Page 56 - Australian Defence Magazine November 2021

56 AIRPOWER
NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
“It’s all about the team,” WGCDR Jovanovich said. “This version of 10 Sqn – noting that this is my third posting at the squadron – is the closest and most integrated team I have ever worked with. And I mean, across all ranks and specialisations, and including both uniformed personnel and contractors.”
“I believe we have, hands-down, the best maintenance workforce in the Air Force,” she continued. “They do an absolutely magnificent job of keeping two 40-year-old air- frames flying and achieving outstanding serviceability rates that are the envy of much newer aeroplanes.”
WGCDR Jovanovich also commends the aircrew – “all of whom are specialists in their own areas, and who all work seamlessly together to deliver world-class ISREW ef- fects” – as well as support sections, including administra- tion, operations, intelligence, IT support and logistics.
“EVERYBODY JUST ACCEPTS THAT WE’RE HERE BECAUSE WE’RE AWESOME AT OUR JOBS, AND WE ARE. SO, WE JUST GET ON WITH IT.”
ron Leader Jenna Higgins, make the first pair of female aviators to lead an operational flying squadron in 100 years of the Air Force.
“I think that’s both a big deal, and not a big deal,” WGC- DR Jovanovich said. “It’s a big deal because we’re break- ing new ground, and it’s not a big deal because at 10 Sqn that’s honestly just business as usual. Everybody just ac- cepts that we’re here because we’re awesome at our jobs, and we are. So, we just get on with it.”
While WGCDR Jovanovich does not draw focus to fe- male leadership as a contributing factor to the squadron’s success, she observes that “it is reflective of the unit’s broader culture of diversity and inclusivity – and that cul- ture certainly does contribute to our success.
“The diversity means that there’s always lots of different ideas floating around 10 Sqn, and the inclusivity means that people feel valued and that their ideas are valued. That, to me, is what gives us an edge when it comes to problem solving. I think both military aviation and mili- tary operations are basically continuous problem-solving exercises – so that culture of diversity and inclusivity is why we’re really good at what we do.”
A BUSY SCHEDULE
10 Sqn has sustained an intensive operational flying program throughout 2021, including numerous overseas deployments, despite the ongoing challenges of the CO- VID-19 pandemic.
“Throughout these operations we continue to receive ex- emplary feedback from both national and allied agencies, acknowledging the capability that we deliver to the joint force,” WGCDR Jovanovich said.
While the squadron delivers most of its ISREW effects on deployed operations, it also contributes to joint collec- tive training, both in Australia and abroad. Most recently, that was Talisman Sabre.
“We participated in Talisman Sabre, where we operated as part of ISR packages with other Air Force assets, and in support of Navy and Army elements, both Australian and those of allies. So, we play well by ourselves, and we play well with others.”
As they reach the end of their life, the AP-3C(EW) Orions remain a driver of how ISREW operations will integrate into the future force. As the ADF’s only air- borne ISREW capability, 10 Sqn leads the way with de- veloping TTPs – tactics, techniques and procedures – for integration with other capabilities, both within the ADF and with allies.
“As we speak, one of our aircraft is getting ready to take off, to go over to the east coast and work with a P-8A Poseidon from 11 Squadron, an E-7A Wedgetail from 2 Squadron and jets from Air Combat Group, on what we call a TACEX (tactical exercise), doing just that kind of TTP development,” WGCDR Jovanovich said.
“And while I can’t talk in detail to what is happening next for 10 Sqn, I can say that we will certainly continue to be a large part of the effort to develop the big common op- erating picture, and be fully integrated into the networked way of warfighting.” ■
“Our logistics section is actually a bit of a special high- light because 10 Sqn in the past never used to have a lo- gistics section of its own,” she added. “But as our aircraft have aged, sustaining them and maintaining them at the high operational tempo that we need them to be at has become a real exercise in logistics support.”
10 Sqn has also broken new ground in 2021 by hav- ing both a female Commanding Officer and Executive Officer.
WGCDR Jovanovich is third after only two other women to become the Commanding Officer of an op- erational flying squadron: WGCDR Linda Corbould between 2006 to 2008, and WGCDR Sarah Stalker be- tween 2018 to 2020. Furthermore, WGCDR Jovanov- ich, alongside the squadron’s Executive Officer, Squad-
ABOVE: The RAAF has been flying the P-3 for more than half of its 100 years.
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