Chief of Air Force
Encyclopedia
Chief of Air Force is the most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF), responsible to the Chief of the Defence Force
(CDF) and the Secretary of Defence
. The rank associated with the position is Air Marshal
(three-star). The role encompasses "the delivery of aerospace capability, enhancing the Air Force's reputation and positioning the Air Force for the future". It does not include direction of air operations, which is the purview of the Air Commander Australia, a two-star position responsible directly to CDF in such circumstances but nominally reporting to CAF.
Between 1922 and 1997, the Air Force's senior officer was known as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), a role akin to a chairman of the board
. The Air Board was legally responsible for commanding the RAAF, rather than the CAS personally. Wing Commander
(later Air Marshal
Sir) Richard Williams, often referred to as the 'Father of the RAAF', was the first and longest-serving Chief of the Air Staff. In 1976 the Air Board was dissolved and CAS was invested with the individual responsibility for commanding the RAAF. The position of CAS became known as Chief of Air Force in 1997.
The Chief of Air Force may be selected from any of the RAAF’s Air Vice Marshal appointments, although the Air Commander or Deputy Chief of Air Force are the most frequent appointees. While every chief to date has been a pilot, since the mid-1970s there has been no legal restriction on appointees from other disciplines. The CAF is appointed by the Prime Minister
and is usually a fixed-term tenure, after which the member normally retires, unless offered the more senior role of CDF. Three heads of the RAAF have gone on to attain the position of CDF or equivalent.
The position now known as Chief of Air Force had its beginnings in the years immediately following World War I
. A permanent Air Board was instituted on 9 November 1920 to oversee the day-to-day running of a proposed Australian Air Force, which would succeed the extant Australian Air Corps that had itself succeeded the wartime Australian Flying Corps. On 31 March 1921, the Australian Air Force came into being, the 'Royal' prefix being added five months later.
Wing Commander
(later Air Marshal
Sir) Richard Williams served as the first Chief of the Air Staff, commencing in 1922. The senior member of the Air Board, from April 1921 until October 1922 Williams was known as First Air Member, the fledgling Air Force initially not being deemed suitable for a 'Chief of Staff' appointment equivalent to the Army
and Navy
.
Wing Commander (later Air Vice Marshal) Stanley Goble
took over as CAS from Williams in December 1922, and over the next 17 years the two World War I veterans alternated in the position, an arrangement that "almost inevitably fostered an unproductive rivalry" according to RAAF historian Dr Alan Stephens. The Chief of the Air Staff position was intended to be 'first among equals' on the Air Board, with decisions arrived at collectively and members able to submit dissenting reports to the Minister for Air if they wished. However Williams dominated the Board in the 1920s and 30s to such an extent that in 1939 Goble complained that his colleague appeared to consider the Air Force his personal command.
Cumulatively Williams served longer as CAS than any other officer, a total of 13 years, and is accorded much of the credit for maintaining the RAAF’s position as an independent service in the face of attempts to turn it into a branch of either the Army or Navy. For this achievement, as much as for his involvement in its establishment, he is, in Stephens’ words, "properly regarded as the 'father' of the Air Force".
The Williams-Goble duopoly ended in 1940. Williams was dismissed from his post in 1939 following publication of the Ellington
Report, which criticised the level of air safety observed by the RAAF. Goble took over with the prospect of finally emerging from Williams’ shadow but was concerned by, among other things, the emphasis he was required to place on the Empire Air Training Scheme
(EATS), which promised to provide manpower for the air war in Europe at the expense of local defence. Goble refused to continue in the post and offered his resignation.
The Air Force expected Williams to be reappointed in Goble’s place, however the United Australia Party
government under Robert Menzies
determined that a British officer should lead the RAAF rather than Williams or any emerging Australian senior officer. Following the temporary appointment of Air Commodore
William Anderson
(like Williams, a veteran of the Australian Flying Corps), the RAF's Air Chief Marshal
Sir Charles Burnett
became CAS in February 1940. Burnett proved to be a controversial figure with his record being described as "uninspiring and undistinguished" by his detractors, and as "formidable" by his supporters. During his time as CAS Burnett's prime focus was EATS but he also founded the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
(WAAAF) and RAAF health services, the latter having previously been provided by the Army.
The next CAS was a major surprise to the service and to the appointee himself. George Jones
was only a substantive Wing Commander and acting Air Commodore when he succeeded to the role in 1942, leapfrogging several more senior officers including the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal William Bostock
, a highly-regarded commander who was expecting to take the position. Bostock was soon made head of RAAF Command
, in charge of Australian air operations in the Pacific, while Jones' role was primarily administrative, to "raise, train and maintain" the service. Though Jones as CAS was nominally in charge of the RAAF, his new rank of Air Vice Marshal was the same as Bostock's and the command structure was not clear cut.
