Manning
the technology
In
the ninth in a series of articles looking at the characteristics
of aerospace power, WGCDR David Thiele considers the characteristic
of technology.
When
the existence of the F-117 was finally acknowledged, the world
became fascinated by the technology that had created the first
“stealth” aircraft.
Even as late as 1999, armed guards surrounded the F-117 at air
shows with the public able to catch only a glimpse of the aircraft
that had captured the world’s imagination.
Aerospace power is a product of technology and so it is inevitable
that technological advances would affect its development.
As the speed and sophistication of the aircraft grew, the time
for decision and action grew smaller.
As aircrew became swamped with information, system designers turned
to technology to provide the support needed.
Yet, technology itself is not the answer to maintaining a strategic
advantage in the battlespace.
Some believe that whereas the Army “equips the man”,
the Air Force “mans the equipment”, thus implying an
overarching focus on technology at the expense of people.
Aerospace power is expensive to acquire, operate and maintain
yet the equipment is useless without the people; duly trained
and educated.
The strategic advantage that aerospace power can produce is a
combination of both technology and people; complementary components
of our Air Force capability.
Air Force has long recognised its strength comes through people
and that we need to acquire highly sophisticated systems to enable
and empower them to be as effective as possible.
The Air Force will exploit the best affordable technology to maintain
the strategic advantage.
Our people are necessary to complete the equation by providing
the level of professional mastery essential to create the flexible,
adaptive and responsive force we need to maintain now and into
the future.
In the next issue, we will look the last of the characteristic
of aerospace power; that of impermanence.
-
WGCDR David Thiele is Deputy Director
Aerospace Concepts at AeC.
