Air Force
BACKGROUND TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AIR FORCE RESERVE
Air Force has had a long and continuous association with the Australian community. The Citizens Air Force (CAF), comprising the Active Citizen Air Force (ACAF) and the RAAF Reserve, was formed in 1925 essentially to contain costs and to make use of the large pool of WW I veteran airmen. These airmen subsequently provided a mobilisation base for WWII contributing one in six and one in 10 respectively of the 180,000 peak Air Force workforce.
Following WW II, CAF squadrons with experienced aircrew were equipped with Mustang aircraft and assigned an air defence role. However, in the early 60’s these squadrons lost their flying role and were given the title ‘Auxiliary’. This relatively unimportant role led to the CAF becoming an unexploited resource and it was not until the early 1980’s following a major RAAF organisation review that the Active, Specialist and the General Reserve replaced the CAF that the RAAF Reserve had potential to provide real capability. For the next 25 years, the bulk of the RAAF Reserve that provided an ad hoc support function resided in ‘City’ Reserve squadrons located across Australia.
The Defence Efficiency Review and the Defence Reform Program, implemented in 1997, reduced the size of the PAF with the intention of a corresponding increase in the Reserve Force. In 1998, CAF approved the War Establishment/Peacetime Establishment (WE/PE) concept, recognising that the PAF reduced to 13,000 members, could not meet concurrent or long duration contingency operations in a defence emergency. Workforce modelling undertaken at Air Force Headquarters (DGPP-AF) in 2001 determined that a ‘total force’ of 19,800 was required to meet Defence White Paper requirements. The additional workforce was to be largely provided by the Reserve.
In 1998, Combat Reserve Wing (CRESW) was formed from ‘City’ Reserve squadrons with the primary role to improve Reserve availability and capability, and to provide ready reservists to support the permanent force during contingencies. In 2003, CRESW began a study to identify Air Force Reserve capability requirements needed to enable Air Force to meet immediate and sustained contingency requirements that were beyond the permanent force’s capabilities. Based on a WE/PE ‘shadow’ posting concept, the Air Force Capability Committee in November 2003 endorsed the first study outcome that proposed an initial establishment of 3,249 Reserve positions within Air Command, noting that Training Command, Air Force Headquarters and non-Air Force organisations were yet to be considered. For various reasons the study did not progress, however, the work continued under the Reserve Restructure Project.
In 2005, CAFAC authorised the restructure of the Reserve based on readiness notice bands used by the ADF and directed the raising of a High Readiness Reserve (HRR) element that would provide a reliable short-notice voluntary Reserve capability in the event of a Defence emergency. Unlike the 2003 proposal to the AFCC, the CAFAC endorsed structure was for an integrated workforce model.
The Reserve Restructure Project revised previously obtained Reserve position data and identified a further 2800 positions, including a HRR component. The identification process was conducted as a consultative review with each organisation identifying its contingency Reserve workforce needs based on the capability required to augment the permanent force to defeat attacks against Australia while providing a peacetime benefit of supporting daily operations. A Reserve with the appropriate training and necessary funding would comprise about 39 per cent of Air Force’s warfighting capability. Reassuringly, the ‘total force’ identified closely equated the Air Force Headquarters workforce modelling predictions identified in 2001.
In December 2005, DCAF approved the restructure and establishment of Air Force Reserve positions, mostly in units in Air Command and in a number of tri-Service and non-Service organisations. CAF raised the HRR comprising the High Readiness Active Reserve (HRAR) and High Readiness Specialist Reserve (HRSR) on 1 January 2006 with the remaining banded Reserve positions being progressively created during the following three months. The Reserve was embedded in operational, enabling, training and higher headquarters, each with identified training pre-requisites and many having deployment requirements. CRESW was renamed Reserve Training Wing with the primary role of providing ab initio and initial employment training to the Reserve and having certain administrative responsibilities towards local and remotely located reservists.
During 2006 and 2007 reservists were posted from their ‘City’ squadrons to their WE positions. In 2009, the Directorate of Personnel Reserves – Air Force was amalgamated with Directorate of Personnel – Air Force and the responsibility for the management of Reserve Establishment was passed to Director Personnel Capability Management (DD WS-AF), completing the integration of the Reserve/Permanent workforce management function. DGRES-AF Branch which was established in 2002 was retained to provide a wide range of specialist advice to CAF and DCAF on Reserve utilisation and development capability matters. The 2005 Reserve Restructure was a milestone in Air Force workforce history. Not since the advent of WW II during which the distinction between the PAF, CAF and Reserve effectively ceased has there been an integrated Air Force workforce.