The situation led to a "disastrous" conflict at the top of the service, going far beyond the rivalry of Williams and Goble. Bostock was able to circumvent directives from Jones and the Air Board by appealing directly to Lieutenant General George Kenney
, USAAF
, Douglas MacArthur
's chief of Pacific air operations. Jones in turn could curtail Bostock’s supplies of manpower and equipment, as he did during the invasion of Tarakan
in 1945 when he unilaterally grounded Australian bomber squadrons scheduled to take part in the attack. The Curtin
Labor government
did not act decisively to end the rift, its reaction being to again look to Britain for a suitable RAF officer senior to both men, though in the end nothing came of this. Kenney wrote that Jones and Bostock "fight each other harder than the Japs", but that he preferred their feuding to having a British officer in charge of the RAAF.
Williams, Goble and Bostock were summarily retired in 1946. Jones, belatedly promoted to Air Marshal in 1948, oversaw the demobilisation of thousands of RAAF personnel and the creation of a peacetime service. The RAAF committed aircraft to the Malayan Emergency
, on Jones’ condition that the Air Officer Commanding
all Commonwealth
air force units would be from the RAAF. The British Air Ministry
agreed and Air Vice Marshal Frederick Scherger
took the post, regarded as a key stepping stone to his own eventual appointment as CAS. Jones also allocated 77 Squadron
to Allied forces when the Korean War
broke out in 1950.
Jones' ten years as CAS was the longest continuous term of any RAAF chief. When he was retired in 1952, the Menzies Liberal
government again chose an RAF officer for the role, this time Air Marshal (later Air Chief Marshal) Sir James (Donald) Hardman
. While the choice of a British officer caused resentment in the Air Force, Hardman was described by The Age
newspaper as a "brilliant organiser", and changed the RAAF’s structure from one based on geographical area to one based on function, leading to the creation of Home (operational), Maintenance (support), and Training Commands.
Hardman was succeeded in 1954 by Air Marshal Sir John McCauley
, who expanded RAAF Darwin
as Australia's major frontline base. The concept of shifting the Air Force's 'centre of gravity' northwards was taken a step further by the next CAS, Air Marshal Sir Frederick Scherger, who proposed a series of 'bare bases
' across the north-west of Australia, beginning with the development of RAAF Tindal
, south of Darwin (later to become a permanent base). Following his service as CAS, Scherger was appointed Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1961 to 1966, during which time he was promoted to Air Chief Marshal
. He was the first RAAF officer to serve as Chairman of COSC, the Australian defence forces’ senior position at the time, after an Army member and a Navy member. Air Marshal Sir Valston Hancock
continued the policy of developing bare bases in Northern Australia, concentrating on RAAF Learmonth in Western Australia. He also recommended the General Dynamics F-111
as the aircraft best suited to replace the Canberra jet bomber
as Australia's prime aerial strike platform.
The next CAS, Air Marshal Sir Alister Murdoch
, began his term in 1966 and led the RAAF through the middle period of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War
. His initial refusal to commit newly purchased UH-1 Iroquois
helicopters to the conflict for support of land forces has been blamed for fostering long-running enmity between the Air Force and the Army. Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah
commenced what was expected to be a three-year term as CAS in January 1970, but resigned early to become Governor of Queensland
in March 1972, the first time an RAAF officer was appointed to a vice regal
position. He was succeeded by his Deputy CAS, Air Marshal Sir Charles Read
, whose tenure coincided with the long-delayed entry into service of the F-111C supersonic
swing-wing bomber.
was the first CAS to personally command the RAAF in a legal sense, following dissolution of the Air Board in 1976, a consequence of defence reorganisation in the wake of the 'Tange report'
in 1973. A new Chief of the Air Staff Advisory Committee (CASAC) was set up, but there was no requirement for the CAS to accept its advice. At the same time, the stipulation for the appointee to be a member of the RAAF's General Duties (aircrew) Branch was removed. Rowland served from 1975 to 1979, going on to become Governor of New South Wales
. His successor, Air Marshal (later Air Chief Marshal) Sir Neville McNamara
would, from 1982 to 1984, be the first Air Force member to command all three services as Chief of the Defence Force Staff (CDFS), which had replaced the position of Chairman of COSC in 1976. Shortly after McNamara retired, CDFS was renamed Chief of the Defence Force (CDF).
