INSIGHT: Chief of Air Force on shaping the RAAF to meet an evolving strategic environment

Joint-capabilities
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By:
Mel Hupfeld

At the start of July, the federal government announced a $270 billion commitment to defence spending for the coming decade, and a new holistic strategy for dealing with an increasingly uncertain world in the Indo-Pacific.

At the start of July, the federal government announced a $270 billion commitment to defence spending for the coming decade, and a new holistic strategy for dealing with an increasingly uncertain world in the Indo-Pacific.

 
 

In this exclusive interview, the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld, AO, DSC, gives host Phil Tarrant the inside story on how his team is rethinking what a modern air force should look like – and how it can better collaborate with other elements of the ADF and government to drive change.

AIRMSHL Hupfeld lifts the lid on working with artificial intelligence on the Loyal Wingman platform, “robust” conversations with his counterparts in the Navy and Army on an integrated military, the drive towards a fifth-gen fighting force and how the lesson from COVID-19 must be to shore up global supply chains.

He also talks candidly about his love of flying, his journey into the top job in the RAAF, and how he can’t wait to get out in his Airtourer and P-51 Mustang in the near future.

Enjoy the podcast,

The Defence Connect team

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: CONTESTED GROUND: Australia and the West must ask themselves new questions in the face of the modern world, with Robbin Laird
Episode 10: PODCAST: Black Hawk capability, B-21 bomber debate, and upcoming budget
Episode 9: PODCAST: Supermarine Spitfire, warbird aviation and modern aerial innovation, with Keith Russell
Episode 8: PODCAST: Bushmaster PMV funding, long-range strike expansion and cyber defence
Episode 7: PODCAST: Space Command workforce expansion and operationalising the domain, with Major General Gregory Novak AM
Episode 6: CONTESTED GROUND: The Defence budget, inflationary pressures and domestic information warfare
Episode 5: SPOTLIGHT: Maritime sustainment, mission-ready maintenance and resilient fleet capability, with Serco’s David Astbury
Episode 4: PODCAST: Anzac Day reflections, veteran support reform and ADF workforce trends, with Minister Matt Keogh
Episode 3: SPOTLIGHT: Open-source growth across defence and national security, with SUSE CMO Margaret Dawson
Episode 2: CONTESTED GROUND: Shipping, supply chains and Australia’s exposure to a volatile system, with UNSW’s Professor Douglas Guilfoyle and Associate Professor Daniel Prior