Since my appointment as Chief of Air Force in July 2019, I have been observing
our Royal Australian Air Force in action. Taking stock of exactly where we are in
our transformational journey and mapping out where we need to go from here.
I believe it is now an appropriate time to share my Commander's intent for the
Royal Australian Air Force under my tenure as Chief. It reflects the changes
that we as a military institution must make. And the reality that we must
consider if we are to continue to deliver a strong and effective Air Power
capability for Australia in support of our national security, sovereignty and
our national and regional interests. In 2020 the Royal Australian Air Force is
99 years old, the oldest air force in our region and the third oldest anywhere in
the world. We are embracing a period of unprecedented change across many fronts.
On the one hand we are close to completing the most significant update
to our platforms since World War two and arguably since our formation in 1921,
when the potential and strategic significance of air power and of the air
domain were beginning to be realised. In doing so we are transitioning from a
bespoke force of impressive standalone capabilities to a formidable networked
force capable of delivering airpower effects for the integrated force. A
transformation from a team of champions to a truly champion team. At the same
time on our doorstep and beyond, the global rules based order is under
growing pressure and we find ourselves in an increasingly competitive and less
predictable geopolitical environment. To succeed in this new reality the Royal
Australian Air Force must continue to evolve. Culturally we need to understand
that the Royal Australian Air Force cannot and does not generate Air Power
for itself. Rather it provides Air Power options as a component of Australia's
military power, realised by the Joint Force in support of broader Australian
government objectives. More broadly we must acknowledge that in some
in some areas we shape strategy, while in others we act on strategic direction. To
shape strategy we must continue our evolution into an intelligent and
skilled workforce that develops its people and places them in positions
where they will achieve the greatest strategic effect. In essence we must
develop and post our people for effect, not simply to fill liabilities.
To effectively act on strategic direction we will build a force of Air Power
professionals capable of conceptualising strategic intention and empowered to
importion resources to the joint force consistent with my priorities. This
means that the Royal Australian Air Force can no longer operate in
independent silos of excellence and as technical experts in our own specialised
field without leveraging the capacity and benefit of every part of our
organisation. Our fundamental purpose is to deliver Air Power as a component of
the Joint Force and to do so we must be integrated and connected both as an Air
Force and with the Joint Force. We must understand the difference between air
force and air power. As this nuance will ensure that we avoid prioritising
tactical excellence over strategic effect or platforms over systems.
The Royal Australian Air Force must become a force of networked military
professionals and we must deepen relationships and strengthen our
engagement. We must build, nurture and use networks across operational, enterprise
and human domains. We must also commit resources to building agile and coherent
governance to ensure that our resources, our people, money, capabilities and time
are utilised to provide enduring value for the Australian Government across the
spectrum of conflict and to meet emergent challenges. Will not succeed
just by treating risk. We must also drive success by seizing opportunity. To that
end I'm reviewing our governance structures,
battle rhythm and strategic guidance to ensure leaders at all levels are
provided with the direction and the resources they need to achieve their
missions. Both enduring and immediate these mechanisms will be used to inform
the progress of these changes so that we can make adjustments and prioritise
where required. This will serve to empower our commanders to succeed and in
doing so will drive better decision-making at all levels of the
organisation. On the eve of our centenary we are now halfway to realising an
integrated air force. We have the tools required for the job the Australian
Government and Australian people require us to undertake. Our task now is to
ensure that we have the culture and behaviors necessary to harness them
effectively across the spectrum of conflict. As Chief of the Royal
Australian Air Force, I will ensure that our Air Force has the direction and
agility it needs to realise this task. And lead each and every member as we
jointly embrace this paradigm shift in what it means to deliver a strong and
effective airpower capability for Australia and to provide the highest
level of Air Power to the Joint Force.