ARLINGTON, VA | September 9, 2021
On September 9, the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies hosted aerospace power discussions with Air Marshall Mel Hupfeld, Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force. Also participating in the high-level exchange was Warrant Officer Fee Grasby, Warrant Officer of the Royal Australian Air Force.
The partnership between the U.S. and Australian air forces spans the early days of airpower through world wars, far-ranging regional conflicts, and humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Air Marshall Hupfeld noted, in this centenary year of the birth of the RAAF, that the close relationship of the two air forces remains the foundation for developing air and space capabilities essential to preserving freedom and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific and other regions.
The RAAF leaders discussed the nature of deterrence in a rapidly changing threat environment, as well as the need to accelerate the fielding of new capabilities and operating concepts that maximize the effectiveness of allied air forces. Hupfeld also explained the importance of inculcating strategic vision throughout the Royal Australian Air Force to enable innovation.
The Mitchell Institute’s Director of Research Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.), shared, “Today, the Australian Air Force is at the leading edge of thinking and innovation. The Mitchell Institute looks forward to continuing a close relationship with the RAAF in the interest of advancing our nations’ mutual security interests through the use of air and space power.”