I just spoke to my C-17 Sqdn DO today and he confirmed these numbers. The crew ratio per airplane is dropping 0.5 which is accounting for the loss in people. However, he doesn't expect anyone to be forced out--with normal retirements and some folks returning to active duty, plus being able to carry a small surplus, there won't be much drastic change for anyone already in the unit. For reserve unit wannabes, hiring will continue to be slow...