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Technical report | The Application of Work Domain Analysis to Defining Australia’s Air Combat Capability

Abstract

The Royal Australian Air Force’s Air Combat Capability is currently undergoing a significant restructure as new, advanced platforms are introduced to the fleet. To avoid a loss of capability in the air domain, the Royal Australian Air Force must determine how best to employ its current and future fighter jets to meet operational goals. To support this objective, this report presents a comprehensive work domain analysis—or structural description—of Australia’s Air Combat Capability, defined across multiple levels of abstraction and decomposition, and independent of specific platforms. This analysis has already demonstrated its usefulness in contributing to the development of an Australian air power doctrine and strategy narrative, represented in the next edition of the Royal Australian Air Force’s Air Power Manual (AAP 1000-D). Future applications of this model could contribute to capability requirements definition; air combat force structure development and organisational redesign; air combat specific crewing concepts, training programs, and Concept of Operations; and the continued development of military doctrine and strategy.

Executive Summary

Australia's Air Combat Capability is a pivotal component of the Australian Defence Force. In recent years the combat fleet of the Royal Australian Air Force has undergone a major shift in force structure, with new platforms and capabilities being introduced. To manage this rapid change, the Royal Australian Air Force must continually evaluate Australia's Air Combat Capability against an evolving and dynamic military environment.

In support of this objective, this report presents a comprehensive work domain analysis of Australia's Air Combat Capability. Work domain analysis, the first phase of cognitive work analysis (Rasmussen, Pejtersen, & Goodstein, 1994; Vicente, 1999), results in a detailed structural description of a system. This framework has demonstrated its efficacy in a variety of contexts and across a number of different focus systems. In applying work domain analysis to Australia’s Air Combat Capability, capabilities are defined across multiple levels of abstraction and decomposition, and independent of specific platforms like Hornet, Super Hornet, or Joint Strike Fighter. As a result, this report provides a detailed understanding of the functional purposes, values and priorities, functions, and physical resources of Australia’s Air Combat Capability as independent of current or future air combat platforms. Importantly, this approach allows capabilities to encapsulate a range of scenarios and situations, thus enhancing the breadth and usefulness of the analysis.

The work domain model of Australia’s Air Combat Capability has already established its utility by contributing to the philosophical content and conceptual framework of a narrative of Australian air power doctrine and strategy, published as the Royal Australian Air Force’s Air Power Manual (AAP 1000-D). Specifically, the model was used as a basis for refining how pivotal air power concepts, such as purposes, goals, values, functions, missions, and roles, are defined, characterised, and interrelated (Brady, Naikar, & Treadwell, 2013; Naikar, Treadwell, & Brady, 2014). Future applications of this analysis could include capability requirements definition, air combat force structure development,
and the organisational design of the Royal Australian Air Force. Additionally, this model has the potential to support the development of crewing concepts, training programs, and Concept of Operations explicitly tailored to the work demands of Australia’s Air Combat Capability.

 

Key information

Author

Alanna Treadwell and Neelam Naikar

Publication number

DSTO-TR-2958

Publication type

Technical report

Publish Date

March 2014

Classification

Unclassified - public release