Airbases: Now. Then. Always. (Part 1)
Airbases do not feature significantly in the history of air power unless they are denied.
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Data, Data everywhere, Nor Any Drop to Drink: The Case for the Joint Integrator
The Australian government has made very clear that, to defend the nation, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) must be an integrated force. This article contends that such a goal remains an unrealised ambition.
Are We There Yet: When do we know we have built fighting depth and the airminded warfighter?
The main theme of the 2026 Air and Space Power Conference was “building fighting depth” and the Aviator Symposium was “the airminded warfighter.” However, a question that came up repeatedly during the event was “what success actually looks like”? Instead of asking what success looks like now, ask what it would look like decades from now if these ideas had truly taken hold.
Space Medicine for Earthlings
Space Medicine for Earthlings
Supporting Government During National Emergencies
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.
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.
Decreasing Reliance on Fossil Fuels to Increase Defence Capability
Decreasing Reliance on Fossil Fuels to Increase Defence Capability
Benjamin Cole
Australian Defence Force
Pointless or Populism?
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’.
Ongoing learning? Defence is missing out!
Defence can only achieve an intellectual edge if its members are consistently engaged and curious.
What is Air Force’s contribution to Joint Force Effects - both domestically and internationally?
Like all aspects of the ADF, the Air Force has the need to contribute and enable Australia’s larger national power strategies.
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