Page 28 - Williams Foundation Integrated Force Design Seminar

Designing the Integrated Force: How to Define and Meet the Challenge?

INTEGRATED FORCE DESIGN: THE SERVICE PERSPECTIVES
During the week of the seminar, there was a chance to discuss the way ahead with shaping the integrated
force with the Force Design Office, Chief of the RAAF, Chief of the RAN, and two senior Army officers
responsible for Army modernization and development.
As mentioned earlier, the Service Chiefs are clearly committed to more effective joint operations, but must
ensure that as they add new capabilities that their domain competencies remain viable and able to both
contribute to the joint effect and to draw upon other services to deliver a joint effect,

Focusing on the Joint Effect: Air Marshal Leo Davies and the Way Ahead
for the RAAF

During my visit to Australia in April 2017, I had a chance to meet and talk again with Air Marshal Leo Davies,
Chief of Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force.
During the Avalon Air Show, the RAAF released its long-term strategy document, Air Force Strategy: 2017-
2027.

When the document was released, Air Marshal Davies highlighted how central he saw the evolving joint
context to defense modernization.

“Of the five vectors (of strategic development discussed in the strategy document), CAF said the capabilities
which would require the most work and fundamental cultural changes were joint warfighting and people.

“I don’t believe we, as an Air Force, understand how joint we need to be. We have come a long way – we
talk a lot about joint, but I am not sure we are culturally able to shift from doing Air Force stuff first.

“I would like the Air Force in a joint context to begin to put the joint effect before our own Air Force
requirements.”

This perspective was highlighted by Air Vice-Marshal (Retired) John Blackburn as a key element for shaping
the next phase of development for the Australian Defense Force, namely, shaping a joint force by design,
rather than pursuing an a la carte connection after the fact effort.

“Cultural change, as reflected in CAF’s strategic plan narrative, is required to prioritize the integrated force
outcomes over the individual force priorities where appropriate.”

We started the interview by discussing precisely the cultural change aspect of transitioning to a fifth
generation warfare approach.

Air Marshal Davies: “When aircraft first arrived at the battlefield in the very early days of World War I,
having just begun to learn how to fly in fact, it was the, “But it’ll scare the horses” type mindset from the
cavalry in particular which limited thinking.

“But it didn’t take long even for the cavalry to work out that this thing could really make a change in
warfighting.

“It was not the particular airplane, not what model you flew, but the advent of air power as an option for the
battlefield became the, “Wow! How do we get more of that?”

“Fifth generation is as dramatic as that.
Second Line of Defense

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