Air Power Scholars
The Air Power Scholars program is a cooperative endeavour between the Sir Richard Williams Foundation and the Air Power Development Centre. It aims to develop a small group of Air Force Officers with the intellectual skills, theoretical knowledge and practical experience to engage credibly in the global air and space power dialogue. PhD candidates are supported by the Air Power Development Centre and the Williams Foundation. The Williams foundation supports scholars financially with up to $20,000 per PhD candidate over the course of their research.
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In December 2019, GPCAPT Jarrod Pendlebury was the first to complete his PhD with the support of the program. The PhD is titled The Dawn Horizon: Constructing an Air Force Identity During Initial Officer Training in Australia, The United States and The United Kingdom. Williams Board members extend their congratulations to GPCAPT Pendlebury.
Sir Richard Williams Foundation Scholars
Completed PhD
GPCAPT Jarrod Pendlebury
Title The Dawn Horizon: Constructing an Air Force Identity During Initial Officer Training in Australia, The United States and The United Kingdom.
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December 2019, University of Sydney
Abstract: Many of the arguments supporting diversity in the military focus on the instrumental benefits available to an organisation that embraces difference. Viewed through this lens, there is a risk of diversity becoming another ‘to do,’ and prioritised according to available resources. Arguing for diversity primarily from the perspective of a capability-based argument also fails to challenge the tension between a military’s combat effectiveness, and its adherence to the values and laws of the state it protects. This thesis seeks to reframe the diversity debate by arguing that a diverse military reflective of the demography of society is a fundamental requirement in a Western liberal democracy.
Current PhD Candidates
AIRCDRE Steve Edgeley
Estimated completion - December 2021, University of New South Wales
Subject: That recent changes in the operational environment have required the RAAF to focus on the application of joint effects, this change in operational focus has led to cultural and organisational changes that make it an imperative to embrace jointness.
GPCAPT Jason Begley
Soft Options for a Hard Issue
Estimated completion December 2021, University of New South Wales
Subject: assess the degree to which Air Force effectively projects soft power and whether there are viable opportunities for it to improve.
WGCDR Travis Hallen
The Gatekeepers: The Development of Royal Australian Air Force Maritime Patrol during the Cold War.
Estimated completion - December 2021, Australian National University
The gatekeepers: The development of Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol during the Cold War.
Photo: Department of Defence
The Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Leo Davies, AO, CSC launched the five year pilot Air Power Scholar program as part of the 2016 Air Power Conference in Canberra.
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The Williams Foundation awards a scholarship of up to $20,000 each year of the program to the candidate undertaking the full-time study. This payment assists scholars with expenses associated with their academic program and will contribute to consultancy fees for a program mentor.
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This five year pilot program will support the five selected Air Force officers to undertake PhD studies. The agreement with the Air Force enables the Foundation to formally support scholars in their further education and strengthen the level of debate on military aviation issues.
