Page 38 - Maritime Services and the Kill Web

The Maritime Services, the Allies and Shaping the Kill Web

Putting the new carriers in play completely integrated with the F-35 will provide the foundation for shaping
the way ahead for the UK power projection forces.

Put bluntly, shaping the way ahead will be defined by the operational experiences entailed in operating and
deploying the new carrier strike force and leveraging that capability will be crucial in thinking through future
procurement decisions as well.

“We are focused on being more platform agnostic; and ironically, the F-35 can be looked at as a new
platform an keep in the old platform-centric approach but we are looking at it as lever of change for next
generation thinking and capabilities.

“We are taking the kill web concept very seriously, and examining how best to shape the desired outcome
from nodes in the operational force, rather than focusing on specialized platforms.
“How do we generate operational tasks to be delivered from the integrated force?”

“How do we bring the Typhoon which is a key air asset into the kill web?

“Rapid reprogramming of platforms is a crucial way ahead for sure.

“The ability to exploit the intrinsic ISR capability of the force, rather than simply relying on specialized ISR
platforms is a key way ahead as well.

“The ability to deliver effect throughout the force with data-link capabilities such as in the future the wingman
of an F-35 could well be the Type 45 destroyer”

In short, Captain Walker saw significant commonality in terms of the Australian rethink about the way ahead
for their navy and how the UK was thinking about the transformation of its power projection capabilities.

The Way Ahead for the RAAF in the Integrated Defense Force: The
Perspective of Air Marshal Leo Davies

2017-08-31 By Robbin Laird

During my recent stay in Australia to attend and write the report for the Williams Foundation seminar on the
future of electronic warfare, I had the chance to continue my discussions with Air Marshal Leo Davies, the Chief
of Staff of the RAAF.

The RAAF is certainly leading the pack in shaping and crafting a fifth generation air force.

How does the Chief of the RAAF see then the role of the RAAF?

“Our core business is to ensure that we can be a responsible element of whatever coalition the government
determines we need to work with to meet Australian interests

“Australia and the Air Force in particular need to be equipped, trained and agile enough to be effective.

“Our core business is to focus on day-to-day management of sovereign Australia territory and interests.

“And that can vary from our contribution to the monitoring of fisheries, or of dealing with people smuggling,
or of being aware of what’s in the sky above us, and what might be in the sky above us in years to come, is
our everyday evolution of a defense force.

Second Line of Defense

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