Does Australia need a large airforce?

The recent Australian Defence White Paper outlined a requirement to keep future combat aircraft numbers at current levels (c.100 fast jets). But does the country really need that many combat aircraft?

Firstly the RAAF cannot find enough pilots to fly all their aircraft so whats the point of maintaining aircraft numbers. Currently the RAAF has only about 50 qualified aircrews to fly about 106 F-111’s and F/A-18’s. Even taking into account maintenance, flying test beds, spares etc the RAAF is still seriously under crewed.

Secondly there is no visible threat to Australian sovereignty. Indonesia poses no threat and its plans of expanding its airforce to 64 F-16’s and 80 Hawks have gone down the toilet along with the economic and political meltdown. The rest of South East Asia are considered allies or are incapable of launching any major invasions of neighbouring countries (e.g. Vietnam).

In any confrontation involving Taiwan, the Spratleys, the Korean Peninsula or the Indian subcontinent Australia will play only a small military role or no role at all as in the case of India and Pakistan. In any of these possible scenarios it would be wise for Australia to stay out of, unless the Government wants ballistic missiles raining on Parliament House.

The so called arc of instabilility is seriously overplayed by DoD officials. Apart from East Timor, Australia has been unwilling to participate militarily except as unarmed peace observers. And even if Australia did intervene in a future conflict such as thwarting a coup in Fiji or a civil war in Bouganville or the Solomons, it is hard to beleive that the DoD will be sending F-111’s and F/A-18’s to obliterate militias armed with home made weapons.

Any future conflicts Australia is involved in would most likely be small scale counter insurgencies in which the most effective aerial weapons would be helicopter gunships, not $60 million dollar jet fighters. But the Government’s commitment to acquiring armed helos is shakey, while jet fighters remain a high priority.

Australia should reduce its fighter fleets to about 60 to 75 fighter aircraft with air to air and air to ship capabilities and concentrate its capabilities on better counter insurgency and peace keeping abilities.