Editorial

2018 was another eventful year for the JAPCC and I am very proud to be the new Assistant Director of NATO’s catalyst for the improvement and transformation of Joint Air & Space Power. On 15 August 2018 I took over the responsibilities of the AD from my predecessor Air Commodore Madeleine Spit, who very capably ran the JAPCC for four years. I hope to emulate her energy and success and we all wish her the best in her new assignment. Our annual JAPCC conference, which took place on 9 –11 October in Essen, was the first major task I encountered in my new position. With the outstanding support of my JAPCC staff and the very enlightening contributions of our panellists and our distinguished guests we accomplished a very successful conference and were able to examine ‘The Fog of Day Zero’.

I am excited to present you with issue 27 of the JAPCC Journal of Air and Space Power, the first issue I have had an opportunity to contribute to as editor. It is my great pleasure to open Issue 27 with an interview of the Air Chief of the Czech Republic, Major General Petr Hromek, who provides us a with a very informative and sincere view of the challenges his Air Force is currently encountering and the ambitious goals they want to fulfil in the future. Our cover attests to the main focus of this edition, with articles on ‘Space Resilience’ and ‘Responsive Launch of ISR Satellites’ covering a wide field of future space challenges. ‘Will the Aircraft Carrier Survive?’ takes a critical look into the future of fixed-wing aircraft carriers and ‘Aerial Tanking 2035’ provides a conceptual look into the future of Air-to-Air Refuelling. ‘Challenges of Future SEAD Operations’ and ‘Electronic Warfare – The Forgotten Discipline’ inspire renewed thought about a capability, EW, that has long been taken for granted and neglected, but now needs to be substantially revitalized. ‘Autonomous Weapon Systems in International Humanitarian Law’ provides thrilling thoughts on the challenges and conflicts of these unmanned systems.

The Journal then moves on to different View Points. A review of ‘100 years Royal Air Force’ outlines the value added by the RAF to current Air Power Strategies and the article ‘Light Attack Aircraft’ takes a view on a more budget-friendly way of projecting Air Power. ‘Rotary Wing Unmanned Aerial Systems’ emphasizes the usage of UAS in maritime operations; and last, but not least, ‘The Future Role of Artificial Intelligence’ examines a number of important considerations in this critical and rapidly developing capability.

Thank you for taking the time to read this edition of our Journal, and thanks to our authors for their contributions. I hope you find this offering as informative and thought-provoking as I did, and we at the JAPCC greatly appreciate any feedback and thoughts you may wish to share. Please visit our website at www.japcc.org, like us on LinkedIn or Facebook, or follow us on Twitter or send us an e-mail to contact[at]japcc[dot]org to give us your opinion.

Ciao and good reading!

Giuseppe Sgamba
Brigadier General, IT AF
Assistant Director, JAPCC