Professional Mastery in the Joint Environment: Air Force and joint professional military education

摘要

Australia faces, so the 2009 Defence White Paper suggests, a time of strategic uncertainty. A time in which, the authors argue, it is necessary 'to strengthen the foundations of Australia's defence'.1 While the White Paper goes on in large part to describe the capability priorities for the future force, it says very little, beyond the cliche, regarding the development of the human dimension of Australian defence. But the apparent lack of attention to Defence personnel in this document belies the significant progress the individual Services, and Defence as a whole, have made in recent years in recognising the need for a more professional and educated force.