Air Marshal David Evans
played a major part in developing the RAAF’s plans for the defence of Australia in the mid-1980s and beyond. The Air Force’s role in shaping an overall strategy that exploited the 'air-sea gap' was later acknowledged in the Federal Government paper "The Defence of Australia 1987". CAS from 1987 to 1992, Air Marshal Ray Funnell
focused on turning the RAAF into the "air power element of a cohesive, integrated defence force". His service also saw the publication of The Air Power Manual, the RAAF’s first self-produced treatise on aerial war fighting.
During the 1980s and 90s, conduct of air operations became the responsibility of the Air Commander Australia, a two-star rank, answerable direct to CDF in these circumstances but subordinate administratively to CAS. The operational authority of CAS thus decreased, its role once more becoming primarily to 'raise, train and maintain' the Air Force. The relationship between the positions of CAS and Air Commander now resembled that between CAS and AOC RAAF Command during World War II. However the risk of another demarcation dispute such as arose between Jones and Bostock was mitigated by the overarching CDF role, which did not exist during the earlier conflict.
Air Marshal Les Fisher
, who headed the RAAF from 1994 to 1998, served as the last CAS and the first Chief of Air Force (CAF), the change of name occurring in 1997. Fisher instituted a policy requiring staff to meet minimum physical fitness standards to remain in the service, for the first time in Air Force history. Air Marshal Errol McCormack
commanded the RAAF as it moved into the 21st century, addressing fundamental cultural questions such as the balance of change and tradition, and whether defence should be run like a business. Beginning in 2000, he reintroduced the distinctive dark blue uniform that had been chosen by Richard Williams in the 1920s but discarded in 1972 by then-CAS, Air Marshal Hannah, in favour of a more neutral blue suit. McCormack’s successor, Air Marshal Angus Houston
, became well-known to the public for contradicting the Federal Government’s version of events in relation to the Children Overboard Affair
. In 2005, Houston was promoted to Chief of the Defence Force, the third Air Force member out of 18 Chiefs of the Defence Force or equivalent, and the third to achieve the rank of Air Chief Marshal
.
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF), responsible to the Chief of the Defence Force
Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)
Chief of the Defence Force is the most senior appointment in the Australian Defence Force . The CDF commands the ADF under the direction of the Minister of Defence, in a coequal arrangement with the Secretary of Defence, the most senior public servant in the Department of Defence.The position is a...
(CDF) and the Secretary of Defence
Department of Defence (Australia)
The Australian Department of Defence is a Federal Government Department. It forms part of the Australian Defence Organisation along with the Australian Defence Force . The Defence mission is to defend Australia and its national interests...
. The rank associated with the position is Air Marshal
Air Marshal (Australia)
Air marshal is the second highest active rank of the Royal Australian Air Force and was created as a direct equivalent of the British Royal Air Force rank of air marshal, it is also considered a three-star rank...
(three-star). The role encompasses "the delivery of aerospace capability, enhancing the Air Force's reputation and positioning the Air Force for the future". It does not include direction of air operations, which is the purview of the Air Commander Australia, a two-star position responsible directly to CDF in such circumstances but nominally reporting to CAF.
Between 1922 and 1997, the Air Force's senior officer was known as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), a role akin to a chairman of the board
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. The Air Board was legally responsible for commanding the RAAF, rather than the CAS personally. Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
(later Air Marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir) Richard Williams, often referred to as the 'Father of the RAAF', was the first and longest-serving Chief of the Air Staff. In 1976 the Air Board was dissolved and CAS was invested with the individual responsibility for commanding the RAAF. The position of CAS became known as Chief of Air Force in 1997.
The Chief of Air Force may be selected from any of the RAAF’s Air Vice Marshal appointments, although the Air Commander or Deputy Chief of Air Force are the most frequent appointees. While every chief to date has been a pilot, since the mid-1970s there has been no legal restriction on appointees from other disciplines. The CAF is appointed by the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
and is usually a fixed-term tenure, after which the member normally retires, unless offered the more senior role of CDF. Three heads of the RAAF have gone on to attain the position of CDF or equivalent.
1922–38: Williams and Goble
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. A permanent Air Board was instituted on 9 November 1920 to oversee the day-to-day running of a proposed Australian Air Force, which would succeed the extant Australian Air Corps that had itself succeeded the wartime Australian Flying Corps. On 31 March 1921, the Australian Air Force came into being, the 'Royal' prefix being added five months later.
Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
(later Air Marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir) Richard Williams served as the first Chief of the Air Staff, commencing in 1922. The senior member of the Air Board, from April 1921 until October 1922 Williams was known as First Air Member, the fledgling Air Force initially not being deemed suitable for a 'Chief of Staff' appointment equivalent to the Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
and Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
.
