Page 15 - Williams Foundaiton Air-Land Integration April 15

New Approaches to Air-Land Integration

The F-35 is viewed as potentially disruptive technology, which can be a key part of transforming the evolving
joint approach.

“The F-35 for me is a platform on which one can increase the desired capability through software upgrades
to enable you to mitigate or get around threats posed to the joint force.

In the past, air platforms simply did not enable you to shape such an approach. It is now an essential element
of shaping the spiral development of the joint force itself.”

THE PERSPECTIVE OF AIR COMMANDER AUSTRALIA

Air Vice-Marshal Gavin Turnbull is the Air Commander Australia. Air Command is the operational arm of the
Royal Australian Air Force. The Commander is responsible for all operational Air Force tasks, and reports to
the Chief of Air Force. The Air Commander raises trains and sustains forces for assignment to operations under
the Chief of Joint Operations (CJOPS). His position is similar to that of the Commander of the Air Combat
Command at Langley AFB.

This means that operations flow into training, and training into operations in a never-ending combat learning
cycle.

For the RAAF with its Plan Jericho approach and working to integrate its new platforms into an evolving force,
and with the clear desire to be a catalyst and beneficiary of an evolving joint force structure re-design, the
Air Commander is focused upon shaping more effective training for the evolving structure of the joint force.

In part, this is why the RAAF has stood up its new Air Warfare Center.

For Turnbull, it is clear that the new Air Warfare Centre is a key asset in shaping a way to navigate the
waters of the future.

In his presentation at the 2015 Airpower Conference, which dealt with multi-domain integration, Air Vice-
Marshal Turnbull highlighted the role he saw for the AWC as a key player in helping the RAAF navigate the
future with regard to effective force structure integration.

As he highlighted in his presentation, the required outcomes of the AWC was as follows:

• Testing of current and proposed Concepts of Operation (CONOPS) against force structure and higher
level defense planes;

• Collation of lessons learned through experimentation for inclusion in strategic planning, capability
development doctrine development and exercise planning; and.

• An optimized structure promoting the exchange of ideas across the
• ADF; interfacing with coalition partners.

The Air Vice-Marshal followed this presentation with one at the Williams Foundation which focused in many
ways on the key venue through which much operational integration occurs and will evolve in the years ahead,
namely sensor fused network centric warfare by which he meant how do we get the right information to the
right people at the right time?

In a follow up interview, Air Vice-Marshal Turnbull discussed the build out from the integrated task force in the
Middle East experience and lessons being learned to shape a more effective integrated ADF.

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