By Robbin Laird

The shift from counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East to major power competition has fundamentally transformed how Western militaries must prepare for combat. This strategic pivot, which I explored in my 2021 book Training for the High-End Fight: The Strategic Shift of the 2020s, demands nothing less than a complete reimagining of how we train our fighting forces, particularly our combat pilots.

The challenge is clear: modern militaries must operate as full spectrum crisis management forces, capable of delivering precise combat effects while managing escalation against 21st century authoritarian powers. This isn’t simply about acquiring new equipment or updating doctrine. Rather, it requires a fundamental reset in combat approach that enhances our escalation management skills and protects liberal democracies in an increasingly contested global environment.

Following extensive interviews with officers at U.S. warfighting training centers, I documented how the services were reconceiving future combat operations. This research led to my 2022 collaboration with Ed Timperlake, A Maritime Kill Web Force in the Making: Deterrence and Warfighting in the 21st Century, which examined the operational evolution required for this new strategic context.

As Vice Admiral (Retired) Dewolfe Miller, former Navy Air Boss, noted about our work, “peer threats drive change and inspire clarity in how forces are manned, trained, and equipped. The future of combat hinges on bringing trusted and verifiable assets to the fight through enhanced connectivity, accelerated tactical decision-making, and common equipment that enables integration within single services, across services, and into allied forces.”

This evolution toward kill web operations, where multiple platforms share targeting data and coordinate effects across domains, raises a critical question: How do you train combat pilots to operate effectively in this interconnected, high-speed environment?

The answer requires moving beyond traditional individual pilot proficiency toward cultivating skills in networked operations, information sharing, and joint force coordination. Pilots must learn to operate not as lone warriors but as nodes in a distributed combat network, where speed of decision-making and quality of information sharing can prove as decisive as weapons employment.

This October, I had the opportunity to visit the Italian Air Force’s advanced fighter pilot training facility in Sardinia, where I observed firsthand how one of America’s key allies is addressing these challenges. The Italian approach offers valuable insights into preparing the next generation of combat aviators for kill web operations.

The facility’s training methodology reflects a sophisticated understanding of modern air combat requirements. Rather than focusing solely on individual aircraft handling and weapons delivery, the program emphasizes the cognitive and technical skills needed for networked operations. Trainees learn to process multiple information streams, coordinate with distributed forces, and make rapid decisions in contested electromagnetic environments.

What makes the Italian approach particularly noteworthy is its integration of fifth-generation aircraft concepts into the training pipeline. Having spent two decades studying fifth-generation aircraft and operations, I recognize how crucial it is to embed these operational concepts early in pilot development rather than treating them as advanced skills acquired later in a career.

The findings from my visit to Sardinia are shaping a series of articles on combat pilot training challenges and a forthcoming book that will detail the contours of effective training approaches for the kill web era. The Italian model demonstrates that allied forces are taking seriously the imperative to transform pilot training for great power competition.

The stakes could not be higher. As we face increasingly capable adversaries equipped with advanced integrated air defense systems, counter-space weapons, and their own networked forces, our ability to train pilots who can operate effectively in contested, degraded environments will prove essential to maintaining military advantage.

The transformation of combat pilot training isn’t merely a technical challenge. It’s a strategic necessity that will help determine whether democratic nations can successfully deter and, if necessary, prevail against authoritarian aggression in the decades ahead.

This podcast was produced by NotebookLM.

The quote from Captain McCoy now Admiral McCoy was made when was chief of staff of VADM Miller, the Navy Air Boss.

The report from the Sir Richard Williams Foundation seminar held on Septeber 18, 2025 reveals a stark transformation in defense thinking, moving from post-Cold War assumptions about gradual preparation to the urgent reality of immediate readiness. The central thesis challenges comfortable notions about warning time and mobilization, arguing that modern conflicts may be decided before traditional responses can be mounted.

The End of Strategic Patience

The seminar’s opening established that the “comfortable certainties of the post-Cold War era are dissolving.” This isn’t merely about shifting geopolitical alignments but represents a fundamental change in the speed and character of modern conflict. Where previous generations could assume sufficient warning time for diplomatic solutions and military preparation, today’s adversaries can achieve decisive advantages across multiple domains simultaneously before democratic societies complete their decision-making processes.