Wing Commander (later Air Vice Marshal) Stanley Goble
Stanley Goble
Air Vice Marshal Stanley James Goble CBE, DSO, DSC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served three terms as Chief of the Air Staff, alternating with Wing Commander Richard Williams...
took over as CAS from Williams in December 1922, and over the next 17 years the two World War I veterans alternated in the position, an arrangement that "almost inevitably fostered an unproductive rivalry" according to RAAF historian Dr Alan Stephens. The Chief of the Air Staff position was intended to be 'first among equals' on the Air Board, with decisions arrived at collectively and members able to submit dissenting reports to the Minister for Air if they wished. However Williams dominated the Board in the 1920s and 30s to such an extent that in 1939 Goble complained that his colleague appeared to consider the Air Force his personal command.
Cumulatively Williams served longer as CAS than any other officer, a total of 13 years, and is accorded much of the credit for maintaining the RAAF’s position as an independent service in the face of attempts to turn it into a branch of either the Army or Navy. For this achievement, as much as for his involvement in its establishment, he is, in Stephens’ words, "properly regarded as the 'father' of the Air Force".
1939–45: Crisis in command
Edward Leonard Ellington
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Edward Leonard Ellington GCB, CMG, CBE was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force...
Report, which criticised the level of air safety observed by the RAAF. Goble took over with the prospect of finally emerging from Williams’ shadow but was concerned by, among other things, the emphasis he was required to place on the Empire Air Training Scheme
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
(EATS), which promised to provide manpower for the air war in Europe at the expense of local defence. Goble refused to continue in the post and offered his resignation.
The Air Force expected Williams to be reappointed in Goble’s place, however the United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
government under Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
determined that a British officer should lead the RAAF rather than Williams or any emerging Australian senior officer. Following the temporary appointment of Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
William Anderson
William Anderson (RAAF officer)
Air Vice-Marshal William Hopton Anderson CBE, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He flew with the Australian Flying Corps in World War I, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Belgian Croix de guerre, and leading Nos. 3 and 7 Squadrons...
(like Williams, a veteran of the Australian Flying Corps), the RAF's Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Charles Burnett
Charles Burnett (RAF officer)
Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Stuart Burnett KCB, CBE, DSO was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century. During the Second World War, he served as Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force.-Early life:Charles Burnett was born in Browns...
became CAS in February 1940. Burnett proved to be a controversial figure with his record being described as "uninspiring and undistinguished" by his detractors, and as "formidable" by his supporters. During his time as CAS Burnett's prime focus was EATS but he also founded the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve and by the Chief of the Air Staff who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service overseas. The WAAAF was the first and largest of the World War II...
(WAAAF) and RAAF health services, the latter having previously been provided by the Army.
The next CAS was a major surprise to the service and to the appointee himself. George Jones
George Jones (RAAF officer)
Air Marshal Sir George Jones KBE, CB, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He rose from private soldier in World War I to Air Marshal in 1948, and served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1942 to 1952, the longest continuous tenure of any RAAF chief...
was only a substantive Wing Commander and acting Air Commodore when he succeeded to the role in 1942, leapfrogging several more senior officers including the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal William Bostock
William Bostock
Air Vice Marshal William Dowling Bostock CB, DSO, OBE was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force. During World War II he led RAAF Command, the Air Force's main operational formation, with responsibility for the defence of Australia and air offensives against Japanese targets in the...
, a highly-regarded commander who was expecting to take the position. Bostock was soon made head of RAAF Command
RAAF Command
RAAF Command was the main operational arm of the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. The command was established in September 1942 and by April 1943 comprised 27 squadrons, including units from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as Australia...
, in charge of Australian air operations in the Pacific, while Jones' role was primarily administrative, to "raise, train and maintain" the service. Though Jones as CAS was nominally in charge of the RAAF, his new rank of Air Vice Marshal was the same as Bostock's and the command structure was not clear cut.
The situation led to a "disastrous" conflict at the top of the service, going far beyond the rivalry of Williams and Goble. Bostock was able to circumvent directives from Jones and the Air Board by appealing directly to Lieutenant General George Kenney
George Kenney
George Churchill Kenney was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II. He was commander of the Allied air forces in the Southwest Pacific Area from August 1942 until 1945.-Early life:...
, USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's chief of Pacific air operations. Jones in turn could curtail Bostock’s supplies of manpower and equipment, as he did during the invasion of Tarakan
Battle of Tarakan (1945)
The Battle of Tarakan was the first stage in the Borneo campaign of 1945. It began with an amphibious landing by Australian forces on 1 May, code-named Operation Oboe One...
in 1945 when he unilaterally grounded Australian bomber squadrons scheduled to take part in the attack. The Curtin
John Curtin
John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
Labor government
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
did not act decisively to end the rift, its reaction being to again look to Britain for a suitable RAF officer senior to both men, though in the end nothing came of this. Kenney wrote that Jones and Bostock "fight each other harder than the Japs", but that he preferred their feuding to having a British officer in charge of the RAAF.
