Canadian Air Force Leadership And Command: Implications For The Human Dimension Of Expeditionary Air Force Operations Principal Authors: Dr Allan English Colonel (retired) John Westrop Prepared By: KMG Associates 83 Gore Street Kingston, Ontario K7L 2L4 Contract Project Manager: CSA: Angela Febbraro The scientific or technical validity of this Contract Report is entirely the responsibility of the Contractor and the contents do not necessarily have the approval or endorsement of Defence R&D Canada. Defence R&D Canada – Toronto Contract Report DRDC Toronto CR 2006-297 November 2006 Principal Author Dr Allan English Author Approved by Original signed by Dr Angela R. Febbraro Dr Angela R. Febbraro Scientific Authority Approved for release by Original signed by KM Sutton KM Sutton Chair/ Document Review and Library Committee © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National Defence, 2006 © Sa Majesté la Reine (en droit du Canada), telle que représentée par le ministre de la Défense nationale, 2006 DRDC Toronto CR 2006-297 Abstract This report was written in support of the Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) project “The Human Dimension of the Expeditionary Air Force,” which is investigating the leadership and sustainment of multifunctional, or diverse, teams in the Air Force. In order to conduct this research, a comprehensive understanding of the relevant historical and contemporary operations background that has shaped Air Force culture and identity and that has influenced Air Force team and leadership structures, characteristics and tasks is required. Furthermore, detailed information on Air Force team and leadership structures; the characteristics and tasks of the various Air Force communities; an analysis of those factors that impact on Air Force operations to include operations that are expeditionary, deployed and at static bases; and recommendations for further research is required. Canadian Forces (CF) leadership doctrine, in Duty with Honour and Leadership in the CF: Conceptual Foundations , recognizes that, because of the unique physical environments in which the Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force operate, they each have a unique body of professional knowledge, experience, and, therefore, culture. Furthermore, it is recognized that the three Environments of the CF manifest certain elements of the CF’s ethos in different ways, for example, in leadership styles and command arrangements. Unfortunately for the Canadian Air Force, very little has been written about how its culture and professional working environment have influenced the development of unique Canadian air force leadership styles and command arrangements. This report, therefore, provides a description and analysis of certain aspects of Canadian air force culture and identity, team and leadership structures, and command arrangements from their origins to the present day. This work is designed to provide the foundation for understanding these issues and how they impact upon leading and sustaining teams in the Air Force today. Many of these problems identified in this report were caused by a lack of coherent Air Force doctrine, particularly doctrine related to leadership and command and control. In order to effectively rectify these problems, Canada’s Air Force requires an overarching model of command and control, a detailed understanding of historical and contemporary models of air force command and control, and personnel with the ability to apply consistently modern theories of command and control. This report aims to contribute to this requirement by providing a foundation for debate and research in these areas. DRDC Toronto CR 2006-297 i Résumé Le présent rapport a pour but d’appuyer le projet intitulé « La dimension humaine des opérations expéditionnaires de la Force aérienne » (The Human Dimension of the Expeditionary Air Force) de Recherche et développement pour la défense Canada (RDDC) qui enquête sur le leadership et le maintien d’équipes multifonctionnelles ou diversifiées dans la Force aérienne. Afin de pouvoir mener cette recherche, il est nécessaire d’avoir une compréhension approfondie du contexte historique et contemporain se rapportant aux opérations qui a façonné la culture et l’identité de la Force aérienne et qui a influencé les structures d’équipe et de leadership, de même que les caractéristiques et les tâches de la Force aérienne. Sont également nécessaires : des renseignements détaillés sur les structures d’équipe et de leadership de la Force aérienne, les caractéristiques et les tâches des diverses collectivités de la Force aérienne, une analyse des facteurs qui ont une incidence sur les opérations de la Force aérienne incluant les opérations expéditionnaires, de déploiement et aux bases, et