In September 2004, the active-duty enlisted component of the United States Air Force consisted of about 298,000 airmen. These airmen performed duties in about 200 specialties. Because the relationships between job requirements and personnel management policies are so complex, dedicated enlisted strength managers have never matched the inventory of people, by Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) and grade, to manpower requirements. There are structural obstacles that impede achieving this goal. ...