1946–75: Consolidation
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
, on Jones’ condition that the Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding
Air Officer Commanding is a title given in the air forces of Commonwealth nations to an air officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, an air vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group...
all Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
air force units would be from the RAAF. The British Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
agreed and Air Vice Marshal Frederick Scherger
Frederick Scherger
Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rudolph William Scherger KBE, CB, DSO, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force...
took the post, regarded as a key stepping stone to his own eventual appointment as CAS. Jones also allocated 77 Squadron
No. 77 Squadron RAAF
No. 77 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron. The Squadron was formed in 1942 and currently operates F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from RAAF Base Williamtown.-History:...
to Allied forces when the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
broke out in 1950.
Jones' ten years as CAS was the longest continuous term of any RAAF chief. When he was retired in 1952, the Menzies Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
government again chose an RAF officer for the role, this time Air Marshal (later Air Chief Marshal) Sir James (Donald) Hardman
Donald Hardman
Air Chief Marshal Sir James Donald Innes Hardman GBE, KCB, DFC was a senior Royal Air Force commander. He began his flying career as a fighter pilot in World War I, achieving nine victories to become an ace. During World War II, Hardman held staff and operational posts...
. While the choice of a British officer caused resentment in the Air Force, Hardman was described by The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
newspaper as a "brilliant organiser", and changed the RAAF’s structure from one based on geographical area to one based on function, leading to the creation of Home (operational), Maintenance (support), and Training Commands.
Hardman was succeeded in 1954 by Air Marshal Sir John McCauley
John McCauley (RAAF officer)
Air Marshal Sir John Patrick Joseph McCauley, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1954 to 1957. A Duntroon graduate, McCauley spent four years in the Australian Military Forces before transferring to the RAAF in 1924...
, who expanded RAAF Darwin
RAAF Base Darwin
RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force base located in the city of Darwin, Northern Territory. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport.-History:...
as Australia's major frontline base. The concept of shifting the Air Force's 'centre of gravity' northwards was taken a step further by the next CAS, Air Marshal Sir Frederick Scherger, who proposed a series of 'bare bases
RAAF Bare Bases
The Royal Australian Air Force currently maintains three Bare Bases in remote areas of Northern Australia. These bases were developed in the 1980s and 1990s in line with the Defence of Australia Policy in order to enhance the RAAF's ability to conduct combat operations from the Australian mainland...
' across the north-west of Australia, beginning with the development of RAAF Tindal
RAAF Base Tindal
RAAF Base Tindal is a Royal Australian Air Force air base located near the town of Katherine in the Northern Territory. The base is currently home to No...
, south of Darwin (later to become a permanent base). Following his service as CAS, Scherger was appointed Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1961 to 1966, during which time he was promoted to Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal (Australia)
Air chief marshal is the highest active rank of the Royal Australian Air Force and was created as a direct equivalent of the British Royal Air Force rank of air chief marshal. It is also considered a four-star rank...
. He was the first RAAF officer to serve as Chairman of COSC, the Australian defence forces’ senior position at the time, after an Army member and a Navy member. Air Marshal Sir Valston Hancock
Valston Hancock
Air Marshal Sir Valston Eldridge Hancock, KBE, CB, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1961 to 1965. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Hancock transferred to the RAAF in 1929 and qualified as a pilot...
continued the policy of developing bare bases in Northern Australia, concentrating on RAAF Learmonth in Western Australia. He also recommended the General Dynamics F-111
General Dynamics F-111
The General Dynamics F-111 "Aardvark" was a medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft that also filled the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare in its various versions. Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics, it first entered service in 1967 with the...
as the aircraft best suited to replace the Canberra jet bomber
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
as Australia's prime aerial strike platform.
The next CAS, Air Marshal Sir Alister Murdoch
Alister Murdoch
Air Marshal Sir Alister Murray Murdoch KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1965 to 1969. Joining the Air Force in 1930, Murdoch trained as a seaplane pilot, and participated in an Antarctic rescue mission for lost explorers...
