21 ST CENTURY PARTNERSHIPS
THE PERSONNEL
AIR POWER 2017 125
Air Commodore Frank Clifford, the Royal Air Force’s Force Protection
Force Commander, and Justin Bronk from the Royal United Services
Institute (RUSI) reveal how threats to aircraft on the ground are becoming
ever more relevant to those tasked with Air Power force protection
RAF FORCE
PROTECTION
The RAF Regiment
was formed in 1942
to protect RAF
aircraft and airfields
(PHOTO: SAC PHIL DYE/
© CROWN COPYRIGHT)
A
s technology advances at an ever-
increasing rate, and with defence
inflation seeming to keep pace, most
modern air forces have become
reliant on a smaller number of air systems, each
of which possesses exquisite capabilities. How
the Royal Air Force (RAF) employs the next
generation of manned and remotely operated
platforms in a constantly evolving threat
environment will create a significant number of
challenges to all the supporting force enablers,
including the RAF’s Force Protection (FP) Force.
There is one constant that is, perhaps, even
more pertinent today than it has been for previous
generations. In 1921, the Italian air power prophet,
General Giulio Douhet, observed, “It is easier and
more effective to destroy the enemy’s aerial power by
destroying his nests and eggs on the ground than to
hunt his flying birds in the air.” With the advent of stealth
technology, beyond visual range engagement systems,
21 ST CENTURY PARTNERSHIPS
