Military Offers Up Air Traffic Controllers To Keep Flights Moving During Shutdown — Why Major Obstacles Loom

The FAA is considering using military air traffic controllers to keep flights moving, with staffing shortages and flight reductions amidst the government shutdown. But there are real limits to how much this can help quickly.

Defense Secretary and former FOX host Pete Hegseth reportedly texted Transportation Secretary and former FOX host Sean Duffy to make the offer:

.@SecDuffy says @PeteHegseth texted him to offer @FAANews some military controllers: “I don't know that I can take (them) because they're not certified in the air spaces that we need them, but if I can, I'm going to use them” he told @jaketapper

— David Shepardson (@davidshepardson) November 9, 2025

The Federal Aviation Administration cannot simply plug in military air-traffic controllers wholesale into its air traffic organization to relieve the civilian controller shortage.

• Even with a military background, controllers must typically be certified by the FAA’s training pipeline (academy, on-the-job training, facility certification) before they can assume civilian en-route, approach or tower duties.

• Military air traffic control is structured differently (and often operates in military airspace under different rules). Civil air traffic control has its own procedures, regulations, and oversight. You can’t just transfer controllers without matching certification, facility familiarity and clearance.

  For instance, a controller moving from the Department of Defense to FAA must retrain on En Route Automation Modernization and Standard Terminal Automation Replacement systems and adjust to commercial phraseology,

• There’s no budget authority for interagency cooperation and transfers, although this might be overcome with a presidential emergency declaration.

While wholesale augmentation is off the table, there are some scenarios where military controllers or military coordination could help, such as in non-primary support and advisory roles. And with a declared a national aviation emergency the FAA could theoretically request Defense Support of Civil Authorities which could authorize:

• Deployment of military ATC units to assist or temporarily control airfields
  
• Integration of military controllers under FAA supervision.

This has happened only in narrow cases, such as military coordination with FAA for restricted airspace management post-9/11 (not staffing civilian towers) and disaster relief (limited military tower operation at civilian airports damaged by hurricanes).

Here are instances I’ve been able to find where DoD Directive 3025.18 allows limited military operation of civil aviation infrastructure during emergencies under Defense Support of Civil Authorities:

Year	Event	Military ATC Involvement
1992	Hurricane Andrew	USAF deployed a mobile ATC tower to Homestead AFB after its control tower was destroyed, managing civil relief flights. Homestead AFB (USAF)
2005	Hurricane Katrina	Military ATC teams supported Louisiana and Mississippi relief operations, likely including temporary control at regional airfields (e.g., Gulfport, New Orleans Lakefront). NORTHCOM Timeline (DoD)
2010	Haiti Earthquake (Port-au-Prince)	USAF 23rd Special Tactics Squadron (Hurlburt Field) established ATC at Toussaint Louverture Int’l, controlling relief flights for weeks. U.S. Air Force News
2017	Hurricanes Maria / Irma	Air National Guard and USAF mobile ATC units deployed to St Thomas and supported San Juan Int’l operations. ARPC (USAF), war.gov

When 13,000 members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) conducted an illegal strike at the start of the Reagan administration, a court ruled they had to return to work. The 11,000 who didn’t were fired and banned them from federal service (until this decision was overturned in the Clinton administration). To maintain operations, the FAA:

• Cut traffic volume by about 50% immediately.

• Mobilized 2,000 military controllers from the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps to temporarily work in FAA facilities.

• Reassigned about 3,000 supervisory and staff controllers back to active control positions.

• Relied on retired controllers and accelerated trainees to supplement staffing.

The Reagan administration had full budget authority and could order interagency cooperation. There was no government shutdown or funding lapse limiting transfers or pay.

However, certification differences have widened over the past 44 years. Military air traffic control uses different equipment and radar systems. Transitioning them to civil facilities now requires FAA certification — not instant deployment – although presumably such requirements could be waived (setting aside the wisdom of this).