The integrators

What’s in a Name?

As those fans of the movie “Top Gun” would be aware, the “Fighter Weapons School” at Miramar near San Diego came about during the Vietnam War era when it was believed that fighter pilots had lost some of their dog-fighting skills. Less known is the fact that the same conclusion was reached by the RAAF in the 1950s as a result of their air war experience in Korea.

Squadron Leader Dick Creswell DFC soon recognised that there was minimal specialist training given to his fighter pilots before they arrived into the theatre of operations. Compounding the issue was that many of the lessons learned during World War Two had never been formally recorded and the pilots who had moved on to another life in peacetime.

Consequently, the Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI) course was established in 1954 at RAAF Williamtown. Training six candidates every two years, the FCI course takes six months to complete and is, quite intentionally, an intensive undertaking. Those that graduate earn the right to wear the prized pale blue shield of the FCI on their flight suit, but more importantly, impart what they have learned to others and seek to find new solutions to new tactical problems as they arise. With the advent of the Air Warfare Centre, this FCI philosophy is no longer to remain solely the domain of fighter pilots.

Air Warfare Instructor.

Air Warfare Instructors (AWI) are now found across a range of disciplines. The FCIs will retain their blue patch and be titled, AWI – FCI (Fighter Combat Instructor), operating the FA/18 A and F Hornets and Super Hornets of 81 Wing and 82 Wing. Other Air Warfare Instructors are the AWI – FCC (Fighter Combat Controllers), AWI – ICI (Intelligence Combat Instructor), AWI – ACI (AEW&C Combat Instructor) and the AWI – MTI (Mobility Tactics Instructor).

The Fighter Combat Controllers provide a role in air defence, surveillance and battlespace management, while the Intelligence Combat Instructors are attached to the Air Warfare Centre. AEW&C Combat Instructors serve in conjunction with the E7 Wedgetail and the C130J Hercules have Mobility Tactics Instructors. Although the designators are still to be confirmed, there will also be dedicated AWIs for the EA-18G Growler and the P8 Poseidon.

Beyond the names and acronyms, it is immediately apparent that the scope of the AWIs covers a range of stakeholders and this is pivotal to the ultimate goal – integration. AWIs will be experts in their field, however they will also be skilled in integration. And such integration will occur across existing areas of expertise within the RAAF, across the services within the Australian Defence Forces and even across the fighting forces of other nations. On air, land and sea, wherever there is the opportunity to operate co-operatively towards a more successful outcome, integration will be pivotal in modern warfighting.

‘AWIs will be experts in their fields, but they will also be skilled in integration.’

Training the Air Warfare Instructors.

Within the Air Warfare Centre, the task of training the AWIs falls to the Tactics and Training Directorate (TTD) which is made up of the Air Warfare School and the newly formed 88 Squadron. The TTD draws together the RAAF’s pool of experienced personnel and examines how together they may be integrate their skills and expertise.

The specific task of training the Air Warfare Instructors is the responsibility of 88 Squadron and its Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Ray Simpson, has a clear focus on what is entailed. An FCI since 1999 and with a significant amount of operational experience, Wing Commander Simpson is both measured and enthusiastic about the role of his squadron.

From the outset, Wing Commander Simpson has a clear perception of the qualities needed to make a quality AWI, those being, “humble, knowledgeable, approachable and expert”. He further emphasises, “Expert, but not elite.” It is a subtle point, but imperative as for integration to succeed, the culture needs to encourage open communication. In fact, two of the first AWIs are non-commissioned officers, qualifying as an AEW&C Combat Instructor (ACI) and a Fighter Combat Controller (FCC) respectively.

Many aspects of the FCI course transfer in principle to training an AWI. FCIs must be able to plan, brief, execute and debrief operations in a realistic combat scenario. From this process, FCIs honestly address any possible failings within the process and examine new tactics that may be used to counter issues in the future. It is a positive culture that readily translates to all AWIs, not solely the AWI – FCIs.

