The ADF is focused on building a fifth generation defense force.

Working the kill web is a key element of the con-ops which will define the force.

New acquisitions are being looked at from that perspective, with the F-35 being the core  transformational building block.

In a recent article by Australian Defence Business Review published on March 18, 2019, a new capability piece was discussed, namely the MC-55A EW aircraft.

One of the ADF’s worst kept acquisition secrets has been confirmed by the Government, with the formal announcement of the acquisition of four Gulfstream/L3 MC-55A Peregrine electronic warfare support aircraft for the RAAF under Project AIR 555.

Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and Minister for Defence Industry Linda Reynolds announced the acquisition of the aircraft, which are based on the Gulfstream G550 business jet, in a March 18 joint statement. They confirmed the aircraft will be based at RAAF Edinburgh near Adelaide alongside P-8A Poseidon, MQ-4C Triton and MQ-9 Predator/Reaper intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems. 

“The Peregrine is a new airborne electronic warfare capability that will be integrated into Defence’s joint warfighting networks, providing a critical link between platforms, including the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, E-7A Wedgetail, EA-18G Growler, Navy’s surface combatants and amphibious assault ships and ground assets to support the warfighter,” Minister Pyne said in a statement.

“This capability and the people who operate it will bring Air Force a step closer to becoming a fully networked fifth-generation force and further exploit the joint combat multiplier effects on exercises and operations,” Minister Pyne said.

Although the aircraft will be operated by the RAAF’s Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group (SRG), it is not clear whether they will be integrated with an existing squadron or if a new operational squadron will be created. The release also made no mention of when the aircraft would enter service or achieve an operational capability.

The requirement for the aircraft was first realised under the former Project DEF 555 which has since been split into discrete LAND, SEA and AIR projects. The requirement was outlined in the 2016 Defence White Paper which said, “The Government will strengthen electronic warfare support to naval, air and land forces for operations in hostile electromagnetic environments including through the introduction of new long-range electronic warfare support aircraft based on a long-range commercial business jet in the early 2020s.”

Those who attended the March 2016 RAAF Airpower Conference will recall then Defence Minister Marise Payne highlighting the G550s in her keynote speech and even using the MC-55 designation for the first time, reportedly much to the consternation of senior Defence officials, although any record of that reference does not appear in the official transcript of her speech.

In June 2017 a US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announcement revealed the US State Department had approved the sale of the aircraft and their systems. The DSCA notification said Australia had “requested the possible sale of up to five Gulfstream G550 aircraft modified to integrate Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Electronic Warfare (AISREW) mission systems.”

The MC-55A program has been managed through the US Air Force’s 645th Aeronautical Systems Group (ASG), otherwise known as ‘Big Safari’, an organisation that specialises in the acquisition, modification, and support of special purpose aircraft.

“The proposed sale supports and complements the ongoing efforts of Australia to modernise its electronic warfare capability, and increases interoperability between the US Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force,” the DSCA stated.

The Peregrine name continues the RAAF’s recent pattern of naming ISR platforms after birds of prey, with Projects Nankeen and Aquila both being project names for systems operated in Afghanistan, and of course Wedgetail being the name for Project AIR 5077 which resulted in the Boeing E-7A AEW&C.

The G550s will be modified by L3 at the company’s Greenville Texas facility. 

A Bomber Task Force deployment of B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, Airmen and support equipment from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, have arrived in the U.S. European Command area of operations for a deployment to conduct theater integration and flying training.

The aircraft will operate out of RAF Fairford, England. The deployment of strategic bombers to the U.K. helps exercise RAF Fairford as United States Air Forces in Europe’s forward operating location for bombers.

The deployment also includes joint and allied training in the U.S. European Command theater to improve bomber interoperability. Training with joint partners, allied nations and other U.S. Air Force units contributes to our ready and postured forces and enables us to build enduring and strategic relationships necessary to confront a broad range of global challenges.

Bombers are a key part of the US and NATO capability to provide for both conventional and nuclear deterrence.

In a recent discussion with Paul Bracken, we discussed ways in which NATO might effectively respond to the direct challenge which Putin is posing concerning nuclear deterrence.

There are a number of ways in which the US and NATO might shape a way ahead with regard to nuclear deterrence.

The first alternative would be that the US could leverage the current bomber force and perhaps ramp up the new bomber and build out the longer range strike weapons on them, some nuclear but most with conventional warheads.  This force could then operate from outside of Europe but affect the battlespace within Europe.

The new bomber given the systems onboard the aircraft and its capacity to be highly integrated with the F-35 provides a wide range of contingencies in which the bomber strike force could be used to strike at key Russian choke points or axis of attack on key allies, notably the new European ones.

