For some time now we have been pushing the issue of CAF fellowships at the Aerospace Centre in as many forums as possible. This is not an exercise in trying to get the Aerospace Centre noticed. The Centre is required by the Chief to be the place where people think long and hard about air power issues. The point is that people rarely sit down of their own accord and consider the difficult philosophical problems associated with how and why we use air power in 21st Century. It is something that has to be studied, discussed, argued about and thought through. We need to educate people so that in the future they can take their places here at the Centre and think about how the RAAF will work in 2030 or 2040.

Fellowships are designed to educate - note that I did not say train - officers and airmen in all aspects of air power. But it is more than that. You can't think about air power in isolation. You need to know about the political, strategic, cultural and technological issues that influence political leaders when they are considering the defence and security of Australia. If you did a fellowship you would be educated at one of the best universities in Australia and you would work on a research project that is your passion. You need to convince your leaders that the project is a matter of importance and then - when they are happy - apply to do a fellowship.

You will need to be well reported and operationally ready to deploy. You will need to be prepared to work hard on things you will rarely have thought about before. It is an exciting thing to do. It is not beyond any of you - but it will place a set of demands on you that are quite heavy. Would you want to do anything else? Who needs to be 'average' in an air force that is at the cutting edge?

Ask your commanders about fellowships. I have sent them a long message on the issues and I think they understand what we are trying to do. I look forward to hearing from you. Best wishes.

By GPCAPT Ian MacFarling