AD ASTRA – PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
The Astra initiative – in the information age Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Strategy), Air Vice-Marshal Ian Gale, reveals how the Astra initiative will turbocharge change in the Royal Air Force to ensure that it retains its winning edge throughout its second century
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The Astra initiative will offer a more flexible worklife balance and enhanced career opportunities in the space, software-coding and Information Advantage fields (PHOTO: SSTL)
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he requirement for change has always been clear; even before a global crisis that has touched us all. Technology, the nature of our work and complex geopolitics have all driven this necessity for change. We need to evolve to survive, flourish and win. So, I’ll not dwell on the ‘why’, but rather the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ change will occur. For the RAF, this is outlined in ‘Astra’, the transformational initiative to deliver the #NextGenRAF. Astra has quickly become the touchstone for deep and fundamental change, with a network of over 300 ambassadors on stations and units both taking the message out to our people on their own terms, and harvesting great ideas to incrementally improve the Service. The key is letting innovation run its course
AIR & SPACE POWER 2020
and stepping in only to help remove obstacles or to help scale ideas that could work everywhere. This isn’t a free ride though – the internal mechanisms of large-scale institutions are often resistant to change and, therefore, our challenge is significant. Most large organisations are ‘spring-loaded to zero’ and we all have to work hard, from the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) to the latest Halton entrant, to keep cynicism in check, believe in change and then make it happen. Innovation is never straightforward, but, for those willing to persevere and be the leading edge of next-generation working practices, policies and tech, the reward will be a place in changing our Service forever.
Information Advantage for the Next Generation Air Force