, began his term in 1966 and led the RAAF through the middle period of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. His initial refusal to commit newly purchased UH-1 Iroquois
UH-1 Iroquois
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet the United States Army's requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew...
helicopters to the conflict for support of land forces has been blamed for fostering long-running enmity between the Air Force and the Army. Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah
Colin Hannah
Air Marshal Sir Colin Thomas Hannah KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force and a Governor of Queensland. Born in Western Australia, he was a member of the Militia before joining the RAAF in 1935. After graduating as a pilot, Hannah served in Nos. 22 and...
commenced what was expected to be a three-year term as CAS in January 1970, but resigned early to become Governor of Queensland
Governors of Queensland
The Governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level....
in March 1972, the first time an RAAF officer was appointed to a vice regal
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
position. He was succeeded by his Deputy CAS, Air Marshal Sir Charles Read
Charles Read (RAAF officer)
Air Marshal Sir Charles Frederick Read KBE, CB, DFC, AFC is a retired senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1972 to 1975. Born in Sydney, Read joined the RAAF in 1937, and began his career flying biplane fighters. As a Beaufighter pilot, he...
, whose tenure coincided with the long-delayed entry into service of the F-111C supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
swing-wing bomber.
1976–present: A new role
Air Marshal Sir James RowlandJames Rowland (Australia)
Air Marshal Sir James Anthony Rowland, AC, KBE, DFC, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force, serving as Chief of the Air Staff from 1975 to 1979. He later held office as Governor of New South Wales from 1981 to 1989, and was Chancellor of the University of Sydney from 1990...
was the first CAS to personally command the RAAF in a legal sense, following dissolution of the Air Board in 1976, a consequence of defence reorganisation in the wake of the 'Tange report'
Arthur Tange
Sir Arthur Harold Tange AC, CBE was a prominent Australian senior public servant of the middle to late 20th century....
in 1973. A new Chief of the Air Staff Advisory Committee (CASAC) was set up, but there was no requirement for the CAS to accept its advice. At the same time, the stipulation for the appointee to be a member of the RAAF's General Duties (aircrew) Branch was removed. Rowland served from 1975 to 1979, going on to become Governor of New South Wales
Governors of New South Wales
The Governor of New South Wales is the state viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, as well as with the eleven other jurisdictions of Australia, and resides predominantly in her...
. His successor, Air Marshal (later Air Chief Marshal) Sir Neville McNamara
Neville McNamara
Air Chief Marshal Sir Neville Patrick McNamara KBE, AO, AFC, AE is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff , the RAAF's highest-ranking position, from 1979 until 1982, and as Chief of the Defence Force Staff , Australia's top military role...
would, from 1982 to 1984, be the first Air Force member to command all three services as Chief of the Defence Force Staff (CDFS), which had replaced the position of Chairman of COSC in 1976. Shortly after McNamara retired, CDFS was renamed Chief of the Defence Force (CDF).
Air Marshal David Evans
David Evans (RAAF officer)
Air Marshal Selwyn David Evans, AC, DSO, AFC is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force, and a writer and consultant on defence matters. He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1982 until 1985...
played a major part in developing the RAAF’s plans for the defence of Australia in the mid-1980s and beyond. The Air Force’s role in shaping an overall strategy that exploited the 'air-sea gap' was later acknowledged in the Federal Government paper "The Defence of Australia 1987". CAS from 1987 to 1992, Air Marshal Ray Funnell
Ray Funnell
Air Marshal Raymond George "Ray" Funnell AC is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force, serving as its Chief of the Air Staff from 1987 until 1992...
focused on turning the RAAF into the "air power element of a cohesive, integrated defence force". His service also saw the publication of The Air Power Manual, the RAAF’s first self-produced treatise on aerial war fighting.
During the 1980s and 90s, conduct of air operations became the responsibility of the Air Commander Australia, a two-star rank, answerable direct to CDF in these circumstances but subordinate administratively to CAS. The operational authority of CAS thus decreased, its role once more becoming primarily to 'raise, train and maintain' the Air Force. The relationship between the positions of CAS and Air Commander now resembled that between CAS and AOC RAAF Command during World War II. However the risk of another demarcation dispute such as arose between Jones and Bostock was mitigated by the overarching CDF role, which did not exist during the earlier conflict.
Air Marshal Les Fisher
Les Fisher
Air Marshal Leslie Bruce "Les" Fisher AO is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force, serving as its Chief from November 1994 until May 1998.-Service career:...
