Page 106 - Maritime Services and the Kill Web

The Maritime Services, the Allies and Shaping the Kill Web

model of how capabilities can be generated rapidly in a coalition context to deal with an evolving threat
environment.

For the RAAF, Growler represents a jump start to a 21st century EW effort, which includes Wedgetail and F-
35. For the US Navy the cutting edge work which the RAAF is doing with regard to shaping a 21st century
integrated force helps the US Navy to think through ways to break through stove piped thinking.

In this article, I will look at Group Captain Braz’s presentation with regard to the RAAF approach.
I had a chance to meet with him last Spring at Amberley Airbase where the RAAF is standing up the Growler
capability.

So for me, it was a real pleasure to see him again, but this time, in the context of a broader discussion of
evolving capability with other core players in the effort as well.

The nature of the working relationship between the US Navy and the RAAF was highlighted during that
interview as follows:

FIGURE 20 GROUP CAPTAIN BRAZ AT ADELAIDE AIRBASE. SPRING 2017. CREDIT: SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE
We couldn’t have done this without a huge commitment from the U.S. Navy. There’s simply no other way to
describe that.

They have wanted us to be on this journey, and they have supported us wholeheartedly throughout it, both on
what we do with the Growler training and the operational experience, the exchanges we’ve established, and how
we prepare the team.

That’s furthered by exchange opportunities. We have U.S. Navy Growler aircrew joining us here, but we’ve also
used folks connected to intelligence organizations and data management organizations and used U.S. Navy
expertise in those areas to bring us along and further on the journey.

It’s no accident that when the Growler officially arrived in Australia at Avalon International Air Show a month or
so ago, one of the four humans to step out of those two aircraft was a U.S. Navy aviator.

That was very deliberate, because we wanted both to recognize the amazing support we have had so far from the
US Navy and the fact that we’re in this together.
Second Line of Defense

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