The RAAF's Frozen Middle Part Two
Dylan Williamson
Australian Defence Force
This article began as a response to Daniel Cook’s recent article on ‘Turning the Tap Off – Stopping the Flow of Pointless Jobs in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)’ (Cook, 2023); as such, it will address some of the points raised in that article within the context a broader trend towards what I term ‘military populism’.
Like all aspects of the ADF, the Air Force has the need to contribute and enable Australia’s larger national power strategies.
The environment in which we live today is one of continual technological change and development.
In terms of National Power in the past, the majority of modern “Grey-Zone” activities centred on clear Diplomatic, Information, non-lethal Military and Economic actions. What is concerning are the blurred lines developing between these instruments, where often State actions do not meet perceived intent creating confusion in the rules-based global order.
Can the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) correctly prioritise jointness?
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
Intelligence analysts face complex and dynamic problems.
