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The planning outcomes at the operational level of war comprise the establishment of operational priorities, the identification of targets, and the allocation and apportionment of combat forces.

Criticism is equally applicable to political and military commander alike. The changing nature of military operations commensurate with the increased commitment to UN activities now requires that military commanders be well versed in ethnicity, history, and cultural factors.

Air power is distinguished from sea and land power by its flexibility, speed, ubiquity, range and shock effect. These characteristics give air power a unique ability to concentrate force
and manoeuvre rapidly over long distances

Access to foreign bases has long been a critical enabler of the ADF, and ongoing access will be key to Australia’s future security. In the past, these Forward Operating Bases (FOB) were considered relatively secure, however continual improvements to the range and accuracy of missiles acquired by adversarial militaries have made these bases attractive targets, being the seemingly soft underbelly of western militaries.

In order to continue utilisation of FOBs, and to guarantee the safety of deployed forces, the ADF cannot remain idle to the threat of advanced air and missile attacks. As such Australia must look to develop its Air and Missile Defence (AMD) capabilities in order to remain secure in future operations.

The aim of the essay is to discuss a range of AMD design and operating concepts to inform the development of an ADF Integrated AMD (IAMD) capability.

This essay will be structured into four key areas: western nations’ historical and future reliance on FOBs to project power; the emerging threat of powerful state and non-state actors; Australia’s response to emerging air and missile threats; and, IAMD design and operational concepts in an Australian context.

The Kestrel Papers is a compilation of essays written by a number of young military professionals who have endeavoured to study air power in detail

The Kestrel Papers Series is a compilation of essays written by a number of young military professionals who have endeavoured to study air and spac

The aim of this fellowship was to identify opportunities to improve RAAF preparedness through Repairable Item (RI) management, and to recommend means of pursuing these opportunities.

Air and space power are critical to the conduct of Australian air operations in ADF joint warfighting.