A internal memo distributed in the Defense Department Thursday describes an Air Force in trouble.
"Many pilots expressed great distrust of the senior leadership," according to the draft memo which was quoted in The Washington Times. "Discussions with fighter pilots reveal a great deal of dissatisfaction with the ongoing deployment," the memo says. "There is no training, they are not doing what they are trained to do, they are simply 'boring holes in the sky'."
Based on site visits by defense officials in June, the memo lists numerous other problems plaguing the Air Force. Pilots are leaving the service at a rate higher than pilots in the Army, Navy or Marines, while instructor pilots are a "very disgruntled group." Maintenance depots are not producing quality work and 65 percent of engines for the C-5 Cargo jet are returning from repair shops still malfunctioning.
The memo did not detail reasons for the Air Forces' loss of morale or productivity.
Air Force officials declined to comment.
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