Chief of Air Force

Good morning, I’d like to echo the words of Group Captain Laroche, and acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land, the Ngunnawal People and I pay my respects to their Elders, both past and present.  

Alongside my good friend, Chief of Joint Capabilities Group, Lieutenant General Susan Coyle who oversees our Space and Cyber Domains - I’d like to firstly warmly welcome former Chiefs of Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Houston and Air Chief Marshal Binskin; Former Chiefs of Air Force Ray Funnell, Leo Davies, Geoff Brown and Geoff Shepherd. 

Additionally, it would be remiss of me to not make a special mention of Katherine Bennell-Pegg, who is joining us today. Katherine, who was recently named the Australian of the Year, works for the Australian Space Agency and is the first Australian to qualify as an astronaut under Australia’s space program. We are also honoured to have her as a reservist Group Captain in Air Force. 

And of course, I would like to welcome the many colleagues, international partners and allies and distinguished guests who join us today for the Air and Space Power Conference 2026.

Outline current strategic environment 

For several years now, at military conferences like this, both in Australia and overseas, we’ve heard how we’re facing the most challenging strategic environment since the Second World War. 

It’s a phrase we’ve heard often and it is a situation we must take seriously. 

We find ourselves in an era of deep and accelerating geopolitical disruption—one that calls for strategic discipline, heightened preparedness, and a shared commitment to safeguarding our future.

Last year saw conflict between Israel and Iran, the continuation of the war in Ukraine, and closer to home our aviators, flying in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, experienced unsafe and unprofessional interactions with aircraft flown by the People’s Liberation Army-Air Force. 

Then, of course, there have been the events of recent weeks, where we’ve seen the continuation of conflict between Israel and Iran, which has impacted other countries as well and seen us provide support to our partners. 

At the request of the United Arab Emirates, our aviators have deployed with an E-7A Wedgetail to the Middle East to provide surveillance capability to assist in the protection of civilians and contribute to the collective self-defence of Gulf States.

These events illuminate today’s strategic environment, and I want to share with you a story from last year that, for me personally, highlighted the strategic environment in which we operate. 

The best part of my job is, hands-down, visiting RAAF aviators and the Air Domain team out at their bases and on operations and exercises, and it was particularly special to visit our E-7 team in Poland last September, who were deployed there on Operation KUDU.

Our aviators were part of a team, working alongside our NATO colleagues, providing critical surveillance, so that humanitarian aid and military supplies safely made their way to Ukraine. 

When the Warrant Officer of the Royal Australia Air Force, Ralph Clifton, and I visited our deployed E-7 team, they were operating on an overnight mission rotation with other NATO players. 

At around 1 o’clock in the morning, Ralph and I were conducting a town hall meeting with the deployed team before we went for a planned flight, a training scramble if you will. 

We were interrupted mid-town hall by the real-world scramble alarm going off. 

I got to experience firsthand our E-7 crew integrating an incredibly high level of human and technical capability into the NATO air defence system and watch them play their part in the NATO air defence mission around the logistics node in south-eastern Poland. 

I watched them as they were yet again seized by the gravity of the situation there – as another mass Russian strike occurred in the early hours of that Sunday morning in Ukraine. 

What was happening across the border, and playing out on their sensors screens, was not lost upon them as professionals and as human beings, and one of the things that stuck with me was the sense of purpose and pride they had in doing an important job incredibly well. 

They also told me the story of the first time they checked-in on the radio with the Polish Air Operations Centre earlier in their deployment. The very first words that greeted them from the Poles were along the lines of: “Thank you Australia, thank you for being here to help defend us.”

Like I said, we live in a pivotal time in history. We do, indeed, face the most challenging and precarious strategic environment since the Second World War. 

And what that means for us, as leaders during this interesting time in history, is that we must respond in ways not seen since the Second World War… in ways that feel unfamiliar to us because circumstances have not demanded it – not in our careers, not even our lifetimes – but circumstances demand it now. 

A couple of years ago, the Australian Government detailed our approach to address Australia’s most significant strategic risks based on the concept of National Defence. 

National Defence changes how our country thinks about, and approaches, the defence of Australia. 

National Defence is a coordinated, whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach that harnesses all arms of Australia’s national power to defend Australia and advance our interests.

It signals to the whole nation that defending Australia and advancing our interests is now a national endeavour; it is everybody’s responsibility.  

Unpack Strategic Autumn 

Since taking command of the Royal Australian Air Force, I don’t think I’ve gone a day without saying that we are in a period of strategic autumn.

I know I risk sounding like a broken record, but the risk of not seizing this time in history to strengthen our preparedness is far greater.

So, please, indulge me for a brief moment while I explain what I mean by strategic autumn.

Some parts of the world use autumn to prepare for a potentially brutal winter. 

Autumn is the time to chop and stack firewood, stock up on supplies, switch to winter tires, and make sure you have plans in place should you be snowed in.  

