By
WGCDR Peter McLennan
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Australian
Air Power Development Centre
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IN
December 2003, DCAF announced a significant change in focus for
the Air Force’s Aerospace Centre.
The most obvious change is that the centre is to be renamed the
Air Power Development Centre (APDC).
The move away from the term aerospace was directed by CAF, and
acknowledges that the main focus of the Air Force is on the provision
of air power rather than space power.
In addition, CAF intends for the focus of the new-look centre
to change signifi cantly. APDC is to take on a stronger role for
the long-term development of RAAF and other ADF air power.
This will be done by adopting a concept development and experimentation
process, as described in the joint doctrinal publication
Future Warfighting Concept.
To enable this process to be undertaken, the centre is now structured
to perform and integrate the functions of historical analysis,
futures analysis, future concept development, experimentation,
doctrine development and education.
The immediate output from this process will be documented concepts
for the future employment of air power that have been tested through
experimentation.
In turn, these concepts will influence our doctrine and education.
To apply these results, a dedicated strategic planning position
was established within the Directorate of Planning and Capability
Support - Air Force.
Strategic planning will involve taking the outputs of the concept
development and experimentation process and integrating them with
Air Force Headquarters’ capability management of the force-in-being.
This will provide direction for the medium and long-term development
of air power, and of the Air Force in particular. Despite refocussing
the centre on air power, the reorganisation includes the transfer
of the Future Space Concepts cell from Air Force Headquarters.
The aim is for this cell to focus on longer-term issues concerning
the Air Force’s utilisation of space, and to ensure that space
capabilities are properly represented in Air Force concepts and
doctrine.
Another aspect of these organisational changes is a strengthening
of the centre’s functions for the management of history.
An Office of Air Force History will be created within APDC.
The head of this office will be known as the RAAF Historian.
In addition to managing the Air Force’s historical records, the
RAAF Historian will also have responsibility for evaluating the
other products of APDC to ensure that they are valid when evaluated
against the lessons of history.
The new organisational arrangements are now in place and the centre
is now planning out how to make the new processes work best.
APDC’s focus on longer-term development of air power, and related
work on space and history, should be increasingly apparent as
this year progresses.
Wing
Commander Peter McLennan is Acting Director of the APDC.
