An analysis of the development of doctrine in the Royal Australian Air Force, 1921-1991

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Copyright: Stephens, Alan
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Abstract
This thesis analyses the quality and nature of the thinking which has shaped the application of air power by the RAAF from its beginnings in 1921 to the present. Evidence and conclusions have been drawn largely from official records held in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, supplemented by secondary sources and interviews. The absence of a consolidated, formal record of the RAAF's fundamental beliefs for most of the period reviewed has made it necessary to examine not only ideas and strategies, but also such indicators of doctrine as force structure, roles, organisation, command and control and education. While the thesis covers a relatively long period, and a large number and wide variety of events, its unifying theme is that of attitudes and ideas. The thesis concludes that for most of its existence the RAAF has been an intellectually dependent organisation. While the Air Force has generally excelled at the tactical and operational levels of warfare, its strategic and political thinking has often been deficient. There is clear evidence that the RAAF's leaders have often failed to develop adequate strategic concepts for their Service. In particular, many have not appreciated the political significance of doctrine. There seems to have been a belief that the ability to fly an aeroplane brings with it an intuitive understanding of air power in its fullest sense. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. The reluctance of the Air Force's leadership to articulate a formal, Australian doctrine has both inhibited the full exploitation of air power in support of national security, and created something of a continuing identity crisis within the ranks of the RAAF. In the last 15 years, however, the Air Force has done more to place its activities on a sound conceptual basis than it did in the preceding 55 years. The development of the RAAF's first officially endorsed concept of operations in the 1970s and the publication of an air power manual in 1990 were landmarks in Air Force thinking. Those seminal documents have been accompanied by significant organisational and attitudinal changes, to the extent that the RAAF now seems better placed to promote air power in the defence of Australia and deal with change than ever before. Whether it is able to do so will depend largely on its ability to continue to develop, formalise and articulate its fundamental beliefs.
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Stephens, Alan
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Publication Year
1992
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Thesis
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PhD Doctorate
UNSW Faculty
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download Stephens-273674.pdf 42.31 MB Adobe Portable Document Format
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