Air Power Development Centre #16: Putting Space Into RAAF Aerospace Power Doctrine (2004) By Dominic Sims
 
The Royal Australian Air Force acknowledges that doctrine ‘… must have sufficient stature to command respect and compliance but there must be both formal and informal avenues to challenge the status quo. Indeed, if anything is to be enshrined in our doctrine it must be this principle that our doctrine is open to challenge and review’. In keeping with this cardinal principle, the current edition (fourth) of the AAP 1000, Fundamentals of Australian Aerospace Power, adopted the term ‘aerospace’ to acknowledge the growing importance of space to the application of air power. Accordingly all reference to ‘air power’ was changed to ‘aerospace power’. The term aerospace was coined in the late 1950s by the US Air Force Chief of Staff General Thomas White to describe a new construct that depicted air and space as a seamless continuum. It further claimed both parts of the continuum as the Air Force’s preserve. Since that time the USAF has clearly established itself as the natural lead agency for space in the US military and prefers the terms air power and space power. The opportunity exists for the RAAF to establish its credentials and take the lead in space for the ADF. This paper challenges our published doctrine and in particular the use of the term ‘aerospace’ to indicate both the air and space environment. It proposes a more pragmatic and structured approach to the understanding of the uniqueness of space power. It explains the differences in the two environments and argues for a separate space doctrine to be articulated for the Royal Australian Air Force. This debate has already had an effect in that Air Marshal Houston has changed the RAAF’s Aerospace Centre to the RAAF Air Power Development Centre (APDC). Underlying the discourse is not only the synergy between air and space power but also the importance of space to maritime and land power. One of the first steps in establishing RAAF’s space credentials was creating a space cell within the APDC. Amongst the prime tasks of this cell is to propose a space doctrine for the RAAF and influence broader Defence developments. I believe that this paper is an important contribution to a discussion Defence must have on how space capabilities should be managed for the ADF.
 
Soft Cover
30 Pages
In Fair to Good Condition