They think they will be short 1000 pilots, so they increase the number they want to train by 85?
The problem is with the generals.
The generals need more money. They can only afford 85 extra. It costs a ton; jet fuel, maintenance, crew care, Obama administration watching your every move for “bad optics”.
For every one pilot, you’ll need at least 25 people to back him up. From maintainers, electronic techs, radar men, network specialists, cooks, admins, security police, all the way to doctors and nurses.
And, of course, they weren’t allowed to buy enough F-22s. So now they have to bring in the much worse F-35s, and actually find pilots who want to fly them.