This reality demands what you term “strategic depth in time itself” – accelerating capability development now rather than waiting for crisis justification. The historical examples of Bill Knudsen’s successful U.S. industrial mobilization versus Essington Lewis’s frustrated Australian efforts highlight the critical difference between proactive preparation and reactive scrambling.

The Air Defense Reality Check

Professor Justin Bronk’s analysis provides sobering mathematics about contemporary air warfare. The unsustainable economics of intercepting $20,000 drones with $1.2-1.8 million missiles reveals how adversaries exploit cost-exchange ratios through mass production. Russia’s reduction of Shahed-136 drone costs from $200,000 to $7,000 demonstrates how quantity can overwhelm quality-focused defense systems.

Perhaps most alarming is Bronk’s assessment that Australia faces a 2-5 year preparation window rather than the commonly assumed 5-10 years. This compressed timeline stems from converging factors: American capabilities improving by 2030, Chinese recognition of temporary advantage windows, and current political dysfunction hampering allied decision-making.

The APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) emerges as a promising solution, breaking unsustainable cost curves at $20,000-35,000 per interceptor while providing genuine tactical capability against drone swarms.

The Invisible Battle: Non-Kinetic Effects

Thereport emphasizes that future conflicts will likely be decided by non-kinetic effects across space, cyber, and electromagnetic domains before kinetic operations begin. Lieutenant General Susan Coyle’s assertion that “the use of non-kinetic effects and our ability to defend against those effects prior to and during conflict will likely be the deciding factor” represents a fundamental shift in how military effectiveness is measured.

The challenge lies in synchronizing effects across domains operating on vastly different timelines. While electronic warfare can provide immediate effects, cyber operations require 18 months to three years for development and embedding. This temporal disconnect complicates integration and demands pre-positioning capabilities years in advance.

Industrial Base as Strategic Capability

The most uncomfortable insight concerns industrial mobilization. Air Vice Marshal Robert Denney’s declaration that “mobilization is not a switch you can flip when conflict begins. It’s a capability you build in advance” challenges decades of efficiency-focused procurement. Ukraine’s eight-year industrial transformation following Russia’s 2014 Crimea annexation demonstrates the lead time required for effective mobilization.

The Australian defense industry faces particular vulnerabilities through the “reservist dilemma” – Boeing Australia’s 900 active reservists represent 30% of their workforce, concentrated in critical maintenance and training roles. Activating these personnel would immediately collapse essential civilian defense support capabilities, creating impossible choices between military mobilization and industrial continuity.

Geographic Imperatives and Forward Defense

Australia’s unique geography presents both opportunities and constraints. Air Commodore Peter Robinson’s comparison of the 2,000-mile Perth-to-Cairns span equaling the entire NATO front line illustrates the tyranny of distance. Unlike Europe’s dense infrastructure and multiple allied nations, Australia faces vast oceanic distances requiring forward defense concepts where “killing the ship before it launches missiles” becomes preferable to intercepting missiles after launch.

This geographic reality demands extensive regional partnerships and the capability to operate from austere bases across the Indo-Pacific, as demonstrated by recent exercises bringing weapons to Southeast Asia for the first time in decades.

The Human Dimension as Ultimate Constraint

Throughout the seminar, the human element emerged as both greatest strength and critical vulnerability. The education gap regarding non-kinetic capabilities – with defense personnel admitting ignorance about space and cyber operations after decades of service – highlights systemic knowledge deficits that could prove catastrophic during crisis.

Industry faces parallel challenges with 30-35% of defense workers having less than 18 months experience, potentially rising to over 50% within the next year. This inexperience gap threatens operational continuity during normal operations and could prove devastating during crisis mobilization.

Technology Integration at Operational Speed

The Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft program exemplifies successful technology integration, potentially transforming Australia from “a tier one small air force into a tier one medium-sized air force” without depleting human resources. However, the report emphasizes that technological advancement alone cannot deliver readiness – the critical factor is integrating technology at the speed of operational relevance.

Deterrence Through Demonstrated Capability

Air Marshal Stephen Chappell’s redefinition of deterrence represents perhaps the most significant conceptual shift. Rather than relying on future capability promises, effective deterrence emerges from continuous demonstration of existing capabilities through complex, integrated exercises that showcase credible hard power to potential adversaries.

