The Kestrel Papers series is one of several publications produced by the Air and Space Power Centre (ASPC).
Introduction (Siovahn Daly)
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’.
application of aerospace power has seen significant developments since 1994, most notably through American-led operations in Central Europe and Afghanistan, and continuing technological advances with weapons, uninhabited vehicles, space-based systems and information systems.
Air and Space Power Conference 2024 Transcript Always Operating Organisational, Structural, and Cultural Elements by Lieutenant General Greg Bilton
The ASPC Leader Enrichment Program blog series delivers the thoughts and concepts of the program's junior leaders as they tackle Module 2
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.
Warrant Officer (WOFF) David Turnbull provided his insight and point of view (Turnbull, 2023) on the struggle of getting the best people into Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG). Whilst it is a great read and the scene is set for further nail-biting episodes, the one standout observable from my point of view is that his theme is focussed on the ability or struggle of encouraging Enlisted Aviators to seek employment within CASG.
Winner of the WOFF-AF Creative Writing Award, this Blog investigates how Air Force can improve its enlisted aviators opportunities without requiring them to commission.
