Air power doctrine far sighted

The Air Force recently released the fourth version of its air power (now aerospace power) doctrine: Fundamentals of Australian Aerospace Power.

The latest publication has been designed to be equally useful for in-depth reference or a skim.

As always, the book is fundamentally about doctrine; however, this latest version also presents key aspects of our history and articulates our strategic goals and the concepts which form the basis for our organisational vision both now and for the future.

Casual readers and students of aerospace power alike will also note that some new concepts and themes have been introduced. Important issues such as globalisation, geostrategic balance and the fusion of capability and technology are discussed, as are the impacts of new and emerging capabilities such as stealth, uninhabited aerial vehicles, and cutting-edge developments such as micro/nano technologies.

The challenges of understanding and exploiting aerospace power lead to an essential function of the new aerospace book – education.

Use it to broaden your personal and professional understanding of our unique Service and its operating environment, which is changing daily as new threats to our security emerge and as technological improvements are continually introduced. To meet the challenges presented by these changes each of us must be able to contribute to the ever-increasing range of tasks and roles that a modern air force may be called upon to undertake.

One way we can do this is by becoming better informed about how Australia might use aerospace power. Regardless of specialisation, mustering or rank, as members of the Air Force our primary purpose is ultimately the application of aerospace power, and how well we understand and appreciate our business will determine how well the Air Force will perform as a 21st century military organisation. Each of us should be striving for professional mastery to maximise our contribution to the Air Force’s mission and ultimately to Australia’s security.

Such a commitment to professionalism is especially important given the volatility of our security environment and the fact that aerospace power is almost certain to be a major part of any response to threats to our national or regional security.

We need look no further than the tragic events of the recent terrorist attack in Bali, when Australia’s immediate response was the deployment of aerospace power in the form of airlift to provide aeromedical evacuation for critically injured victims.

The Air Force has a long history as an innovative and adaptable organisation; it has had to be to survive.

However, for all of the changes affecting the nature of conflict and the role of aerospace power, there is one undeniable constant – the responsibility for employing aerospace power rests with people.

We are the people who must and will come up with the most effective ways in which the Air Force can use high-tech equipment such as stealth, joint strike fighters, AEW&C aircraft and networked information systems.

The professional and creative abilities of Air Force personnel and their commitment to getting the job done are as central to our heritage as aircraft.

Through that tradition of professionalism, dedication, adaptability and creativity all Air Force members continue to contribute to the delivery of aerospace power and by these efforts we determine what our Air Force is capable of achieving and how well it can achieve it.

By doing our jobs and understanding what needs to be done and especially why, we are actually laying the foundations for our future doctrine, just as our predecessors beginning in WWI did for us.

Aerospace doctrine is based upon our experiences as individuals and as an organisation.

Fundamentals of Australian Aerospace Power is a book about us and for us; it explains how we got where we are today, and it points out where we might be going tomorrow. It is vitally important that we understand the lessons within it.

For more details about aerospace power or to obtain a copy of the new aerospace book contact the Aerospace Centre at www.aerospacecentre@defence.gov.au or telephone (02) 6287 6563.

• More information about Australian aerospace power and about emerging issues and technologies will be published in Air Force News in a series of articles contributed by the Aerospace Centre.
  

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