F e a t u r e s The Job of Air Officer
Commanding No 2 Group by Air Vice Marshal Steve Hillier
S
o, Dad, what do you, like, actually do?” asked my daughter as we sat at the dinner table one evening not so long ago. “Yeah, Dad” said my son, with that economy
of words for which 14 year old boys are well known. “Well, I command 2 Group” I replied, trying not to adopt that slight air of self-importance for which Air Officers are probably equally well known. “But what does command 2 Group, like, mean?” they replied. Tis was going to be more difficult than I thought. It took me back to when I took over 2 Group a year ago, when I had asked myself very much the same question, although being of an earlier generation, I tend to use the word ‘like’ less oſten.
It was easy enough for me to say what 2 Group is – nearly a third of the people in the RAF, 6 main bases and a good number of smaller units, 11 different aircraft types. It’s about capabilities ranging from Air Transport and Air-to-Air Refuelling, to Reconnaissance and Surveillance, Unmanned Air Vehicles, Force Protection, and Search and Rescue. A bit more of what the military grandly calls ‘mission analysis’ and everyone else calls ‘thinking’ led me to two important conclusions about 2 Group, which still stay with me today.
Firstly, the part 2 Group plays in operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world is immense and vital. Without the strategic
airbridge from the UK to Afghanistan, without the ability to protect the airfields we use, without tactical air transport to move rapidly around theatre, and without the ability to provide ‘eyes in the sky’, all operations on the ground would come to a halt within a matter of days.
What has often been looked on in the past as ‘supporting’ aircraft and capabilities are now right at the forefront of the operations we are in today – and despite nearly 20 years previously spent flying Tornado combat aircraft, I find that a surprisingly easy thing to say. The tempo of operations in 2 Gp, both on deployment, in support from the UK, and indeed in UK operations such as Search and Rescue, is very high, and has been at this level for a number of years, placing considerable strain on equipment and, far more importantly, people and families.
The second thing which strikes me about 2 Group is the degree of change which we are going through, greater I think than anywhere else in the RAF. New types of aircraft will replace a great proportion of the aircraft currently in service over the next few years, old aircraft are being retired, we plan to close a major base (RAF Lyneham) and co- locate all air transport at RAF Brize Norton, we will close RAF Uxbridge, RAF Northolt is being transformed, and new Force Protection units are being formed. And all this set against the backdrop of the wider changes which all of the RAF is experiencing.
So my task looks like ensuring that we are able to sustain our success on current operations, whilst also ensuring that we succeed in shaping our future in a period of intense change. But that still doesn’t really answer the question of what I am (like) supposed to do as the Air Officer Commanding.
6 Autumn 2009
The answer is actually quite straightforward – it’s about leading people. In particular, it’s about recognising that it is the people in the RAF that give us our strength as an organisation, and they need to be safeguarded, supported, developed and empowered. For me in practice, that means spending as few days as I can in my office at RAF High Wycombe, and as many days as possible out ‘on the ground’ (and in the air whenever I can manage it), meeting the Service and civilian people in 2 Group and their families, and getting a better understanding of what issues are affecting everyone at the moment. The professionalism and ‘can do’ attitude of people is obvious at every turn, and I am hugely impressed by their extraordinary performance as they are regularly called upon to ‘go the extra’ mile to support the high operational tempo.
But leadership is not just about directing and guiding what people in the Service do – it’s also about looking after welfare, which is just as much a part of good leadership. And just as we depend on the positive attitude of our people to support success, we depend on the support of the wider RAF family. I’ve spent enough time myself away on operations to know just how much the RAF depends on our families, and the strain on relationships and home life caused by often long periods of separation.
So, I’m committed to ensuring that from me down through the Station and Unit Commanders in 2 Group, we do as much as we can to ensure that everyone receives the support and care that they deserve. When Elaine and I visit the Stations in 2 Group, we see how welfare organisations work hand- in-hand with the uniformed personnel.
So, being Air Officer Commanding 2 Group is about being as good a leader as possible, which means looking after people and their families and providing them with the very best pastoral and welfare support. That’s a high bar to hurdle – I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how well I am doing during one of my frequent visits to Stations!
www.raf-ff.org.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48