We have a great job to do
The new Air Commander Australia, AVM Geoffrey Shepherd, is excited about the challenges ahead, LACW Simone Liebelt reports

Air Vice-Marshal Shepherd will focus on people and preparedness.

EXCITEMENT, satisfaction, gratitude and a little apprehension is how Air Vice-Marshal Geoffrey Shepherd felt on his appointment to his “plum new job” of Air Commander Australia.

A committed career and family man who enjoys rugby league football and a good laugh, AVM Shepherd is immensely proud to be the new Air Commander and praises his predecessor, Air Vice-Marshal John Kindler, and all the men and women of Air Command for achieving such a high record of recent operational success.

While referring to himself as the “new boy on the block”, AVM Shepherd comes fully qualified for the job with 33 years’ distinguished service. His Air Force career began in 1971 with the RAAF academy intake, and since then he has flown more than 4500 hours – mostly in the F-111 – and has filled a range of staff, training and operational roles. These include commanding No. 6 Squadron and No. 82 Wing at RAAF Base Amberley, Chief of Staff at HQ Air Command, Director General Operations of the Defence Signals Directorate and Director General Joint Operations and Plans in Strategic Operations Division during Operation Falconer against Iraq.

AVM Shepherd has many visions for the future but said his focus as Air Commander would be on the people and operational preparedness of the current force.

“Our job is to deliver current operational ability here and now the best we can with what we have,” he said. “We’ve come a long way operationally in the last few years and that’s been fantastic, but we need to pick up the lessons we’ve learnt and embed them into our doctrine and practices so we can move forward in a more controlled fashion. We face many challenges, but we will meet these by working together and by adhering to our shared Air Force culture and values.”

With many new developments ahead for Air Force, he emphasised the need to embrace change and to make values-based decisions in the best interests of the organisation. Some current developments include the merger of the Maritime Patrol Group and Surveillance and Control Group and the formation of a new deployable Joint Forces Air Component Command Structure (JFACC), to command and control air operations. AVM Shepherd said that the JFACC was a brave but evolutionary step that would become an essential part of daily operational business. Air Commodore John Quaife is the new JFACC Commander and is located in Air Operations Centre in HQ Air Command at RAAF Glenbrook.

AVM Shepherd also said we must continue to support our colleagues deployed on operational service and must realise the operational outcomes of the Defence Capability Plan, particularly with the retirement of the F-111.
“The F-111 is a great aeroplane but it’s got to go sometime and the real issue is how we can best retire it and reshape our strike capability. The good outcome in the Defence Capability Plan is the projects which the future Air Force is going to depend on.

“The Hornet upgrade program, the new Joint Strike Fighter, the Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft and the Air-to-Air Refuellers are all on track. So if they all come out at the right time, any strike gap will be covered. Now we can move forward with our planning.”

Leading a command of more than 9900 personnel, AVM Shepherd is responsible for ensuring our forces are as prepared as possible to conduct effective aerospace operations. He admits it’s a big job but looks forward to meeting and working with all his people as they face the future together.

“I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer and it is only by all of us working together that we will deliver the best combat air power for Australia. We have a great job to do – I can’t think of one better – so let’s crack on and have some bloody good fun doing it,” he said.

.