]I I think I'd point out two things. The first is we're we're actually delegating uh uh civilian hiring authority down to the center level or below in some cases to actually accelerate across-the-board hiring and make that easier and faster so that when people do apply, they're not sitting around forever waiting to get waiting to get picked up. Uh and then secondly, that as as General Wilson Bach mentioned, we are looking at incentive bonuses or incentive pay um across the the ranks to to bring people on and keep them.

[00:04:39]Yes, sir. I think that's going to be key, and then I'm willing to help in in any way I can in making that happen. Uh I'll have two questions I'm going to submit for the record. One is related to uh the MH-139 and uh the plan to put H-60s into a program here to shuttle uh folks around in the NCR, and the last and the last question will involve the T-7, but I'll I don't have time to ask these questions, so I'll submit these for the record. I'll yield back, Mr. Chair.

[00:05:02]>> Gentleman yields back. Chair recognizes gentleman