Air and Space Power Conference 2026: 'Building Fighting Depth' - Panel
The Air and Space Power Conference 2026 addressed the topic of air and space power in national defence.
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.
I can call a computer an Information Technology. But, if I lack the skills to use it, it is just a big rock. You bring me 10 hackers and within 90 days I'll bring this country to its knees.
Air Force is acquiring the MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS).
Unmanned air mobility is a new concept for the Australian Defence Force. The rapid development of enhanced opportunities for air mobility in the joint force will be critical for supporting Australia's National Interests.
Squadron Leader Sal Knox recently presented her study on High-Reliability Followership in the Military at the 21st European Association of Work and Organisational Psychology (EAWOP) Conference in Katowice, Poland. The EAWOP conference serves as a platform for academics from around the world to share their research on people, work, and organisations.
The Kestrel Papers is a compilation of essays written by a number of young military professionals who have endeavoured to study air power in detail
One definition of resilience has come to describe the capacity of organisations or systems to endure and survive in the face of new threats and thus the ability of organisations and citizens to mobilise to adapt to new global and transcending threats.
Like any form of combat power, air power does not develop in isolation; nor is it static. Even
if there were no formal process linking its theoretical development and practical application
to other elements of national security, plainly it will remain responsive to a range of external
influences from the wider civil and military communities which combine to shape the
national security outlook.
Ensuring that logistics support is organised as a single, coherent system that removes duplication and assists in the provision of a consistent, comprehensive and complementary flow of logistics support through each of the levels of war to enable the effective application of air power.