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Crews view their missions as important and feel a strong sense of camaraderie, including positive attitudes toward colleagues and working in a supportive team setting. On the negative side, crews feel stressed and regard their stress as greater than that of other career fields. About one-third of those in the groups showed signs of burnout. The most frequently mentioned concerns were related to lack of manning and overtasking. Another frequently mentioned area of dissatisfaction was shiftwork. Some concerns were also expressed about training; although most personnel felt that they were adequately trained, they felt that more training would allow them to offer more support. RPA units' locations — Cannon, Creech, and Holloman Air Force Bases — were generally seen as undesirable, and available facilities and services were seen as lacking, largely because of the schedules the crews had to follow.

The demand for the Air Force's remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) has exploded in the past few years. Even though the Air Force has increased its number of RPA units, it has been unable to keep up with this demand. This problem is exacerbated by an inability to fill the ranks of RPA units. The result is that RPA personnel work inordinately long hours, and the RPA mission is more demanding in terms of flying time than the typical traditionally manned aircraft mission. Air Force Special Operations Command leadership recognized the need to address RPA workforce issues and asked RAND Project AIR FORCE to identify issues potentially affecting the RPA force and recommend ways to mitigate them. Researchers conducted focus groups with RPA personnel, finding that while crews view their missions as important, they feel stressed due to heavy workloads, undermanning, shiftwork, lack of training, and undesirable base locations. About one-third of those in the groups showed signs of burnout, a feeling that typically occurs after prolonged periods of stress. Researchers recommend reducing personnel stress by reducing workload and instituting a "combat-to-dwell" policy that allows personnel time to attend to family and administrative needs and mitigates combat exposure.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Focus Group Method

• Chapter Three

  Focus Group Findings

• Chapter Four

  Exploring a "Dwell" Concept for the RPA Force

• Chapter Five

  Conclusions and Recommendations

• Appendix A

  Factors to Consider When Addressing Workplace Stress and Dissatisfaction

• Appendix B

  Background on the RPA Community

• Appendix C

  Likert Scale Questionnaire Items

• Appendix D

  Additional Questionnaire Item Results