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DSMay 2015-127043180**** LUNCHEON SEMINAR ****Friday, 12 June 2015at the Royal Canberra Golf Club, YarralumlaSpeaker: Mr Gary Quinlan(recently returned ambassador and permanent representative to the UN New York, and most recently member and president of the UN Security Council)“Was membership of the UN Security Council worth it?”( See separate Luncheon Notice & Registration Form )00**** LUNCHEON SEMINAR ****Friday, 12 June 2015at the Royal Canberra Golf Club, YarralumlaSpeaker: Mr Gary Quinlan(recently returned ambassador and permanent representative to the UN New York, and most recently member and president of the UN Security Council)“Was membership of the UN Security Council worth it?”( See separate Luncheon Notice & Registration Form )Newsletterof theRAAFSTAFF COLLEGEASSOCIATION IncGPO Box 1204 Canberra ACT 2601Patrons:ACM M.D. BINSKIN AC, CDFAIRMSHL G.C. BROWN AO, CAFPresident:AIRCDRE I.M. PEARSON, RAAFARVice-President:WGCDR P.C. MCMAHONSecretary:MR F.J. KELLY Ph: 0428 266 134Treasurer:MR D.I. WADEFrom the PresidentHonouring our commitment to provide stimulating luncheon seminars for our members and their guests, I am very pleased that our guest speaker on 12 June will be Mr Gary Quinlan. Recently returned from six years service at the United Nations New York, including two engagements as President of the UN Security Council, Gary will provoke us with the question – ‘Was membership of the UN Security Council worth it’?Closer to home, impending changes at the top in Air Force Headquarters and on Air Force units have been announced. On 3?July our co-patron and Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, AO will hand over to current Deputy Chief, Air-Vice Marshal Gavin ‘Leo’ Davies, AO, CSC who takes up the appointment as Chief of Air Force on 4 July on promotion to Air Marshal. On promotion to Air Vice-Marshal, Warren McDonald (currently Commander Air Mobility Group) will become the new Deputy Chief of Air Force. Upcoming wing commander and group captain command appointments are listed on the News page of our website.Whether it has been on the seemingly never-ending task of humanitarian support, (most recently Operation Nepal Assist and prior to that, Operation Pacific Assist 2015 in Vanuatu), or on Op Okra in the Middle East Region (where RAAF Super Hornets have recently handed over to ‘Classic’ Hornets), and elsewhere, our Air Force remains operationally busy. The C-17A Globemaster’s vast capacity and its ability to rapidly respond to distant theatres has been recognised by the forthcoming addition of two more aircraft, bringing 36 Squadron’s C-17A fleet to eight aircraft. As Prime Minister Abbott recently observed, “Anywhere in the world where there’s an airstrip capable of handling these aircraft, we can get to in about 24 hours, thanks to these planes and the refuelling capability that the KC-30A gives us.”In other capability upgrade news, preparations continue for the mid-year arrival of the first of 35 Squadron’s C-27J Spartans; SQNLDR Andrew Jackson has become the first RAAF pilot to qualify on the F35A; and a team of seven RAAF aircrew is currently training on the P-8A Poseidon at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, in Florida.The landscape on RAAF bases, already very different on some locations to what RAAFSCA members will recall, is set to change further with major building programs about to get underway in support of Air Force’s growing capabilities. Meanwhile, ‘across the tarmac’ at RAAF Townsville, Army is also seeing significant increases to its aviation capabilities. This week Defence Minister Kevin Andrews commissioned into service the first two of seven CH-47F Chinooks. That significantly enhanced rotary medium lift capability, which will achieve interim operational capability with Army’s 5 Aviation Regiment by the end of this year, adds to the MRH-90 capability introduced to Army Aviation last year.Finally, a few words about the recently released report on the First Principles Review of Defence. The Ministerial announcement, and the Report itself are both on the RAAFSCA website. The Report’s foreword describes the combined effect of the Review’s recommendations as:‘a more unified and integrated organisation that is more consistently linked to its strategy and clearly led by its centre’, and termed the One Defence approach with the following four key features:‘A stronger and more strategic centre able to provide clear direction, contestability of decision-making, along with enhanced organisational control of resources and monitoring of organisational performance’; ‘An end-to-end approach for capability development with Capability Managers having clear authority and accountability as sponsors for the delivery of capability outcomes to time and budget, supported by an integrated capability delivery function and subject to stronger direction setting and contestability from the centre’; ‘Enablers that are integrated and customer-centric with greater use of cross-functional processes, particularly in regional locations’; and ‘A planned and professional workforce with a strong performance management culture at its core’. RAAFSCA members will have seen many other reviews and associated reports during their Defence service and in the years since. Will First Principles succeed where other reviews have not? Judge for yourself as updates are added to the News page on our website.As always, I look forward to seeing you at lunch on 12 June. As good as our speakers have been in the past, having a former President of the UN Security Council is a first for our Association. I know we will be informed and expect that we will be provoked by Gary’s presentation, accompanied of course by the pleasant camaraderie of fellow members and our guests.Regards,Ian PearsonPhone: 02 6273 1630Mobile: 0407 561 080 ................
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