Enhancing the Assessment of the Costs and Benefits of International Pilot Training (IPT) Within the U.S. Air Force: Is It Worth It

This dissertation provides a unique perspective on valuing the total monetary cost and the operational monetary and nonmonetary benefits of international pilot training (IPT) that have not been explored previously. We investigate the costs of IPT that result from the sale of defense equipment through the U.S. government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Costs are not fully reimbursed due to 1) special discount rates for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations and many other allies and 2) rates below actual costs. There are costs to the service above and beyond even the full reimbursement rate or formal course price for international training. We use the case study of F-16 international training at the Tucson Air National Guard to derive the direct cost incurred through discounting, as well as an estimate of the cost above and beyond the full FMS price.;We provide a unique approach to assess operational benefits of IPT not previously considered. We quantify the operational savings to the U.S. Air Force (USAF) realized by USAF-trained international partners in coalitions with U.S. forces. We focus on the primary components of the operational costs borne by our allies during the Libya conflict in 2011, explicitly including deployment-oriented flying costs, tanker costs, personnel travel costs, equipment delivery costs, and costs for ordnance expended. We then provide an overall assessment of the monetary costs and savings of IPT.;Finally, we provide an example of the nonmonetary benefits of FMS to the USAF by analyzing the impact of FMS-provided capability on allied interoperability. We measure changes in interoperability of allied nations from the conflicts in Kosovo (1999) to Libya (2011). We outline FMS activity from 1999 to 2011 for the allied nations and use historical analysis and structured interviews with military leaders to assess the impact FMS has had on allied interoperability.;This research shows that within the historical operational aspects considered in this dissertation, the benefits of FMS-directed IPT to the USAF are shown to outweigh the monetary costs. There are other monetary and nonmonetary benefits of FMS and IPT along with some additional IPT costs and reciprocal benefits not covered in this dissertation. Additional costs accrue in the administration and execution of IPT. Benefits include the impact on the U.S. defense industrial base, bilateral defense relationships, regional stability, U.S. force structure impacts, spare parts procurements, and the extended impact on the USAF training enterprise. When considering these factors, one may find additional value of FMS and IPT to support the findings of this research.;This research is sponsored by the Director of Policy, International Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force (SAFIIAP). Part of the work was conducted within the Manpower, Personnel, and Training Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE as part of a fiscal year 2013 study, Foreign Military Sales and Air Force Training Capacity. The target audience for this research is SAF/IA, AFSAT, Air Force leadership , and anyone interested in FMS, training, and international coalition building. The research is for FMS policymakers, not operational planners or programmers.;The views expressed in this dissertation are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the USAF, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.