As the season that precedes winter, autumn is a time for preparedness. 

When I talk about us being in strategic autumn, I see this as being our season of preparedness; a time to make changes, evolve and ensure we are ready for any number of plausible, possible future scenarios, including the worst-case scenario of conflict. 

Now, the beauty of this strategic autumn, which is very different to nature’s autumn, is that winter – conflict, war – is not inevitable. It can be deterred.  

In fact, the more prepared we are in autumn, the less chance of winter.

In military speak, I’m talking about preparedness enhancing deterrence. 

I’m a big believer that to deter actors from taking actions against our national interests, not only do we have to signal our determination to defend our interests, but we must be able to demonstrate the capability and capacity to actually do the things we hope we never have to, the hard power things.

It’s not enough to talk about deterrence. 

I believe we must demonstrate that we can deliver air power to degrade, disrupt, destroy, and defeat. 

Those ‘D’ words are actually what generates deterrence in the current force and continues to signal deterrence as we look towards the future force.

To get to those ‘D’ words of deterrence, is to demonstrate the capability with the credibility – which we do have as an air force – and then communicate in a way that the malign actors who might push us to winter actually comprehend. Then we’ve got to do that collectively with our integrated force and our inter-agency, our industry team mates and our allies and partners, and we have to do it cumulatively, all the time.

If you attended my CAF’s Symposium in Melbourne last March, you may remember listening to a speech from Admiral Rob Bauer, the 33rd Chair of the Military Committee of NATO, where he likened deterrence to a 7-foot bouncer at the front of a nightclub making you think twice about trying to gain free entry. 

To use his analogy, that 7-foot bouncer is us demonstrating – through training, exercises and operations – we are ready, if called upon, to generate and deliver highly effective airpower with enhanced lethality and survivability. 

It is us demonstrating how our capability is amplified as part of the integrated force, as well as how our capability is further enhanced when we work with allies and partners.

Last September, as well as visiting the E-7 team in Poland, I also met with the Commander of the Finnish Air Force, Major General Timo Herranen. 

As a country, as a society, Finland is an incredible case study in preparedness and the Finnish Air Force is highly regarded for how it maximises military and civilian infrastructure for agile air operations. 

Finland has long taken its security seriously; circumstances – including geography – have made it necessary.  

During the Second World War, like many other countries, Finland learnt that fighting a war requires harnessing a society’s full capabilities – and the Finnish people, industry and wider society have willingly accepted their role and responsibility in Finland’s Comprehensive Security model.  

Finland has civil defence shelters, it stockpiles essential supplies, and its private sector actively helps prepare for emergencies.

From an Air Power perspective, it was impressive to be briefed on how Finnish F/A-18 Hornet Fighter jets and some allies use civilian highways as makeshift runway, as part of the Finnish Air Force’s agile posture. 

Finland is not just talking deterrence, from its air force to wider society, it demonstrates – day-in, day-out – its capability, capacity and resilience.  

In Finland, preparedness is not a standalone thread; it is tightly weaved into their culture and into their ways of thinking and doing. 

I was really grateful to Timo for sharing with me more about the Finnish Air Force’s strategy and doctrine. 

It was a particularly useful conversation, and I know there are many other examples of allies and partners increasing and refining their preparedness and resilience – some of whom we will hear from today. These types of discussions assist us as the Royal Australian Air Force evolves to implement what we call ‘Building Fighting Depth’. 

Tier One Air Force 

Before I delve into Building Fighting Depth, let me give you an overview of today’s Royal Australian Air Force.

I am incredibly privileged to command one of the Tier One air forces in the world. 

What I mean by that is that we’re a small to medium sized air force, from a capacity point of view, but we are definitely at the Tier One level from a capability point of view. 

Tier One, to me, means an air force that can deliver – to a very high level – all of the key air power roles that most air forces agree are doctrinally relevant to air power and the air domain - control of the air, strike, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, air mobility. 

The list of platforms, equipment, sensors, and weapons we operate is impressive, and our human capability – our people – are even more impressive. 

In my opinion, given the strategic autumn that we live in, it’s never been more important for Australia to have and maintain a Tier One Air Force in the Indo-Pacific region. 

And how we further strengthen our Tier One Air Force is by Building Fighting Depth. 

Building Fighting Depth 

Let me start by explaining what Building Fighting Depth is not… 

Building Fighting Depth is not a strategy. 

It is not a plan. 

It is not a blueprint. 

Building Fighting Depth is an idea – it is an idea to guide the way people are thinking and operating. We want our aviators and the wider Air Domain Team to ask… is what I am doing adding fighting depth in some way? 

Building fighting depth is about creating more capacity and capability in everything we are and do by thinking, behaving, and operating differently.

It’s part mindset… part making sure we have the right capability and systems… the right culture. 