, who headed the RAAF from 1994 to 1998, served as the last CAS and the first Chief of Air Force (CAF), the change of name occurring in 1997. Fisher instituted a policy requiring staff to meet minimum physical fitness standards to remain in the service, for the first time in Air Force history. Air Marshal Errol McCormack
Errol McCormack
Air Marshal Errol John McCormack AO is a retired senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force. From May 1998 to June 2001, he was Chief of Air Force.-Service career:...
commanded the RAAF as it moved into the 21st century, addressing fundamental cultural questions such as the balance of change and tradition, and whether defence should be run like a business. Beginning in 2000, he reintroduced the distinctive dark blue uniform that had been chosen by Richard Williams in the 1920s but discarded in 1972 by then-CAS, Air Marshal Hannah, in favour of a more neutral blue suit. McCormack’s successor, Air Marshal Angus Houston
Angus Houston
Air Chief Marshal Allan Grant "Angus" Houston AC, AFC is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force and was the Chief of the Defence Force from 4 July 2005 until his retirement on 3 July 2011...
, became well-known to the public for contradicting the Federal Government’s version of events in relation to the Children Overboard Affair
Children overboard affair
The Children Overboard affair was an Australian political controversy involving public allegations by Howard government ministers in October 2001, in the lead-up to a federal election, that sea-faring asylum seekers had thrown children overboard in a presumed ploy to secure rescue and passage to...
. In 2005, Houston was promoted to Chief of the Defence Force, the third Air Force member out of 18 Chiefs of the Defence Force or equivalent, and the third to achieve the rank of Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
.
Appointees
The following lists all chiefs of the RAAF, ranks and honours as at completion of their tours.| Rank | Name | Post- Nominals | Service | Term began | Term ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief of the Air Staff | |||||
| Wing Commander Wing Commander (rank) Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries... |
Richard Williams | DSO, OBE | RAAF Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts... |
October 1922 | December 1922 |
| Wing Commander | Stanley Goble Stanley Goble Air Vice Marshal Stanley James Goble CBE, DSO, DSC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served three terms as Chief of the Air Staff, alternating with Wing Commander Richard Williams... |
CBE, DSO, DSC Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is... |
RAAF | December 1922 | February 1925 |
| Air Commodore Air Commodore Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... |
Richard Williams | CBE, DSO | RAAF | February 1925 | December 1932 |
| Air Commodore | Stanley Goble | CBE, DSO, DSC | RAAF | December 1932 | June 1934 |
| Air Vice Marshal | Richard Williams | CB, CBE, DSO | RAAF | June 1934 | February 1939 |
| Air Vice Marshal | Stanley Goble | CBE, DSO, DSC | RAAF | February 1939 | January 1940 |
| Air Commodore | William Anderson William Anderson (RAAF officer) Air Vice-Marshal William Hopton Anderson CBE, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He flew with the Australian Flying Corps in World War I, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Belgian Croix de guerre, and leading Nos. 3 and 7 Squadrons... |
CBE, DFC Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against... |
RAAF | January 1940 | February 1940 |
| Air Chief Marshal Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... |
Sir Charles Burnett Charles Burnett (RAF officer) Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Stuart Burnett KCB, CBE, DSO was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century. During the Second World War, he served as Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Australian Air Force.-Early life:Charles Burnett was born in Browns... |
KCB, CBE, DSO | RAF Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world... |
February 1940 | May 1942 |
| Air Marshal Air Marshal Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force... |
George Jones George Jones (RAAF officer) Air Marshal Sir George Jones KBE, CB, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He rose from private soldier in World War I to Air Marshal in 1948, and served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1942 to 1952, the longest continuous tenure of any RAAF chief... |
CB, CBE, DFC | RAAF | May 1942 | January 1952 |
| Air Marshal | Sir Donald Hardman Donald Hardman Air Chief Marshal Sir James Donald Innes Hardman GBE, KCB, DFC was a senior Royal Air Force commander. He began his flying career as a fighter pilot in World War I, achieving nine victories to become an ace. During World War II, Hardman held staff and operational posts... |
KCB, OBE, DFC | RAF | January 1952 | January 1954 |
| Air Marshal | Sir John McCauley John McCauley (RAAF officer) Air Marshal Sir John Patrick Joseph McCauley, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1954 to 1957. A Duntroon graduate, McCauley spent four years in the Australian Military Forces before transferring to the RAAF in 1924... |
KBE, CB | RAAF | January 1954 | March 1957 |
| Air Marshal | Sir Frederick Scherger Frederick Scherger Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rudolph William Scherger KBE, CB, DSO, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force... |
