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The Central Blue is a forum designed to promote informed discussion and debate about air power issues affecting Australia. Our scope is broad, covering topics from tactical integration to strategic theory; and from historical lessons to future capabilities. We welcome submissions from any source, and particularly encourage serving military practitioners to contribute, in order to foster a new generation of air power thinkers.

The name “The Central Blue” comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem about the past and the future, “Locksley Hall”, written in 1835, which, among other things, foreshadowed the rise of air power through Tennyson’s vision of “… nations’ airy navies grappling in the central blue”. The expression was subsequently used by the distinguished RAF wartime commander and scholar MRAF Sir John Slessor as the title for his autobiography; while “blue” is also Australian slang for “genuine”, “expressing Australian values”, “vigorous argument”, and the like.

Should you wish to submit a post to The Central Blue, please send it to the editors at centralblue@williamsfoundation.org.au
Posts should be 500-1000 words, comply with standard publishing guidelines, and be accompanied by a brief bio. Publication will be entirely at editorial discretion.