Page 13 - Williams Foundaiton Air-Land Integration April 15

New Approaches to Air-Land Integration

We can explore; we can provide options.

We can provide core functions for the evolution of the ADF, but we have to make sure that we are able to
stay connected, and paced properly.”

And the regional side of the ADF operations was increasingly critical as well for the RAAF.

“This is not just about an Australia/US or just about an Australia/UK connected effort.

This is about being able to work with partners in the region such as we are doing with Fiji on HADR. We need
to be able to still do all of those pieces.”

In short, one needed to focus upon “integrability” as the platforms interactively evolved and the missions
adapted to threats and technologies.

THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE RAAF

In an interview conducted during the RAAF airpower conference, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Vice-Marshal
Warren McDonald, discussed how the RAAF was working with Army and Navy to shape crosscutting
transformation.

This clearly is a work in progress, and whatever success the RAAF has had in launching their new platforms
and enhancing their ability to work with one another was important in and of itself, but also as a foundation
for shaping more effective joint solutions.

And by joint solutions, he was not talking about how airpower has supported the ground forces for the past
decade in the land wars, but shaping new ways to enhance the ability of airpower to intersect with and to
reshape the capabilities of the ground maneuver and naval forces in the extended battlespace.

This meant the next round of modernization needed to focus on ways to configure air platforms to provide for
greater interactivity with the ground and naval forces as well as those forces providing enhanced
contributions to airpower in terms of achieving the desired combat effects.

Getting to this point has been hard or challenging for the RAAF, as two of the key air platforms, the
Wedgetail and the KC-30A, were not easy to bring on line and to become full members of the RAAF.

“Some may disagree, but working through complex problems, such as those encountered with the KC-30A and
Wedgetail is crucial learning the skills necessary to find an effective way ahead to deal with next round of
complex of problems and challenges.”

And he underscored that the way the RAAF has succeeded is how they will continue to work in the future.

“We needed to get the platforms in the hands of the warfighters as early as possible so that we were
addressing real needs as opposed to lists of requirements.

And by getting real combat experience, we could determine where our resources for modernization should be
applied to get the maximum effect.”

In the case of the Wedgetail, the ability to work with fighters and to operate in the battlespace is now
combat proven; the next round of modification of the software onboard the aircraft really needed to focus on
the engagement with the naval forces, or to find ways for naval systems to work with Wedgetail
modifications and vice-versa to deliver the kind of joint effect the ADF needed to achieve.

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