Improving Aircraft Readiness

Key personnel shortfalls in engineering manpower, enlisted maintenance experience, maintenance training, and readiness programs with a limited scope reflect the human factor contributions of the decline.7 While the material, manpower, and expertise cannot support the current type/model/ series the Marine Corps has, the first fifth generation aircraft the Marine Corps fields is vastly more technically challenging. "9 According to MCWP 3-20, Aviation Operations, centers of gravity are the characteristics, capabilities, or localities from which a military force derives its freedom of action, physical strength, and will to fight.10 Observing that the maintenance department is the main effort; the Marine Corps should staff it accordingly with competent professionals whose only focus is aircraft maintenance. According to Air Force Capt Jodi Osbeck, Air Force flying squadrons are only composed of pilots and aircrew. By having major 6002s serve as flying squadron AMOs, pilots will have to wait longer to serve as a department head, but this is unlikely because of the vast shortages of pilots at the major rank.13 It is also true that readiness levels are at all-time lows, and because of that training mission essential tasks lists are challenging to meet.