RAAF Base Edinburgh is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located in Edinburgh approximately 28 km (17 mi) north of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia and forms part of the Edinburgh Defence Precinct.
The Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) is an organisation within the Australian Department of Defence, responsible for acquisition, supply chain management, and sustainment of military equipment and materiel including aircraft, ships, vehicles, electronic systems, weapons, ordnance, uniforms and rations for the Australian Defence Force. CASG employs more than 7000 military, civilian and contracted staff in more than 70 locations around Australia and internationally.
Force Element Groups (FEGs) are the operational capabilities of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as organised into component groups.
Capabilities are formed into Force Elements (FE), which in turn are aggregated into Force Element Groups (FEG). Each capability is assigned a level of operational readiness. The level of capability maintained by an FE or FEG should be consistent with its assigned readiness notice and depends on the availability of trained personnel, the availability of major platforms, combat systems and supplies, and the standard of collective training.
Air Vice-Marshal William Hopton Anderson, was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He flew with the Australian Flying Corps in World War I, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Belgian Croix de guerre for his combat service with No. 3 Squadron on the Western Front in 1917. The following year he took command of No. 7 (Training) Squadron and, later, No. 3 Squadron. Anderson led the Australian Air Corps during its brief existence in 1920–21, before joining the fledgling RAAF. The service's third most-senior officer, he primarily held posts on the Australian Air Board in the inter-war years. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1934, and promoted to air commodore in 1938.
Air Marshal Sir Valston Eldridge Hancock, was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1961 to 1965. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Hancock transferred from the Army to the RAAF in 1929 and qualified as a pilot. His administrative training at Duntroon saw him mainly occupy staff posts, including Deputy Director of Operations and Intelligence at RAAF Headquarters from 1931 to 1935, and Director of Works and Buildings from 1937 to 1939. During the early years of World War II, he commanded No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School, and held senior planning and administrative positions. He eventually saw combat in the Aitape–Wewak campaign of the Pacific War during 1945. Flying Bristol Beaufort light bombers, he led first No. 100 Squadron, and later No. 71 Wing. His actions earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Air Vice Marshal Alfred John Quaife, AM is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
The Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) is composed of the armed forces of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and the Australian Public Service government department, the Department of Defence which is composed of a range of civilian support organisations.
Air Vice Marshal Julie Hammer, is an Australian engineer and a retired senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). She was the first woman to be promoted to one-star rank, and also the first woman to be promoted to two-star rank, in the Australian Defence Force. She was also the first woman to command an operational unit in the RAAF.
The Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) is composed of the armed forces of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and the Australian Public Service government department, the Department of Defence which is composed of a range of civilian support organisations.
Air Marshal John William "Jake" Newham, AC was a senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1985 until 1987. Joining the RAAF in 1951, he flew Gloster Meteor jets with No. 77 Squadron in the Korean War in 1953, and subsequently de Havilland Vampires with No. 78 Wing on garrison duty in Malta. From 1958 to 1960, he served with No. 3 Squadron, operating CAC Sabres during the Malayan Emergency. He took charge of No. 3 Squadron in 1967, when it re-equipped with the Dassault Mirage III supersonic fighter. His commands in the early 1970s included the Aircraft Research and Development Unit, RAAF Base Laverton, and No. 82 Wing, the last-mentioned during its first years operating the long-delayed General Dynamics F-111C swing-wing bomber. He was appointed Deputy Chief of the Air Staff in March 1984, and CAS in May the following year. His tenure as CAS coincided with the release of the Dibb Report on Australia's defence capabilities, and the controversial transfer of the RAAF's battlefield helicopters to the Australian Army. Newham retired from the Air Force in July 1987 and became a company director.
Air Marshal Raymond George (Ray) Funnell, is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served as Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) from 1987 until 1992. A graduate of RAAF College, he began his career flying CAC Sabre jet fighters in Australia and South East Asia in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1972 to 1975 he commanded No. 6 Squadron, during which time the General Dynamics F-111C swing-wing bomber entered Australian service. He held senior staff posts in the early 1980s. In 1986, he was promoted to air marshal and became the inaugural Vice Chief of the Defence Force. Appointed CAS in July 1987, Funnell was closely involved in the development and dissemination of air power doctrine. He retired from the RAAF in October 1992 following his term as CAS, and was founding Principal of the Australian College of Defence and Strategic Studies from 1994 to 1998. Since then he has served on various Federal Government committees on immigration and detention.
Air Marshal Leslie Bruce "Les" Fisher AO is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), serving as its Chief from November 1994 until May 1998.
Air Marshal John Paul Harvey was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) until his retirement at the end of 2011. He held the position of Chief Capability Development Group from October 2010 until December 2011.
Air Vice Marshal Frank Headlam, was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born and educated in Tasmania, he joined the RAAF as an air cadet in January 1934. He specialised in flying instruction and navigation before the outbreak of World War II. In April 1941, he became commanding officer of No. 2 Squadron, which operated Lockheed Hudsons. The squadron was deployed to Dutch Timor in December, and saw action against Japanese forces in the South West Pacific. After returning to Australia in February 1942, Headlam held staff appointments and training commands, finishing the war a group captain.
Air Marshal Warren George McDonald, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He joined the RAAF as a 15-year-old apprentice and, in 1989, underwent pilot training. A series of squadron and staff postings in Australia, Canada and Malaysia followed, before he was appointed to command No. 11 Squadron (2007–09), No. 92 Wing (2009–11) and Air Mobility Group (2013–15). He was Deputy Chief of Air Force from July 2015 to May 2017 and the inaugural Chief of Joint Capabilities from July 2017 to November 2020.
Air Vice Marshal Stephen Leslie Meredith, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He joined the RAAF as a navigator in 1986. He has commanded No. 6 Squadron RAAF (2006–08), No. 42 Wing RAAF (2008–10), the Aerospace Operational Support Group RAAF (2014–16) and the Combined Air Operations Centre (2017), and has served on operations in the Gulf War, War in Afghanistan and in the International military intervention against ISIL. He served as Head Force Integration from 2017 to 2019, before being appointed Deputy Chief of Air Force from July 2019 to January 2023.
Air Marshal Stephen Gareth Chappell, is a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), currently serving as the Chief of Air Force. He joined the RAAF through the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1993 and gained his pilot's wings in 1998. He has deployed on Operations Falconer and Okra to Iraq, and has commanded No. 1 Squadron RAAF (2013–16) and No. 82 Wing RAAF (2018–20). He served as Head Military Strategic Commitments from July 2022 to June 2024, and was appointed Chief of Air Force on 3 July 2024.
The Chief of Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (CGWEO) is a three-star role within the Australian Defence Force (ADF), responsible for guided weapons and explosive ordnance used by the Australian Defence Force.
Air Vice-Marshal Vincent Joseph Iervasi, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He joined the RAAF in 1985 and gained his pilot's wings in 1989. He deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Operation Deny Flight in 1995, Qatar in support of Operation Slipper in 2014, and to Al Minhad Air Base in support of Operations Okra and Highroad in 2019. He commanded No. 3 Squadron RAAF (2005–08), No. 81 Wing RAAF (2011–12), the 609th Combined Air Operations Centre (2014) and the Air Warfare Centre (2017–18). He was Commander Joint Task Force 633 from January to June 2019 and served as Air Commander Australia from 2019 to 2022.
