21 March 2018 Editorial Note: Between February and April 2018, The Central Blue and From Balloons to Drones, will be publishing a series of articles that examine the requirements of high-intensity warfare in the 21st Century. These articles provide the intellectual underpinnings to a seminar on high-intensity warfare being held on 22 March by the [...]
4 March 2018 Editorial Note: Between February and April 2018, The Central Blue and From Balloons to Drones, will be publishing a series of articles that examine the requirements of high-intensity warfare in the 21st Century. These articles provide the intellectual underpinnings to a seminar on high-intensity warfare being held on 22 March by the [...]
Welcome to 2018! As forecast in our 2017 wrap-up post, The Central Blue is collaborating with From Balloons to Drones on a series of posts on high intensity warfare, ahead of a Sir Richard Williams Foundation seminar on 'The Requirements of High Intensity Warfare' on 22 March 2018. Keen to get involved? Read on... [...]
Peter Layton's series on other peoples' air power has included an examination of Islamic State's use of unmanned aircraft and the employment of air power in the Ukraine campaign. In this third post, Dr Layton considers the varied influences on China's approach to air power and it's focus on multi-domain 'firepower warfare'. In late [...]
Peter Layton continues his analysis of other peoples' air power. In this post, he looks at Russia's use of alternative means to deny the air domain to others while exploiting the third dimension for Russia's own purposes. His first post in this series, looking at Islamic State's air power, is here. Say ‘air [...]
We are privileged and excited to introduce our first Central Blue debrief with the Chief of Air Force (CAF), Air Marshal Leo Davies, AO, CSC. In his debrief, the CAF discusses the value of public debate and outlets such as the Central Blue in generating the airminded strategists necessary for Royal Australian Air Force to realise its [...]
If we are already swimming in sensors and drowning in data, what can we do to get our heads above water? Wing Commander Paul Hay argues that the key is not a new sensor, platform, or system but improving the management and integration of the information we already collect to create an Internet of [...]
The War in the Sand Pit conference was held 12-13 May 17 to examine perspectives and lessons from Australia’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2014. Hosted by Military History and Heritage Victoria and Australian National University’s Strategic & Defence Studies Centre, the conference addressed a range of perspectives from speakers with [...]
General Robert Scales argues that it’s time for the West’s armies to face-up to the full implications of the irresistible rise of robots in warfare “In war, boots on the ground are necessary, but we can do much more to reduce the body count” Robert Scales, 8 March 2017 The Past Retired US Army [...]
Like the RAAF, the Royal Norwegian Air Force is currently undertaking a major modernisation program, including the acquisition of F-35As, P-8s, and the Joint Strike Missile. While the two air forces’ geopolitical circumstances are very different, the similarities of their organisational approach to managing change are noteworthy Dr Robbin Laird recently interviewed the RNoAF’s [...]
