No Aircraft
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 14
Confusion; Distraction; Workload; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Was working these two sectors combined. It needed a D side or to be split. Sector volume was high and complex. Two CPC's [Certified Professional Controller] had been held over on OT to supplement our 5 CPC count for the night shift. They were relieved to go home as they hit their limits. That left 5 CPC's working 5 sectors. No sector could be combined up to free up a controller to help on a D side. There was extensive military training aircraft working sector X at ZZZ1; ZZZ2; ZZZ3. I told the supervisor they needed to tell those aircraft to return to base so X and Y sectors could be recombined to free up a CPC. He got that process started and eventually sectors Z and A were able to combine as well. We have been working short staffed on our 5 day rotations for too long. I am beyond frustrated working combined R/D positions with busy traffic. I have lost my patience and work angry. These sessions are unsafe and on the cusp of causing a safety incident to occur (loss of separation; etc). Our traffic levels are; in my opinion; back to pre-COVID levels. We need to transition back to normal schedules. If not; management needs to place traffic restrictions on the military training flights that routinely come out of ZZZ4; ZZZ5; ZZZ6; ZZZ7; ZZZ8;and etc. I'd say no more than 3 total aircraft allowed to work practice approaches at the ZZZ1 area and no more than 1 at a time at the ZZZ9 area until we can get back to normal schedules and staffing levels.
Center Controller reported an understaffed shift with high traffic volume and offered recommendations to remedy the situation.