Pathfinder Collection Volume 7
Since June 2004 the Air Power Development Centre has published the fortnightly Pathfinder bulletins, ranging across contemporary and historical air
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National Power: The Importance of Aligned Expectations
How well do Commanders know Aviator's understanding of National Power? Is there a knowledge gap? Does it matter?
Culture, Values and ‘Being a good human’
The Air Force Strategy (AFSTRAT) was released in September 2020 with the intent of informing how Air Force will posture itself to deliver air and s
The Temptation To Go Beyond Conventional Long-Range Strike
The Temptation To Go Beyond Conventional Long-Range Strike
Daniel Cook
Australian Defence Force
The Weaponisation of Toys and Implications for the Air Force
The 'poor man's air force' is a term for employing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hobbyist drones or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to strategic level military effect, and that effect cannot be understated (Waters, 2018; Nadeau, 2022; Shift, 2023). The ability for terror organisations to coordinate multiple layers of effects, including using COTS drones, to destroy Command and Control (C2) nodes in Israel causes alarm. Couple this with the use of COTS drones for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike and battle-damage assessment missions, and the threat posed by what are essentially toys is alarmingly real.
How Can We Prepare for Something We Can’t Predict?
Introduction (Siovahn Daly)
Medicine in Space: Taking What We Know, To Places We Don't
When was the last time you were faced with a problem that no one in the history of humankind has ever been able to define a clear solution?
As humans venture further and further into space, we begin to encounter more and more challenges, with increasing levels of complexity. Just as the early explorers ventured past the horizon, we now attempt a similar adventure by reaching deeper and deeper into space. While there may be a myriad of unknown problems waiting ahead of us, we are called upon as professionals to solve the ones immediately ahead of us.
Wrigley Prize and WOFF-AF Creative Writing Award Winners Announced!
Since 2010, the Wrigley Prize writing competition has called for written submissions that demonstrate an understanding of air power theory, and mor
Evolution of Air Bases - Darwin Revisted
Evolution of Air Bases - Darwin Revisted
David Miller
Australian Defence Force
Development of an ADF Integrated Air and Missile Capability to Combat Advanced Air and Missile Threats - 2019 Wrigley Prize Winner
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.
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