Abstract
Across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), retention rates continue to decrease. A number of external factors are at play including the growing civilian economy and continuous combat engagements in the post-9/11 era. Additionally, internal factors are eroding away at each military service’s ability to adequately retain the necessary skilled personnel to fight tomorrow’s wars. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has experienced this issue the hardest with massive pilot shortages. In addition to the pending manning crisis, the service finds itself center stage in enduring world conflict and amidst complex social problems. Effective leadership has never been more critical for a service looking for standout leaders amongst a retention deficit. This paper examines the factors most influencing pilot retention in the B-2 community.|Keywords: United States Air Force, pilot retention, B-2, leadership