Workforce, Development, and Health Program

A 43rd Fighter Generation Squadron team lifts an AIM-9 Sidewinder during the unit’s weapons load competition at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 11, 2022

Photo by Samuel King Jr./U.S. Air Force

Workforce, Development, and Health (WDH) examines the Department of the Air Force’s workforce size and composition, and it addresses the best ways to define, sustain, renew, deliver, and coordinate critical workforces. WDH also considers personnel development, such as training, job opportunities, and career advancement, and it analyzes the physical and mental health of the workforce. WDH's research encompasses the total workforce: active-duty, guard, reserve, civilian, and contractor personnel.

Results You Can Use

This quarter’s newsletter includes items on sexual assault and harassment, recruiting and retention, and a new approach to space force acquisitions, among other topics key to Air Force workforce issues.

Read the October 2022 Newsletter

Latest Publications

Assessment and Selection for U.S. Air Force Special Warfare: Vol. 1, Defining Attributes and Designing Rater Training 2022

Tracy C. Krueger, Sean Robson, Joshua Snoke, Matthew Walsh, Matt Strawn, Anthony Atler, Jason H. Campbell, Isabel Leamon, Ryan Haberman, Barbara Bicksler
Air Force Special Warfare operators conduct physically and mentally challenging missions. For this career field, specialized assessment and selection of future operators is required. The authors examine the programs for assessing and selecting personnel for AFSPECWAR, identify job-relevant attributes, consider how these attributes should be weighted for candidate selection, and improve the accuracy of raters' evaluations of candidates.
Options for Improving Strategic Utilization of the Air Reserve Component for Sustained Active-Duty Missions 2022

Agnes Gereben Schaefer, Kimberly Jackson, Maria McCollester, Thomas Bush, Laura Kupe, Katherine L. Kidder, Paul Emslie, Michael H. Phan, Thomas Goughnour
The authors analyze how statutes, personnel policies, and resource policies constrain how Air Reserve Component (ARC) personnel are utilized to perform frequent or long-term active component operational requirements; suggest potential changes that would make accessing the ARC more efficient; and suggest specific strategic solutions for an operational ARC.
What Is JADC2, and How Does It Relate to Training? An Air Force Perspective on Joint All Domain Command and Control 2022

Timothy Marler, Carra S. Sims, Ajay K. Kochhar, Christine Kistler LaCoste, Caitlin Lee, Matt Strawn, Mark Toukan
To remain competitive in an increasingly complex warfare environment, U.S. Joint Forces must utilize emerging technologies to coordinate their data and enable faster and more informed decisionmaking. The evolving Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) effort aims to address the need for cross-domain connectivity but must first establish a common understanding to foster consistent communication and support subsequent training.
Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: Executive Summary 2022

Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Sarah O. Meadows, Stephani L. Wrabel, Laura Werber, Christopher Joseph Doss, Wing Yi Chan, Lu Dong, Brandon Crosby
This executive summary encapsulates the findings in Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: An Evaluation of the UNITE Initiative (RR-A554-1) 2022.