By
Andrew Stackpool
 |
|
CAF
Air Marshal Angus Houston addresses Air Force personnel
at Camp Victory during his recent visit to the MEAO.
|
|
Photo
by CPL Damian Shovell
|
A
SHIFT from a platform-based Air Force to a networked, system-based
Air Force underpinned by well led and highly trained people.
That
is the vision for the future that CAF Air Marshal Angus Houston
shared with a packed audience at the National Press Club on May
14.
“The future Air Force will be a completely networked force with
the right people, the right doctrine, the right air warfare and
supporting concepts and the right culture,” AIRMSHL Houston said.
He said that Air Force had developed a range of initiatives for
the rebalancing and reshaping process.
“Our
strategy now is to identify and respond to people’s needs and
align their expectations to the needs of Air Force.”
THE
Air Force is being reshaped into a balanced organisation that
will be networked with the other arms of the ADF and capable of
responding to local, regional or global tasks set by Government.
CAF Air Marshal Angus Houston outlined the direction of the Air
Force in a wide-ranging address to the National Press Club on
May 14.
AIRMSHL Houston said the experience in the conflicts in Iraq
and Afghanistan had confirmed the need for the Air Force to be
fully networked.
The lynchpin of this change is the six new AEW&C aircraft.
Early warning would provide faster decision making as to whether
to evade or engage, coupled with a faster identify/engage envelope
resulting in a higher level of survivability.
While there was some networking on the ground, at present aircraft
were still dependent on voice communications. It was increasingly
difficult and at times impossible to share information in a voice
environment, nor could a tactical battlespace “picture” be transmitted
to deployed aircraft.
Networking through new technology and the Wedgetail, coupled with
the Hornet link upgrades, would overcome this.
“Air Force must retain high-end capability with a lethal and capable
air combat force as well as the low-end component such as support
to Army,” AIRMSHL Houston said.
“The entire Air Force must be able to deploy where, when and as
needed as a responsive capability to support Government requirements,
in Australian and elsewhere. And it must be capable of total integration
into joint and coalition operations.”
To meet these requirements AFHQ had developed the “landing softly”
strategy.
“My predecessor put the main wheels on the runway, I am now letting
down the nose wheel.”
An integral part of the vision for a networked Air Force is its
culture and personnel and CAF is devoting much effort to getting
the culture right.
His vision focuses on values-based leadership, is people-oriented,
open and accessible, and empowers and emphasises people to get
the right results.
Its aim is to create an environment in which creativity flourishes
and which harnesses the collective power of all its personnel.
“We have magnificent people, who are highly trained and skilled.
They are a credit to Australia. If we harness their energy with
the right learning environment we will achieve the behavioural
and intellectual outcomes, which, coupled with getting the culture
and doctrine right, is vital to a networked Air Force,” he said.
He said the present authorised strength was 13,377 and the Air
Force was overborne by just 200 – a manageable number. The reason
is simple: people are staying.
“We have the lowest separation for generation,” AIRMSHL Houston
said.
“Contrary to some reports all our fast jet fighter pilot positions
are full.
“All the surveys by Air Force and independent sources show that
people are enjoying the challenges of the current time. Morale
is very high.
“Our strategy now is to identify and respond to people’s needs
and align their expectations to the needs of Air Force.”
AIRMSHL Houston said that Air Force had developed a range of initiatives
for the rebalancing and reshaping process.
These
include:
-
capability updates
- adoption
of strategies to address training, personnel and logistics shortcomings
- reorganisation
of AFHQ and the Air Power Development Centre and creation of
the fully deployable JFACC
-
amalgamation of the various groups to four.
AIRMSHL
Houston concluded that for the future, to ensure the edge in combat
scenarios Air Force could achieve more with less if it was fully
networked.
He was “delighted” at the allocation in the recent budget but
there was only a finite amount of money and Air Force’s future
capabilities must best meet its requirements at an affordable
price.
This will require the best possible use of people, capability
and technology to achieve the optimum outcome.
“We are headed for a mature networked system and the system we
are developing will serve Australia very well,” AIRMSHL Houston
said.
“The future Air Force will be a completely networked force with
the right people, the right doctrine, the right air warfare and
supporting concepts and the right culture,” he said.
