Air Force wants to expand enlisted airmen exchanges with Australia

The Air Force wants to expand its international exchange program for enlisted airmen to improve cooperation between allies in case of a major war in the Pacific.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flosi said at the Senior Enlisted Leader International Summit in Washington that the expanded international exchange for enlisted airmen would start with nations in the “Five Eyes” alliance with the United States — Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

And work is already under way to expand the U.S.’ partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force, Flosi said.

Flosi and his Australian counterpart, Warrant Officer of the Air Force Ralph Clifton, have “been working already on a plan inside the Royal Australian Air Force to find opportunities for us to not only learn from each other, but to become interchangeable,” Flosi said. “We’re looking to expand that rapidly.”

Details regarding how such international enlisted exchanges will work are still being sorted, and an implementation timeline has not yet been set, Flosi’s office said.

The Air Force and other U.S. services in recent years have been shifting focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a potential war in the Pacific, which is requiring the military to dramatically rethink how it fights.

In the Middle East, the Air Force operated in relatively uncontested environments, Flosi said, with comfortable runways, assured supply chains, robust communications networks and complete air superiority.

“In that environment, we could roll in deep,” Flosi said. “That environment does not exist in the Indo-Pacific theater. All of those capabilities are contested.”

The U.S. is working to expand partnerships with allied nations — such as the trilateral AUKUS alliance with Australia and the U.K. — to prepare for a conflict if China attempts to reunify with Taiwan by force.

The enlisted international partnership plan is not an AUKUS effort, but it is similarly intended to strengthen cooperation between the nations’ militaries before a conflict erupts, Flosi’s office said.

The Air Force also sent a bomber task force of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley on Aug. 16 to train alongside allies and partners.

Flosi pointed to growing cooperation with enlisted members of the Saudi Arabian and Jordanian air forces as other examples of strengthened partnerships. There have also been recent opportunities to work with Finland and Sweden as NATO’s newest members.

Additionally, the new Inter-Pacific Air Forces Academy graduated its first class in November 2023, which consisted of six American noncommissioned officers and 13 NCOs from European and Indo-Pacific countries.

“Being able to learn from each other was a great opportunity for us, and we believe it was mutually beneficial for our partners in the region,” Flosi said of the relationships with the Saudis and Jordanians.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

空军希望扩大其士兵国际交流计划，以加强盟军之间的合作，以应对太平洋地区可能发生的大规模战争。

美国空军首席军士长戴维·弗洛西在华盛顿举行的高级士官领导人国际峰会上表示，扩大空军士官的国际交流将首先从与美国结成“五眼联盟”的国家开始——澳大利亚、加拿大、新西兰和英国。

弗洛西表示，目前已着手扩大美国与澳大利亚皇家空军的合作关系。

弗洛西说，他和澳大利亚空军准尉拉尔夫·克利夫顿“已经在澳大利亚皇家空军内部制定了一项计划，旨在寻找机会让我们不仅互相学习，还能实现能力互换。我们希望迅速扩大这一计划的实施范围。”

弗洛西办公室表示，有关此类国际军官交流如何运作的细节仍在商讨中，实施时间表尚未确定。

近年来，美国空军和其他军种已将重心从伊拉克和阿富汗战争转移到太平洋地区可能发生的战争，这要求军方彻底重新思考其作战方式。

弗洛西表示，在中东，空军在相对没有竞争的环境中作战，拥有舒适的跑道、可靠的供应链、强大的通信网络和完全的空中优势。

弗洛西说：“在那种环境下，我们可以深入敌后。但在印太地区，这种环境并不存在。所有这些能力都受到竞争。”

美国正努力扩大与盟国的伙伴关系——例如与澳大利亚和英国的三边联盟“奥库斯联盟”——以应对中国可能以武力与台湾统一而引发的冲突。

弗洛西办公室表示，这项入伍国际伙伴关系计划并非 AUKUS 的举措，但其目的类似，都是为了在冲突爆发前加强各国军队之间的合作。

8月16日，美国空军还派遣了一支由B-2“幽灵”隐形轰炸机组成的轰炸机特遣队前往澳大利亚皇家空军安伯利基地，与盟友和伙伴进行联合训练。

弗洛西指出，与沙特阿拉伯和约旦空军士官日益密切的合作也是加强伙伴关系的例证。此外，近期还有机会与北约新成员国芬兰和瑞典开展合作。

此外，新的跨太平洋空军学院于 2023 年 11 月迎来了第一届毕业生，其中包括 6 名美国士官和 13 名来自欧洲和印太国家的士官。

弗洛西在谈到与沙特阿拉伯和约旦的关系时表示：“能够互相学习对我们来说是一个很好的机会，我们相信这对我们在该地区的合作伙伴来说是互惠互利的。”

斯蒂芬·洛西是《防务新闻》的空战记者。他此前曾在《空军时报》报道领导层和人事问题，并在Military.com网站报道五角大楼、特种作战和空战。他曾前往中东报道美国空军的行动。