In the 1990s the Royal Australian Air Force faces major changes and challenges arising from the need to maintain and enhance its operational capabilities with fewer resources. Air power may have been accorded a pre-eminent role in the defence of Australia due to geostrategic circumstances, but the RAAF has to learn to do more with less. By working smarter, not harder, it should still be possible to retain a qualitative edge.
But other countries- Australia's natural partners in preserving the security of the Asia-Pacific region-are confronted with the same challenge. While Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia all have advanced aerospace systems in their defence acquisition programs, they also face significant budgetary pressures. So what are the prospects for regional cooperation in air power?
As a platform for addressing current and prospective regional security concerns, this book provides a valuable contribution to exploring ideas and furthering dialogue in an area of vital concern to future regional security
Opening Remarks
Air Marshal I.B. Gration
Australia's Regional Security Policy in the 1990s
Professor P. Dibb
The Malaysian View of Regional Cooperation Prospects
Major General Datuk Ahmad Merican
Defence in New Zealand: Where We've Been and Where We are Going
Air Vice Marshal J.S. Hosie
Why Regional Cooperation is Inevitable
Brigadier General Bey Soo Khidng
The Canadian Air Force Flight PLan: Old Wine, New Bottles
Lieutenant General D. Huddleston
The Role of the Indonesian Air Force in Increasing Regional Resilience
Air Commodore F.X. Soejitno
Closing Address and Summation
Air Marshal I.B. Gration
Plenary Discussion