The Transformation Imperative

Military transformation in the digital age requires abandoning platform-centric thinking for threat-informed innovation. The Australian Army’s shift to “learn by doing” exercises, pairing soldiers directly with industry to solve mission problems, demonstrates how bottom-up innovation can accelerate adaptation cycles.

The report ultimately argues that the luxury of time no longer exists for democratic societies. The choice between preparation now or improvisation later carries consequences that could prove as tragic as those witnessed in previous conflicts where inadequate preparation led to avoidable losses. The seminar’s insights provide a roadmap for transformation, but only sustained commitment across government, industry, and society can implement the changes necessary for an uncertain strategic future.

Australia faces an extraordinary maritime security challenge that would overwhelm most nations. With 37,000 kilometers of coastline and an exclusive economic zone spanning 8.2 million square kilometers—larger than the continental United States—traditional defense approaches simply cannot provide adequate coverage. Under Rear Admiral Brett Sonter’s leadership, the Australian Maritime Border Command is pioneering a fundamentally different model that could reshape how militaries worldwide approach capability development.

The transformation began with what most organizations would consider a fatal setback. A previous six-month trial of uncrewed surface vessels had failed to meet expectations, producing results that would typically end further investment in the technology. Rather than abandoning the concept, Sonter recognized that the failure lay not in the technology itself, but in the traditional procurement approach that surrounded it. Lengthy requirement development processes and multi-year acquisition timelines couldn’t keep pace with rapidly evolving uncrewed systems technology.

When Sonter assumed command in January 2024, he initiated a radically different collaboration model. Instead of isolated requirement documents and formal specifications, operational commanders and industry engineers began working side by side. This direct engagement created the nuanced understanding that formal processes often miss—operators could see technical possibilities firsthand, while engineers understood real operational constraints and environmental challenges.

The results were dramatic. During a visit to Darwin, when the Australian company proudly demonstrated detection ranges of two to three nautical miles, Sonter deliberately set an ambitious target: 20 nautical miles. This wasn’t unrealistic pressure but strategic leadership, providing a “north star” that drove breakthrough innovation rather than incremental improvement. The company responded by fundamentally rethinking their approach to sensor integration, data processing, and platform design.

Central to this success is a conceptual shift from platforms to payloads. Traditional acquisition focuses on buying discrete pieces of equipment with defined specifications. Sonter’s approach focuses on the capabilities these platforms deliver—the sensors, data, and operational effects that actually matter for mission success. This payload-centric thinking enables greater flexibility, as different payloads can be optimized for different environments while remaining common across various platforms.

The approach has evolved into what Sonter calls “security clusters”—integrated teams combining uncrewed surface vessels, uncrewed aerial vehicles, and crewed platforms under hybrid command structures. These clusters leverage the unique strengths of each system type. Uncrewed vessels provide persistent surveillance with heavy sensor payloads. Aerial drones offer rapid response across large areas. Crewed platforms bring human judgment and legal authority for interdictions and boardings.

The economic implications extend beyond simple cost savings. By using uncrewed systems for routine surveillance, Australia reserves expensive crewed assets for situations genuinely requiring human intervention. This approach also delivers what Sonter calls “evidence-based operations”—crewed vessels now respond to violations armed with photographic evidence, sonar data, and detailed tracking information, improving prosecution success rates while reducing confrontational situations.

Perhaps most significantly, this model offers a template for regional maritime cooperation. Rather than each Pacific nation developing separate expensive solutions, countries could collaborate on payload development and data sharing while maintaining their preferred platforms. Sensor systems developed for Australia’s northern waters might be equally valuable to Indonesian, Philippine, or Japanese maritime forces, even deployed on completely different vessels.

The lessons extend far beyond maritime security. Direct engagement between operators and industry accelerates innovation dramatically. Ambitious stretch goals inspire breakthrough thinking. Focusing on effects rather than platforms enables flexibility. Starting with manageable experiments while thinking big reduces risk while building capability. Treating capability development as an ongoing conversation rather than a discrete procurement event enables continuous adaptation.

As nations worldwide grapple with expanding security challenges and constrained budgets, Australia’s approach demonstrates that innovative collaboration between military operators and industry can deliver capabilities that are both more effective and more affordable than traditional procurement models. The future of defense innovation may well be written in Australian waters, where breakthrough thinking about technology and collaboration is creating new possibilities for addressing seemingly impossible challenges.