Air Force has had a long and continuous association with the Australian community. The Citizens Air Force (CAF), comprising the Active Citizen Air Force (ACAF) and the RAAF Reserve, was formed in 1925 essentially to contain costs and to make use of the large pool of WW I veteran airmen. These airmen subsequently provided a mobilisation base for WWII contributing one in six and one in 10 respectively of the 180,000 peak Air Force workforce.
Following WW II, CAF squadrons with experienced aircrew were equipped with Mustang aircraft and assigned an air defence role. However, in the early 60’s these squadrons lost their flying role and were given the title ‘Auxiliary’. This relatively unimportant role led to the CAF becoming an unexploited resource and it was not until the early 1980’s following a major RAAF organisation review that the Active, Specialist and the General Reserve replaced the CAF that the RAAF Reserve had potential to provide real capability. For the next 25 years, the bulk of the RAAF Reserve that provided an ad hoc support function resided in ‘City’ Reserve squadrons located across Australia.
The Defence Efficiency Review and the Defence Reform Program, implemented in 1997, reduced the size of the PAF with the intention of a corresponding increase in the Reserve Force. In 1998, CAF approved the War Establishment/Peacetime Establishment (WE/PE) concept, recognising that the PAF reduced to 13,000 members, could not meet concurrent or long duration contingency operations in a defence emergency. Workforce modelling undertaken at Air Force Headquarters (DGPP-AF) in 2001 determined that a ‘total force’ of 19,800 was required to meet Defence White Paper requirements. The additional workforce was to be largely provided by the Reserve.
In 1998, Combat Reserve Wing (CRESW) was formed from ‘City’ Reserve squadrons with the primary role to improve Reserve availability and capability, and to provide ready reservists to support the permanent force during contingencies. In 2003, CRESW began a study to identify Air Force Reserve capability requirements needed to enable Air Force to meet immediate and sustained contingency requirements that were beyond the permanent force’s capabilities. Based on a WE/PE ‘shadow’ posting concept, the Air Force Capability Committee in November 2003 endorsed the first study outcome that proposed an initial establishment of 3,249 Reserve positions within Air Command, noting that Training Command, Air Force Headquarters and non-Air Force organisations were yet to be considered. For various reasons the study did not progress, however, the work continued under the Reserve Restructure Project.
In 2005, CAFAC authorised the restructure of the Reserve based on readiness notice bands used by the ADF and directed the raising of a High Readiness Reserve (HRR) element that would provide a reliable short-notice voluntary Reserve capability in the event of a Defence emergency. Unlike the 2003 proposal to the AFCC, the CAFAC endorsed structure was for an integrated workforce model.
The Reserve Restructure Project revised previously obtained Reserve position data and identified a further 2800 positions, including a HRR component. The identification process was conducted as a consultative review with each organisation identifying its contingency Reserve workforce needs based on the capability required to augment the permanent force to defeat attacks against Australia while providing a peacetime benefit of supporting daily operations. A Reserve with the appropriate training and necessary funding would comprise about 39 per cent of Air Force’s warfighting capability. Reassuringly, the ‘total force’ identified closely equated the Air Force Headquarters workforce modelling predictions identified in 2001.
In December 2005, DCAF approved the restructure and establishment of Air Force Reserve positions, mostly in units in Air Command and in a number of tri-Service and non-Service organisations. CAF raised the HRR comprising the High Readiness Active Reserve (HRAR) and High Readiness Specialist Reserve (HRSR) on 1 January 2006 with the remaining banded Reserve positions being progressively created during the following three months. The Reserve was embedded in operational, enabling, training and higher headquarters, each with identified training pre-requisites and many having deployment requirements. CRESW was renamed Reserve Training Wing with the primary role of providing ab initio and initial employment training to the Reserve and having certain administrative responsibilities towards local and remotely located reservists.
During 2006 and 2007 reservists were posted from their ‘City’ squadrons to their WE positions. In 2009, the Directorate of Personnel Reserves – Air Force was amalgamated with Directorate of Personnel – Air Force and the responsibility for the management of Reserve Establishment was passed to Director Personnel Capability Management (DD WS-AF), completing the integration of the Reserve/Permanent workforce management function. DGRES-AF Branch which was established in 2002 was retained to provide a wide range of specialist advice to CAF and DCAF on Reserve utilisation and development capability matters. The 2005 Reserve Restructure was a milestone in Air Force workforce history. Not since the advent of WW II during which the distinction between the PAF, CAF and Reserve effectively ceased has there been an integrated Air Force workforce.
