Page 3 - Williams Foundaiton Air-Land Integration April 15

New Approaches to Air-Land Integration

INTRODUCTION

On March 17, 2016, the Williams Foundation held its latest seminar on fifth generation enabled combat
operations, this one focused on new approaches to air-land integration. The terms of reference for the
seminar highlighted the way ahead.

“Air forces need to be capable of delivering air and space power effects to support conventional and special
operations in the land domain. Air-Land integration is one of the most important capabilities for successful joint
operations.

The last decade has seen a significant shift in how airpower has supported ground operations. With the
introduction of systems like Rover, the ability of airpower to provide precision strike to the ground forces saw
a significant change in fire support from a wide variety of air platforms. Precision air dropping in support of
outposts or moving forces introduced new capabilities of support.

Yet this template of air ground is really focused on air support to the ground whereas with the shift in the
global situation, a much wider set of situations are emerging whereby the air-ground integration approach
will become much wider in character, and the ability to insert force rapidly, as a precision strike capability,
and to be withdrawn will be a key tool in the toolbox for decision makers.

Fifth generation enabled operations will see a shift to a distributed C2 approach which will clearly change
the nature of the ground-to air command system, and the with the ability of fifth generation systems to
generate horizontal communications among air assets outside the boundaries of a classic AWACs directed
system, the change in C2 will be very wide ranging.”

This seminar is the fourth in a series of assessments and discussions of evolving approaches to 21st century
combat capabilities under the influence of fifth generation air capabilities.

The Williams Foundation hosted a seminar early in 2014, which focused on air combat operations through
2025 and identified key impacts, which the new platforms of the RAAF and the coming of the F-35 would
enable in transforming the force.

http://www.sldinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Australian-Special-Report.pdf

In April 2015, the Williams Foundation co-sponsored a seminar in Denmark to discuss the evolution of
airpower.

http://www.sldinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Copenhagen-Airpower-Symposium.pdf

And then in August 2015 the Williams Foundation sponsored a seminar where the RAAF could discuss in public
its approach and involved a large number of officers debating the way ahead.

http://www.sldinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Plan-Jericho-Report-October-2015.pdf

The latest seminar followed the two-day RAAF Airpower Conference, which addressed a broad range of
airpower issues, and during the second day explicitly looked at the RAAF’s transformation approach, Plan
Jericho.

The former Chief of Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force, Geoff Brown, was the organizer for the event,
and provided navigation throughout the day through the diverse presentations, as well as providing
significant input to the final event of the day, the panel with senior leaders.

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