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Into the future with ACOs
By SQNLDR Phil Wade
Volume 49, No. 10, June 14, 2007 |
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EXCITING TRANSITION: As air combat mission specialists, ACOs will operate capabilities such as the airborne early warning and control aircraft (above), the AP-3C and its future replacement, the multi-mission aircraft, the Super Hornet and multi-mission unmanned aerial systems.
Photo by LAC Euan Grant |
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TEAMWORK: ACOs will gain experience working in Air Operations Centres (AOCs) used for exercises and operations at bases and in the field. Pictured is a deployable AOC activated for an exercise at RAAF Base Richmond.
Photo by LAC Ben Dempster |
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COMING: A US Navy Super Hornet
Photo courtesy of Boeing |
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The creation of the new Air Combat Officer (ACO) category as part of Air Force’s transition to a fully networked force represents a fundamental change to its structure, says the OIC of the ACO Implementation Team (ACOIT), GPCAPT Ken Watson.
“The next 10 years will see significant change as the Air Force transitions to a fully networked force,” GPCAPT Watson said.
“Part of this transition will see changes in platforms and procedures, as well as a rebalance and reshape of activities to align workforce and tasking, bringing into balance the tasks being placed on the men and women of the Air Force.
“Personnel structures are being reviewed to maximise delivery of air power by these new platforms.
“To reap the benefits of common skill sets and to enhance shared approaches to networked warfare, CAF AIRMSHL Geoff Shepherd established the Air Combat Officer (ACO) category.”
GPCAPT Watson said that this fundamental change will create a new war-fighting officer category in which ACOs would be air combat mission specialists who exercised command and control of operations involving the direct application of air power.
CAF also intends that “ACOs will provide future candidates for senior leadership positions within Air Force, including Chief of Air Force”.
“The ACO category, in effect, will be a cadre of operators who are trained now to support the Air Force’s future capabilities and requirements for a fully networked force,” GPCAPT Watson said.
“This new category will provide the people to operate and direct existing and new capabilities, such as multi-mission aircraft (MMA), airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, multi-mission unmanned aerial systems (MUAS) and the F/A-18F Super Hornet. ACOs will also be needed to transition emerging capabilities such as space and joint terminal attack control (JTAC).
“The new category presents a number of challenges to Air Force and the various stakeholders affected by the change. To manage the implementation of the ACO category, DCAF AVM John Blackburn established the ACOIT.”
It provides a central point of contact for all stakeholders and strategic level oversight and guidance for all activities concerning the ACO category. The four key issues that the ACOIT has been addressing are:
- ACO training (ab-initio and post-graduate);
- Workforce planning (including pay and conditions);
- Recruiting; and
- Stakeholder engagement.
“All future ACOs will be trained at the new School of Air Warfare (SAW) at RAAF Base East Sale,” GPCAPT Watson said.
“The ACO ab-initio training course is the first mechanism available to generate the cultural and learning outcomes required of the ACO category.”
He said ACO ab-initio training will continue to prepare candidates for entry to FEG operational conversion training on specialist weapons systems, as well as enabling competencies such as air power fundamentals, basic air campaign planning and future air and space operating concepts (FASOC).
“The development of a suitable ACO ab-initio training model has been challenging, with major stakeholders working collaboratively to develop the model,” he said.
“We needed to develop a model that would continue to support current capability, but also prepare ACOs for the Air Force of the future.”
The endorsed ACO ab-initio training model is a modular solution. This involves a common module of training, including both airborne and ground-based tuition. Following this, a specialist decision will be made and students will be streamed to one of three specialist modules – air battle management, maritime patrol and response, or air combat.
An important transitional issue is ACO pay. Interim pay cases are currently being prepared for the ex-AIRDEF ACOs and graduates of the first ACO course. The full ACO pay case is unlikely to go before the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal until 2008. The intent of Air Force senior leadership is that ACOs will be placed on a common pay scale, with current ACOs maintaining parity with existing pay scales.
Defence Force Recruiting has begun recruiting ACOs using a common standard derived from previous air defence and navigator standards.
For more information, visit the ACO Implementation Team’s intranet site at http://intranet.defence.gov.au/RaafWeb/sites/ACO-Implementation-Team/ or by going to the Air Force intranet site, then ‘My Career’ which contains the link to the ‘ACO Implementation Team’.
| The Air Combat Officer career |
Progression from OFFCDT to WGCDR for ACOs will include:
- The ACO Basic Course at the School of Air Warfare;
- Operational conversion training and operational experience;
- Professional military education and training and facilitated self-education; and
- Command experience, Combined Air Operations Centre and joint operations command experience.
The ACO Basic Course will:
- Prepare candidates for entry into Force Element Group (FEG) operational conversion units;
- Lay the foundations for a future role as a combat air power specialist and operational commander; and
- Develop a common ACO culture focused on the direct application of air power.
The training objectives include:
- Principles of aviation and air combat, including mission systems management, mission command, fundamentals of air power and basic air campaign planning. |
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