KBE, CB, DSO, AFC Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"... |
RAAF | March 1957 | May 1961 |
| Air Marshal | Sir Valston Hancock Valston Hancock Air Marshal Sir Valston Eldridge Hancock, KBE, CB, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1961 to 1965. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Hancock transferred to the RAAF in 1929 and qualified as a pilot... |
KBE, CB, DFC | RAAF | May 1961 | May 1965 |
| Air Marshal | Sir Alister Murdoch Alister Murdoch Air Marshal Sir Alister Murray Murdoch KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1965 to 1969. Joining the Air Force in 1930, Murdoch trained as a seaplane pilot, and participated in an Antarctic rescue mission for lost explorers... |
KBE, CB | RAAF | June 1965 | December 1969 |
| Air Marshal | Sir Colin Hannah Colin Hannah Air Marshal Sir Colin Thomas Hannah KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force and a Governor of Queensland. Born in Western Australia, he was a member of the Militia before joining the RAAF in 1935. After graduating as a pilot, Hannah served in Nos. 22 and... |
KBE, CB | RAAF | January 1970 | March 1972 |
| Air Marshal | Charles Read Charles Read (RAAF officer) Air Marshal Sir Charles Frederick Read KBE, CB, DFC, AFC is a retired senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1972 to 1975. Born in Sydney, Read joined the RAAF in 1937, and began his career flying biplane fighters. As a Beaufighter pilot, he... |
KBE, CB, DFC, AFC | RAAF | March 1972 | March 1975 |
| Air Marshal | Sir James Rowland | AC, KBE, DFC, AFC | RAAF | March 1975 | March 1979 |
| Air Marshal | Sir Neville McNamara Neville McNamara Air Chief Marshal Sir Neville Patrick McNamara KBE, AO, AFC, AE is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force . He served as Chief of the Air Staff , the RAAF's highest-ranking position, from 1979 until 1982, and as Chief of the Defence Force Staff , Australia's top military role... |
KBE, AO, AFC, AE Air Efficiency Award The Air Efficiency award, abbreviated to AE when placed after a holder's name, was a United Kingdom honour given for ten years' efficient service in the Reserve Air Forces of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Empire. Unlike other long service and meritorious conduct awards, both officers and... |
RAAF | March 1979 | April 1982 |
| Air Marshal | David Evans David Evans (RAAF officer) Air Marshal Selwyn David Evans, AC, DSO, AFC is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force, and a writer and consultant on defence matters. He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1982 until 1985... |
AC, DSO, AFC | RAAF | April 1982 | May 1985 |
| Air Marshal | John Newham John Newham Air Marshal John William "Jake" Newham AC is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force, serving as its Chief of the Air Staff from 1985 until 1987.-Early career:... |
AC | RAAF | May 1985 | July 1987 |
| Air Marshal | Ray Funnell Ray Funnell Air Marshal Raymond George "Ray" Funnell AC is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force, serving as its Chief of the Air Staff from 1987 until 1992... |
AC | RAAF | July 1987 | October 1992 |
| Air Marshal | Barry Gration Barry Gration Air Marshal Ian Barrington "Barry" Gration AO, AFC is a former senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, whose career culminated with his appointment as Chief of the Air Staff between 1992 and 1994.-Service career:... |
AO, AFC | RAAF | October 1992 | November 1994 |
| Air Marshal | Les Fisher Les Fisher Air Marshal Leslie Bruce "Les" Fisher AO is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force, serving as its Chief from November 1994 until May 1998.-Service career:... |
AO | RAAF | November 1994 | February 1997 |
| Chief of Air Force | |||||
| Air Marshal | Les Fisher | AO | RAAF | February 1997 | May 1998 |
| Air Marshal | Errol McCormack Errol McCormack Air Marshal Errol John McCormack AO is a retired senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force. From May 1998 to June 2001, he was Chief of Air Force.-Service career:... |
AO | RAAF | May 1998 | June 2001 |
| Air Marshal | Angus Houston Angus Houston Air Chief Marshal Allan Grant "Angus" Houston AC, AFC is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force and was the Chief of the Defence Force from 4 July 2005 until his retirement on 3 July 2011... |
AO, AFC | RAAF | June 2001 | July 2005 |
| Air Marshal | Geoff Shepherd Geoff Shepherd Air Marshal Geoffrey David Shepherd AO is a retired senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, serving as its Chief from 2005 until 2008.-Service history:... |
AO | RAAF | July 2005 | July 2008 |
| Air Marshal | Mark Binskin Mark Binskin Air Marshal Mark Donald Binskin AO is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, currently serving as Vice Chief of the Defence Force. He previously served as Chief of Air Force from 2008 until 2011.-Early life:... |
AO | RAAF | July 2008 | July 2011 |
| Air Marshal | Geoff Brown Geoff Brown (RAAF officer) Air Marshal Geoffrey Charles "Geoff" Brown AM is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force and the current Chief of Air Force.-Honours and Awards:-External links:*... |
AM | RAAF | July 2011 | Incumbent |
External links
- RAAF Official Site (2008). Royal Australian Air Force leaders: Former Chiefs of the Air Force