It’s unlocking more capacity by recruiting the next generation of aviators, strengthening relationships with existing partners and finding new partners to work with. It’s harnessing Australia’s diverse aviation resources, both military and civilian. 

It’s doing the ordinary things extraordinarily well everyday, and finding those one and two percenters in everything we do to further unlock our potential and optimise our capability and capacity. After all, unblocking a thousand one per centers is a substantial boost in performance.

All of this helps us, as an Air Force, give the nation more options, in more places, more often. 

Building Fighting Depth is about growing what we can do as an Air Force, how much we can do, and the circumstances in which we can do it across the dimensions of time, space and posture. 

Now, what does that look like on RAAF bases, in headquarters, on exercises and deployments, working alongside our allies and partners, within industry and across Australian society? 

In other words, what does it look like on the ground and in the air in practice? 

The good news is we are already doing it. We have been for years. But we now need to accelerate and expand its adoption. 

Implementing Building Fighting Depth

Let’s look at it through the lens of the three Ps in my Chief’s intent – people, purpose and preparedness. 

First, people, we are implementing Building Fighting Depth by strengthening existing links and creating new links with industry, allies, partners and the wider aviation community. 

Our firefighters at RAAF Base Williamtown are just one example of our people Building Fighting Depth. 

Through their own initiative, they have been working closely with their civilian counterparts in the NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire & Rescue NSW and training together.  

Not only is this building a bigger, better firefighting team at one our largest bases, it is also giving our Air Force firefighters more realistic training, including live fire conditions. As a result, we will be better prepared, with more options, and more backup.

In regards to purpose, we Build Fighting Depth by making sure the whole Air Domain team feels connected to our mission of generating and delivering air power, and they have a warfighting mindset. 

At RAAF Base Tindal, and other key northern bases, we have been rehearsing and drilling to make sure these critical fighting positions can survive and recover from attack, so that they can continue executing their core mission of launching and recovering combat air power. These activities directly link every person on that base to its core purpose.

And we strengthen our preparedness by investing in platforms and weapons, harnessing national resources and demonstrating our ability to deliver air power to degrade, disrupt, destroy, and defeat. 

From the recent announcement of additional investment in Australian-made MQ-28A collaborative combat aircraft, to the arrival of the first two MC-55As, to our LRASM and JASSM-ER – we are adding depth to our platforms and weapons capability and capacity. 

Lessons from history 

The concept of thinking, behaving and operating differently isn’t new for our Air Force. Our history is filled with stories of ingenuity, innovation, resourcefulness and resilience.

At the height of the Second World War, our Air Force and allies operated from a diverse and expansive network of aviation resources across northern Australia. 

Civil aerodromes, rural properties, and small towns were all part of our warfighting efforts.

People are our keys to Success 

What was key to our success back then was the willingness of people to contribute to national defence… and that willingness of people to contribute remains key to our success right now. 

It is people, both inside and outside of Air Force, and their willingness to think, behave and operate differently, that is key to strengthening our Tier One Air Force, by building fighting depth. 

This is a view shared by many, not just in regards to Air Force but broader defence. Our government is harnessing all aspects of society to contribute to National Defence, in a way not seen since the Second World War. 

It is also a view shared by fellow national security expert, Professor Rory Medcalf 

He believes that preparedness ultimately comes down to people because they are "the one capability that we really cannot substitute".

He has previously said: 

"In a way, the strength of a nation's robustness and security is the quality of its people and their willingness to contribute.”

"It doesn't matter how powerful a submarine fleet or an air force we may or may not have one day, if you have a population that effectively says, 'we're not interested in risk and responsibility to protect the things that we enjoy [as] part of this society', then you've effectively surrendered all of that other capability."

And it is important that a population is willing to contribute because the defence of Australia is not just a national endeavour and a national responsibility, it is also a national trauma. 

If you have ever hit the backroads of Australia, you may have noticed that in almost every town in this country, even the really small ones, there’s a cenotaph or war memorial honouring the locals who left for war and died serving our nation. 

Our aviators all wear the same uniform but they come from all different parts of Australia – every state and territory and countless different towns. 

They willingly, voluntarily contribute to defending Australia, alongside their team mates in Navy and Army, and they have families supporting them across the country.  

Our responsibility, as leaders during this time in history, is to make sure we are as prepared as possible for any number of future scenarios. 

I have been talking about strategic autumn since I became Chief. It is real, and we are responding. 

We are Building Fighting Depth to deter winter from coming and to also be prepared should deterrence fail, despite our best efforts. We stand on the shoulders of those who come before us, as a Tier One Air Force, but we must strengthen and accelerate our efforts to add capacity and capability by thinking and operating differently. 

This is how the Royal Australian Air Force continues to offer Australia, and the integrated force, more options in more places more often. But we cannot do it alone and I call on everyone here to think about how they can contribute to building our fighting depth. 

Per ardua ad astra.

Thank you.