The UK Ministry of Defence needs to do more to provide effective command and control services for joint operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to Royal Air Force chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy.
Referring to current operations in both combat theatres involving UK land forces and the RAF, Torpy says: "We are probably operating in a more highly integrated and joint manner than we've seen for generations." However, he adds: "It is far from perfect in some areas, and we need to focus our effort."
While advances have been made with regard to air/land integration and the availability of new targeting and reconnaissance pods, Torpy told the RUSI Air Power conference in London in early May: "We need better understanding from both components."
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The RAF chief (pictured above) identifies the provision of a common intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance picture across operating domains as a key future enhancement, with this to effectively fuse data acquired by multiple sensors. Another important requirement will be to improve the armed forces' ability to conduct joint training exercises "realistically and on a routine basis", he says.
Torpy believes the RAF and other partner air forces should also be more deeply involved in planning activities in support of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, with its headquarters component currently dominated by army personnel.
"At the moment we are delivering timely close air support, but are we genuinely delivering the full effect of air power? We must argue the case to use air power for maximum effect in the planning of the joint component: then we can genuinely deliver joint effect," he says.
Torpy also believes the MoD must maintain a "balanced force structure" across its three armed services if it is to retain the ability to respond to long-term operating demands. "How do we make sure we deliver success today, but don't jeopardise the future?"
At the same conference, RAF Air Marshal Chris Moran, NATO's deputy commander Allied Joint Force Command, called for greater efforts to be made to field ways of detecting improvised explosive devices from aircraft. "IEDs caused 78% of ISAF casualties in the first three months of this year," he revealed, adding: "Air power can do more to support in this area."
Source: Flight International
