Air and Space Power in Counter-Piracy Operations

NATO has been contributing military forces, mostly warships, to the Counter-Piracy (CP) mission off the Horn of Africa (HoA) since October 2008. Commanders at sea have made several strong appeals for more Air and Space (A&S) assets, namely, Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), Airborne Warning and Command ­System (AWACS) and UAS Systems stating that A&S assets are required to ensure rapid reaction capa­bi­lities and to enhance situational awareness. A limited number of assets have been operating under the ­European Union (EU) Flag (Operation ATALANTA), and the ­US-led Combined Maritime Force (CMF).

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To overcome current limitations of Unmanned Aircraft ­Systems (UAS), more and more automatic functions have been and will be implemented in current and future UAS systems. In the civil arena, the use of highly automated robotic systems is ­already quite common, e.g. in the manufacturing sector. But what is commonly accepted in the civilian community may be a significant challenge when applied to military weapon systems.

Journal 16

We begin this edition with an interview with Brigadier General Jiří Verner, Chief of the Czech Air Force; whom we are indebted to for providing a privileged insight into developments within the Czech Air Force whilst also stressing the exceptional importance of Air Forces in military operations. Later we take a look at the Czech approach to maintaining a viable Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) capability through modernisation and the possibilities of cooperation with neighbouring nations as a ‘Smart Defence’ opportunity.

Enhancing NATO’s Operational Helicopter Capability

The aim of this document is to determine helicopter shortcomings in international standardisation, doctrine, and Education and Training (E&T) within the NATO environment; especially in Joint and Combined operations. This project will also provide recommendations ­ to enhance future NATO ­ helicopter capabilities in land operations. This will also detail the current complexities of stand-alone national ­doctrines and national Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTP’s). Finally, the study proposes enhancements necessary for a more collaborative approach.

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“Leadership is action, not position.“ When dealing with the word, term, perception or idea of ‘competence’, a cardinal pro­blem and inevitable debate enter the stage: “What precisely is competence?” “What do you understand by competence?”

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s the current conflict in Afghanistan has evolved over the past decade, so has the joint application of firepower and asso­ciated weapons systems. Today, at the heart of Joint Fires, hundreds of Forward Air Controllers / Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (FAC / JTACs) are supporting land commanders and troops across the ISAF theatre of operations with their air, Joint Fires and CAS expertise. Joint Fires Observers (JFOs), also supporting the fight in Afghanistan, are considered to be a significant force multiplier and of great value to the coalition in the Joint Fires community.

Filling the Vacuum – A Framework for a NATO Space Policy

The JAPCC intends with this document not to write a broad NATO policy, but to help readers understand the oper­ational impact of realistic and achievable specifically targeted policy prescriptions. The following proposal is intentionally narrow in scope and concentrated on the employment, coordination and defence of space capabilities used to support NATO oper­ations and core business.

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NATO depends greatly on space capabilities to achieve its poli­tical aims. While the Alliance has yet to fully come to grips with the implications of its reliance on space capabilities, there are signs pointing to improved orchestration, defence and employment of NATO space capabilities. The most important of these could be efforts to formalise the NATO Space Integrated Project Team (IPT) led by Allied Command Transformation.

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A task force of nine NATO nations and Australia (BLUE) battled a combination of terrorists, pirates and affiliated third parties (RED) during the world’s premier space and cyberspace wargame conducted by U.S. Air Force Space Command and hosted by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center. Set in 2023, Schriever Wargame 2012 International (SW 12 International) offered NATO an unprecedented opportunity to explore combined space operations within a NATO construct.

Journal 15

In this edition of the Journal we offer our analysis of counter-piracy operations and provide you with an update to this delicate issue. Our Maritime Air expert will present the key results of an experiment conducted in gaining insights into potential commitment levels of A&S ISR platforms in the Region off the Horn of Africa.