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The Story of Billy Mitchell — Chris Elles
This is a story about Major General William “Billy” Mitchell and his innovator’s journey through the trough of sorrow.
Jan 7, 20185 min read
Call for Submissions: High Intensity Warfare
Welcome to 2018! As forecast in our 2017 wrap-up post, The Central Blue is collaborating with From Balloons to Drones on a series of...
Jan 4, 20182 min read
On Target: Function over Geography: Combat Power through Organisation – Part 3
command arrangements meant there was no single appointment responsible for the oversight of either the tactical fighter force or the tactica
Dec 31, 20174 min read
The year that’s been and what is to come — The Editors
We started The Central Blue at the end of 2016 with two goals in mind: to provide a forum for the discussion and debate on issues...
Dec 17, 20176 min read
Manned-Unmanned Teaming: “MUM-T’s the Word”
The integration of manned and unmanned systems may be the next step in the evolution of air operations. In this post, Donald Woldhuis and...
Dec 10, 20177 min read
My Fifth Generation — Chris McInnes
In this post, Chris McInnes provides some thoughts on what he thinks a fifth-generation force looks like. He is not sure he is right and...
Dec 3, 20176 min read
On Target: The End of Area Commands: Combat Power through Organisation – Part 2
Following the conclusion of World War II, it was therefore not surprising the RAAF included the notion of an operational air group in its po
Nov 30, 20174 min read
OSCAR-5: The First Australian-Built Satellite — Michael Spencer
The last few months have seen a flurry of announcements relating to Australia’s space industry. In July 2017, the Government commenced a...
Nov 26, 20176 min read
Other Peoples’ Air Power: Air Power With Chinese Characteristics — Peter Layton
Peter Layton’s series on other peoples’ air power has included an examination of Islamic State’s use of unmanned aircraft and the employment
Nov 19, 20175 min read
From Fourth to Fifth Generation: Enter the F-35A Lightning II — Brian Weston
This is the third in a series of posts by Air Vice-Marshal Brian Weston (Retd.) describing the RAAF’s transition through five generations...
Nov 12, 20174 min read
The Devil’s Advocate: Common Operational Picture (COP) — S.C. Collective
In this post, S.C. Collective assumes the role of the ‘devil’s advocate’ and challenges the military’s beatification of the Common...
Nov 5, 20174 min read
On Target: Structuring Air Power: Combat Power through Organisation – Part 1
As one of the world’s oldest air forces, the RAAF has some interesting history in how it has organised its elements of air power. Initially,
Oct 31, 20174 min read
Personnel Recovery: Prudent Insurance for a Fifth Generation Force — Andrew Fisher
The execution by Daesh of a downed Jordanian F-16 pilot in 2015 highlighted the importance of personnel recovery in combat zones. In this...
Oct 22, 20175 min read
Other Peoples’ Air Power: Air Superiority without Fast Jets — Peter Layton
Peter Layton continues his analysis of other peoples’ air power. In this post, he looks at Russia’s use of alternative means to deny the air
Oct 15, 20175 min read
Exploiting the Niche: The C-27J Spartan Battlefield Airlifter — Brad Drew
Is the Spartan a miniature Hercules or an oversized Caribou? Brad Drew argues the Spartan’s unique combination of capabilities means the...
Oct 8, 20175 min read
Other Peoples’ Air Power: Islamic State’s Unmanned Air Force — Peter Layton
Much ink has been spilled on the challenge posed to Western militaries’ traditional control of the air domain. In this post, Peter Layton po
Oct 1, 20174 min read
On Target: A Forgotten Campaign: The USAAF 49th Fighter Group over Darwin
This year has seen many 75th anniversaries of battles and campaigns from the darkest hours of 1942 with the Battle of the Coral Sea (4 to 8
Sep 30, 20174 min read
From 2nd to 4th Generation: The RAAF’s transition from the Mirage IIIO to the F/A-18A Hornet
In his previous post, Brian Weston described the RAAF’s transition from the Avon Sabre to the Mirage IIIO during the 1960s. The Mirage...
Sep 24, 20174 min read
“Miss Shilling’s Orifice”: Simple solutions to technical issues can make all the difference
All too often air forces tend to associate solutions to capability problems with the use of high-tech, often expensive, fixes. In this...
Sep 15, 20175 min read
Conference: A New Approach, and Attitude, to Electronic Warfare In Australia - Final Report
In this report, the major presentations at the Williams Foundation seminar on the evolution of electronic warfare, notably from the standpoi
Sep 15, 20171 min read
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