The AWIs are also trained to examine their tactics with one eye on how they may advantageously be used in co-operation with another element. How a Heron Remotely Piloted Unmanned Aircraft System may provide oversight of a troop insertion, or a naval asset contribute to a maritime strike? Wing Commander Simpson recognises that AWIs will need to be “problem solvers” as the battlefield can change at very short notice.

With the structure in place and the principles determined the tactics, training and procedures were executed recently for the first time during Exercise Diamond Storm.

Diamond Storm.

Exercise Diamond Storm was conducted in June from RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal and continued the training regime of the Air Warfare Instructors Course (AWIC), culminating in the graduation of 26 new AWIs. Diamond Storm drew together 1,800 personnel, including Pilots, Intelligence Officers and Air Combat Officers across a range of RAAF platforms, ranging from the F/A-18A Classic Hornets and F/A-18F Super Hornets to the E-7A Wedgetail and C-130J Hercules aircraft. In turn, the RAAF worked in conjunction with land and sea elements of the Defence Forces as well as foreign forces such as the United States Marine Corps and Air Force.

This was the first active trial of the new integrated air warfare space and came into being two years ahead of its previously scheduled debut of 2019. That such a timeline can be achieved is testimony to the quality of the personnel. The operations took place around the clock and saw the RAAF working closely in conjunction with Australian Army land elements. The USAF combined with the Royal Australian Navy to execute a maritime strike and Heron UASs integrated with US Marine Corps ‘Ospreys’ during their insertions and extractions, while the C130J Hercules delivered everything from pallets to people in their Air Mobility role in co-operation with Australian Army land elements. All the while, the various elements actively sought out ways to integrate. A true and successful test of the AWI system came about when the new AWIs were required to brief and train the US Marine Corps personnel for their role in conjunction with Australian assets.

Wing Commander Simpson, while pleased with the early implementation of the scheme, also recognised that aspects of the exercise were still a “raw product”. That being said, a key aspect of the philosophy is the post-exercise “wash-up”, or review. In this honest debrief of all aspects of Diamond Storm, many lessons were learned and as Wing Commander Simpson highlights, “We learned these lessons two years early”.

Armed with the information and data generated by Diamond Storm, the process of improving tactics, training and integration can continue and the next AWI candidates can be selected. For the ranks of the new AWIs there is now more than a task, there is a career path and one cannot help but see that the qualities required in a successful AWI are synonymous with co-operative leadership. The Current Chief of the Defence Force (CDF), Air Marshal Binskin is an FCI graduate and it is foreseeable that many of the leaders of the RAAF in future years will proudly wear the patch of an AWI. Only time will tell, but the signs are already promising.

“We learned these lessons two years early.
WGCDR Ray Simpson

Integrate. Integrate. Integrate.

Co-operation, co-ordination and cross-pollination between elements is not new to the RAAF, however, it was previously more dependent upon individuals operating at squadron level. Just as Creswell recognised in the 1950s, it is imperative learned lessons are not lost and that there is a formal process in place to support growth and learning. The birth of the FCI course achieved this for fighter pilots, but now the AWI is able to achieve this across the broader RAAF as it moves towards its goal of a fully integrated 5th Generation air force by 2023.

Personnel, technology, systems and information must all interact in harmony to achieve the best outcomes while still being dynamic enough to pivot when circumstances change and responsive enough to continually analyse, train and implement new tactics. Now, as the RAAF establishes its 5th Generation warfighting platforms, the Air Warfare Centre through its Air Warfare Instructors can provide the right personnel and the processes to make this happen.

While the 88 Squadron motto of “Integrate – Tactics – Training” is to the point, its crest captures the sentiment with a dramatic image. It features a Griffin, a mythical beast with the body and back legs of a lion as well as the front legs, beak and talons of a hawk. Appropriately, it draws together elements of a range of animals to create a very efficient flying creature and guardian of the most important treasures. Like the Griffin, the RAAF can only benefit from the integration of its strongest elements, however, unlike the Griffin, this is not the stuff of mythology. The Air Warfare Instructors and they will fulfil a critical role in making Australia’s 5th Generation air force a reality.