This would be especially important if Germany does not accelerate its ability to provide for credible conventional defense in depth.

The second would be to reorganize, restructure and build a new capability for shorter-range battlefield nuclear weapons.  This would be a limited arsenal and designed largely to be able to underscore to the Russians that lowering the nuclear threshold which is their current approach makes no sense, because we have a range of options to deny them any combat or political value from a limited nuclear strike in Europe.

The key change agent here is the nuclear equipped F-35, which can operate with its nuclear weapon inside of the airplane and with decent range to strike inside Russia to affect military capabilities of the Russian forces themselves.

Legacy aircraft are much less useful because of their vulnerability in contested airspace whereby the Russians are combining defensive and offensive means for a nuclear tipped tactical aircraft to get through.

This option becomes real again with the F-35 and with the various F-35 users in Europe who could continue in the current nuclear sharing arrangements.

The third is to rebuild the maritime strike force to have lower yield nuclear weapons, again useful in limited contingencies to deny the plausibility for the Russians pursuing a low yield nuclear strike designed to have political effect.

The fourth option is simply to rely on the strategic triad and to do flexible targeting to achieve the deterrent effect; the difficulty with this option is that the use of the strategic triad is part of a much larger piece of deterrence, mutually assured destruction, and may be the equivalent of using a hammer to open an egg.

With the patchwork quilt which NATO Europe is becoming and with the cross-cutting support the authoritarian powers are providing to one another, and with US uncertainties, it is not difficult to envisage a wide variety of crisis scenarios which would rapidly involve the question of how, when and for what purpose the Russians would threaten or use limited nuclear attacks.

Paul Bracken underscored: “If a major country like Germany believed that they have only two choices, nuclear war or capitulation, that is not a choice that is really beneficial for the US or the rest of Europe.

“In Germany, the diplomatic and military issues are so out of sync that we could get into all sorts of crazy scenarios in a crisis which no one has really thought about.

“We need to start doing so.”

In short, for the Russians, limited nuclear use can be considered a key part of any crisis management strategy in Europe and is part of a leveraging strategy to further goals of accelerating the disaggregation of Europe.

In looking at a variety of crisis management strategies for the US and its allies, there is a clear need to avoid the fallacy of nuclear denial and to focus clearly on the role of nuclear deterrence from the NATO side with regard to the return of direct defense in Europe.

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dylan Mckay, USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) Public Affairs

MANILA, Philippines (NNS) — U.S. 7th Fleet Flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and embarked 7th Fleet staff arrived in Manila, Mar. 13, for the ship’s first port visit to the Philippines in three years. 

The Blue Ridge and 7th Fleet team undertook a cooperative deployment with Philippine Navy (PN) BRP Davao Del Sur LD602 shortly before arriving in Manila to reaffirm longstanding ties with PN counterparts. 

This port visit offers opportunities to reconnect after a few years away and staff talks aboard Blue Ridge will provide a venue for professional exchanges with PN counterparts. The crew will continue the tradition of community service events and cultural exchange ashore, including multiple 7th Fleet band engagements and community relations events.

“Our nations are longstanding allies and our navies have worked together for generations,” said Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. “Our visit to Manila strengthens the bonds between our navies and our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Blue Ridge commanding officer, Capt. Eric Anduze, will meet with PN officials and distinguished visitors for a tour of the flagship to explain the ship’s mission and goals.

“We are very proud to be back in Manila after a long absence,” Anduze said. “The Philippines has been an ally of our country for many years, and being able to show our appreciation for that friendship is something we always look forward to continuing to foster and maintain our deep relationships here are paramount to what we do in 7th Fleet.”

During the visit, 7th Fleet and Blue Ridge Sailors will spend time playing a friendly basketball game with a local college, and reading to children in local neighborhoods around Manila.

Chief Religious Program Specialist Ana Douglas is leading these events for more than 30 Sailors from the 7th Fleet-Blue Ridge team.

“It is always a great opportunity to participate in community events with children in other nations,” said Douglas. “It gives our Sailors a unique chance to experience cultures outside of what we see in our homeport. I always leave events like these with a smile on my face.”

Many Filipino-American Sailors will also have the chance to reconnect with their heritage during the port visit. One such Sailor, Seaman Charmaine Dalusung, will see the country she was born in for the first time since she was a child.

“I am very excited to come back to my first home,” said Dalusung. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen the friends and family I grew up with, so I’m extremely grateful to the Navy for giving me the opportunity to reconnect with my roots and culture.” 

Blue Ridge recently completed a nearly 2-year extended dry-dock selected restricted availability period and numerous certifications, to ensure she remains ready to provide security in the Indo-Pacific region. Blue Ridge is commanded by Capt. Eric Anduze and serves under Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7/Task Force 76, the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious force.