Lima Juliet, great post.
Are you able to elaborate on Campaign Astra? I left 5 years ago so I’m not up to speed on that. Or is it largely as you describe above?
Hi MG
ASTRA is the campaign to build our Next Generation Royal Air Force. The fourth Industrial Revolution, a rapidly changing geostrategic context, the new domains of Cyber and Space, and the demands of a new generation of people mean that the status quo is not an option. We must adapt at pace, in depth and across our Service. We need to be ready and able to act faster, for longer and with greater precision and weight in more places around the world simultaneously than today. We require substantial changes to our way in warfare, how we command and how we are structured if we are to protect, engage, constrain and fight successfully.
The 2020 RAF Strategy has five objectives:
Meet our Operational Requirements.
Build a Workforce Fit for the Future.
Design and Deliver the Next Generation Air Force.
Operate Safely, Deliver our Output Efficiently, Act Professionally.
Support Global Britain.
ASTRA will define how we deliver decisive air and space power effect in the highly contested environments of the future. ASTRA will establish a blueprint for that future – nominally the RAF of 2035. It will embrace networks and data, mobilise space and cyber, modernise our bases, transform our way in warfare, and supercharge our interoperability with other warfighting domains, Services and allies. The core themes of ASTRA are
people,
training,
infrastructure & support, and
equipment, underpinned by a
conceptual element.
I’ll give you an idea of
some of the things within the ASTRA core themes (some with links):
Conceptual
Form the ‘Trenchard Group’.
https://www.raf-ff.org.uk/news/the-r...xt-generation/
Get after the Space domain.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/e...space-command/
Develop ‘Theory of Command’.
Personnel
The rationalisation of the sub-branches and specialisations, plus badges and uniform. (this is what this thread is about!!)
By 2025-30 expect to have 10x “Employment Fields” vice the 30+ Branches and Trades.
Expect to see more portfolio careers – leavers to commercial sector, re-joiners and lateral entrants.
Exploit ‘Coders’, ‘Information Advantage’ and Space to the RAF’s advantage.
Equipment
Poseidon/Wedgetail entry into service.
https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles...adar-aircraft/
Protector entry into service, plus potentially expanding role outside of persistent armed-ISR overland.
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine....rotector-drone
Reduce the number of ISR types, with the long term goal that ‘every platform has a sensor’.
Directed Energy Weapons.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/e...ones-missiles/
Swarming Drones and Loyal Wingmen development.
https://www.aerosociety.com/news/raf...dron-in-april/
Tempest development and entry into service.
https://www.raf.mod.uk/what-we-do/team-tempest/
Training
Increase the synthetic to live flying mix – some platforms can only do what they do for real on Ops or in the synthetic environment.
SOCRATES/MERCURY – reduction of overtraining. More modular so that common elements between Basic Recruit Training, SNCO training and Initial Officer Training can reduce the time to train on promotion.
Accreditation of training – both ways, into and out of the Service.
Support & Infra
Programme HYDRO seeks to finally get after the issue of poor heating/hot water on our estate. Info here:
https://www.raf-ff.org.uk/news/progr...he-air-estate/
WiFi is already being rolled out that can be used for business purposes in public work space areas (including HQ Air).
Reduce the ~50 airfields to around half that number, but make sure they are properly resourced, in the best possible condition and able to support carbon-neutral energy objectives.
Eradication of Grade 3 and 4 accommodation.
These are but a few. The key word here is “Campaign” in that it is a long-haul programme of improvements and changes over 15 years designed to get the RAF fit for 2035. As ever, there will be dissenters, but many of us, even the old and bold, know that we have to get firmly behind this to make it a success. Expecting a kid to accept an RAF that is more at home with “Get Some In” than it is to today’s world just isn’t going to work.
When the RAF formed in 1918, it was something that many had no idea would ever thrive as it does today. Trenchard had the vision to get us through the first 100 years, and it is now time for a new vision towards the next 100 years. Campaign ASTRA takes us on that journey. Exciting times if you can cope with change!
For those that like “Get Some In” then you can reminisce here: