AIRMSHL Mark Binskin AM, Chief of Air Force

01 December, 2008

Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Mark Binskin spoke at the final of the ‘Dinner with the Chiefs’ series jointly hosted by ASPI and Thales. AM Binskin said that the RAAF should ‘structure for the most dangerous and adapt for the most likely’ missions. He went on to detail the impressive statistics that the RAAF has accumulated in operations over the last few years in a variety of roles, including airlift, maritime patrol and air traffic control in Afghanistan. In a vigorous defence of the proposed Joint Strike fighter acquisition, he said that the RAAF would have the world’s best front-line aircraft, supported by the best airborne early warning and control aircraft and the best air-to-air refuellers. These capabilities would keep the RAAF in the forefront of the world’s air forces. But the RAAF was also facing a challenge over the next ten years as it transitioned essentially every major aircraft type in the fleet. AM Binskin said that the RAAF could meet the challenge with a modest growth of personnel and was on track to achieve its recruiting and retention goals.