The Kestrel Papers 2024 - A Selection of Essays on Air Power
The Kestrel Papers series is one of several publications produced by the Air and Space Power Centre (ASPC).
Australia as a Space Norm Entrepreneur
The unrestrained development of anti-satellite capabilities threatens Australia’s continued access to space.
Shoot Don't Shoot: Minimising the Risk of Catastrophic Error Through High Consequence Decision-Making
Military decisions carry high consequences, often life or death.
The Four-Day Near-Peer Air War
The Four-Day Near-Peer Air WarPeter LaytonGriffith University and Australian Defence ForceIn May 2025, India and Pakistan fought a near-peer air wa
You Started It! Change Resistance is Natural & Predictable!
Dr. Martin Luther King said that a leader does not search for consensus, they mould it (2010).
The Weaponisation of Toys and Implications for the Air Force
The 'poor man's air force' is a term for employing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hobbyist drones or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to strategic level military effect, and that effect cannot be understated (Waters, 2018; Nadeau, 2022; Shift, 2023). The ability for terror organisations to coordinate multiple layers of effects, including using COTS drones, to destroy Command and Control (C2) nodes in Israel causes alarm. Couple this with the use of COTS drones for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike and battle-damage assessment missions, and the threat posed by what are essentially toys is alarmingly real.
Drone Swarms and their Potential within the Australian Defence Force
The onset of the war in Ukraine saw one of the most dramatic shifts in combined arms warfare since the introduction of the machine gun. This shift is attributed to the wide scale introduction of drones to the modern battlefield (Kagan et al, 2024). Principally the conflict is demonstrating drones pioneering new capabilities in reconnaissance, close air support and strategic strike with virtually zero risk to the operator.
Low Cost Mass-Produced Drones: a Tactical Advantage
Air Marshal Chipman, former Chief of the Air Force, announced on the eve of the 2023 Avalon Air Show that Australia needs to consider and invest in low-cost mass-produced (LCMP) drones.
Perspectives of Warfare: A Journey With Penguins
Understanding the complexities of our modern information-based environment is now fundamental to the success in warfighting and navigating the fog of war. Conversely, the use of traditional information paradigms can lead to unwitting co-option of the adversaries’ plan or world view. We must consider that concepts of reality, truth, and what is right inherently does not completely align amongst different actors and groups. With this understanding, we can build resilience and anti-fragility in our decision-making and analysis.
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