The Air Force and its two reserve components ushered in the new fiscal year by reaching 100 percent or better toward their recruiting goals. The Air National Guard fared best, recruiting 117 percent of its goal for the month of October. The Pentagon reported Friday that all the active duty and reserve components achieved their goals, with the exception of the Army Reserve and Navy Reserve. The Air Force, ANG, and Air Force Reserve also met or exceeded their retention goals for the month.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.