As the Air Force faces end strength reductions and force structure changes, it becomes more difficult to support the AEF construct using current force employment practices. To meet congressionally mandated end strength ceilings, the Air Force must eliminate approximately 40,000 active duty personnel in the next several years, without sacrificing operational capabilities. If the Air Force desires to keep pilot production at or near 1,000 pilots per year, alternative organizational structures and resource utilization need to be considered. One of these alternative solution is to use associate units of the highly experience ANG workforce and the increased PAA per ANG unit (as a result of the QDR and BRAC decisions) to relieve some of the burden of active component pilot training. With that goal in mind, PAF was asked by senior leaders, both in the ANG and on the Air Staff, to evaluate associate unit maintenance organizations, which could be used to train junior maintenance personnel and to help relieve the burden of active component pilot training.