As a comic-book fan, I’ve always been curious about who might win in a battle between DC’s Justice League and Marvel’s Avengers.
Evolution of Air Bases - Darwin Revisted
David Miller
Australian Defence Force
Deterrence existed long before nuclear weapons were invented and has been a feature of relations between antagonistic tribes and states since such relationships first existed. The concept of deterrence, convincing an adversary not to carry out an undesirable action by threatening them with harm, is widely understood and applied in military and nonmilitary contexts.
There is a growing threat to societies, and their critical infrastructure as more actors take to the skies.
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’.
In January 2020, I was privileged to fill the role of Senior ADF Officer (SADFO) and Air Base Executive Officer (ABXO) of the RAAF Base Wagga, as the national bushfire emergency unfolded across the NSW southwest slopes.
Technology usually follows a certain progression – first the device gets more features before it reduces in size. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) fill this description perfectly, and we have yet to come up with an adequate defence for them.
Airbases do not feature significantly in the history of air power unless they are denied.
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