des recommandations concernant les recherches futures. La doctrine de leadership des Forces canadiennes (FC) dont il est fait mention dans les manuels Servir avec honneur et Le leadership dans les Forces canadiennes : Fondements conceptuels, reconnaît que, en raison des milieux physiques uniques dans lesquels l’Armée de terre, la Marine et la Force aérienne du Canadas opèrent, chacune d’entre elles possède un corpus particulier de connaissances et d’expériences professionnelles et, par conséquent, de culture. De plus, on s’accorde à reconnaître que dans chacune des trois armées des Forces canadiennes certains éléments de l’éthos se manifestent de façons différentes, à savoir dans les styles de leadership et les dispositions de commandement. Malheureusement pour la Force aérienne du Canada, on a écrit très peu au sujet de la façon dont sa culture et son milieu de travail professionnel ont influencé le développement de styles de leadership et de dispositions de commandement uniques de la Force aérienne du Canada. Le présent rapport offre, par conséquent, une description et une analyse de certains aspects de la culture et de l’identité, des structures d’équipe et de leadership et des dispositions de commandement de la Force aérienne du Canada, de son origine jusqu’à nos jours. Ce document est conçu afin de jeter des bases pour bien comprendre ces sujets et leurs effets sur la direction et le maintien de la Force aérienne de nos jours. Bon nombre des problèmes dégagés dans le présent rapport sont attribuables à une doctrine incohérente de la Force aérienne, plus particulièrement une doctrine se rapportant au leadership, au commandement et au contrôle. Afin de résoudre ces problèmes de façon efficace, la Force aérienne du Canada a besoin d’un modèle déterminant de commandement et de contrôle, d’une compréhension approfondie des modèles historiques et contemporains de commandement et de contrôle de la Force aérienne, et d’un personnel ayant la capacité d’appliquer de façon soutenue des théories modernes de commandement et de contrôle. Le présent rapport vise à contribuer à répondre à ces besoins en servant de base à des débats et des recherches dans ces domaines. ii DRDC Toronto CR 2006-297 Executive summary Canadian Air Force Leadership And Command: Implications For The Human Dimension Of Expeditionary Air Force Operations Dr Allan English; Colonel (retired) John Westrop; DRDC Toronto CR 2006-297; Defence R&D Canada – Toronto; November 2006. This report was written in support of the Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) project “The Human Dimension of the Expeditionary Air Force,” which is investigating the leadership and sustainment of multifunctional, or diverse, teams in the Air Force. In order to conduct this research, a comprehensive understanding of the relevant historical and contemporary operations background that has shaped Air Force culture and identity and that has influenced Air Force team and leadership structures, characteristics and tasks is required. Furthermore, detailed information on Air Force team and leadership structures; the characteristics and tasks of the various Air Force communities; an analysis of those factors that impact on Air Force operations, to include operations that are expeditionary, deployed and at static bases; and recommendations for further research is required. Canadian Forces (CF) leadership doctrine, in Duty with Honour and Leadership in the CF: Conceptual Foundations, recognizes that, because of the unique physical environments in which the Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force operate, they each have a unique body of professional knowledge, experience, and, therefore, culture. Furthermore, it is recognized that the three Environments of the CF manifest certain elements of the CF’s ethos in different ways, for example, in leadership styles and command arrangements. Unfortunately for the Canadian Air Force, very little has been written about how its culture and professional working environment have influenced the development of unique Canadian air force leadership styles and command arrangements. This report, therefore, provides a description and analysis of certain aspects of Canadian air force culture and identity, team and leadership structures, and command arrangements from their origins to the present day. This work is designed to provide the foundation for understanding these issues and how they impact upon leading and sustaining teams in the Air Force today. The report begins with three chapters that provide the historical context necessary to understand Canadian air force culture and identity, team and leadership structures, and command arrangements. Chapter 2 briefly examines the history of Canada’s air force from its beginnings in the First World