‘Anyone writing airpower theory today has a great deal of rewriting to do, because some large conceptual weeds have been allowed to prosper in airpower’s intellectual garden.’ Colin Gray, Airpower Reborn, 179. Giulio Douhet [Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons] When Giulio Douhet wrote and published Command in the Air in 1921 he did [...]
Recent incidents of civilian casualties resulting from air strikes in Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan have brought the spotlight back onto air power strategy and targeting in times of conflict. In this cross-post from ASPI's blog The Strategist, Andrew Davies reminds the reader that, although these incidents may rightly be condemned, history provides a cautionary tale of how the [...]
Though a work of fiction, Ghost Fleet stimulates the reader's thinking about a broad range of ideas and issues, encouraging open-mindedness and innovation. This is the type of thinking necessary for the success of the Royal Australian Air Force's Plan JERICHO. [Image Credit: Amazon.com] Ghost Fleet has attracted extensive attention among military commentators since [...]
In the right circumstances Ground-Based Air Defence can be a game-changer. Given that the Australian Defence Force invariably deploys when it fights, it is a capability our defence planners need to take more seriously. The popular image of the fight to win control of the air is one of scores of fighters locked in [...]
Air Force needs to embrace the potential of fiction in the development of the minds of its airmen. Not only will it make Professional Military Education and Training slightly more enjoyable, it may also give rise to a career-long engagement with professional development that will serve Air Force far beyond the immediate needs of [...]
Dr Ross Mahoney responds to Robbin Laird's post referring to the F-35 as a 1st Gen flying combat system. Using a platform to define air power concepts is not a new phenomenon, and while we need to encourage innovative thinking about air power we must be willing and able to critique the rise of [...]
Dr Robbin Laird summarises interviews he recently conducted with the RAAF’s chief of staff, Air Marshal Leo Davies; the commander of the RAAF’s Air Combat Group, Air Commodore Steven Roberton; and the USAF’s commander of Air Combat Command, General Herbert J. “Hawk” Carlisle. Dr Laird: “Your Super Hornets flew for the first time in [...]
The shift from analogue to digital technology that started in the late-1950s and gained serious momentum in the 1970s has now reached lift-off speed. Innovations based on this radical development include advanced computing, the internet, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Such is the magnitude of the change that these and similar technologies are driving [...]