CAS Pays Tribute - Tuesday 1 April 2008

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Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy

KCB CBE DSO ADC BSc (Eng) FRAeS FCGI RAF

Chief of the Air Staff

As we celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force, it is easy to overlook the significant strides that military aviation has taken during the past 90 years.

The early use of aircraft during the Great War highlighted the significant impact that air power would have on the nature of warfare. In order to capitalize on the huge potential offered by this new capability, the Royal Air Force - the world’s first independent air force –was created on 1 April 1918.

Over the next 90 years, air power has very convincingly demonstrated the essential role it plays in delivering military success – whether it’s over the skies of Southeast England during the Battle of Britain, delivering food to the beleaguered population of Berlin during the Berlin Airlift, maintaining a deterrent force during the Cold War, or supporting current coalition operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. To have come so far – from wood and fabric biplanes to high-tech, high performance fighters – in such a short time is a tribute to the wisdom and vision of many distinguished individuals but none more so than Lord Trenchard, the founder of the Royal Air Force.

Since the end of the Cold War the Royal Air Force has undergone significant change. We have, I believe, made excellent progress towards developing a capable yet affordable force structure, which is able to cope with the unpredictable and complex security environment that exists today, and is likely to continue for the future. Today’s frontline is structured and orientated towards expeditionary operations, with the flexibility to operate across the full spectrum of operations, from high intensity warfighting to humanitarian relief operations. Agility and adaptability is at the heart of our operational capability, and provides the ability to swiftly respond to emerging threats and changes in the security environment, whilst at the same time exploiting the opportunities offered by new concepts and technologies.

The Royal Air Force is not, however, just about equipment. Our people are at the heart of our capability and we are fortunate today to have highly motivated and extremely well trained servicemen and women on the frontline, all of whom are able to cope with the demanding and complex tasks they have to undertake. In this respect, Lord Trenchard’s emphasis on delivering the best possible training to Service personnel remains a key principle of today’s Royal Air Force.

In this, our 90th Anniversary Year, we can look back with considerable pride on the achievements of our predecessors, whilst at the same time looking towards a future in which air power will play an ever more important role in world security. The Service has a proud heritage and reputation for excellence, which shines through today’s frontline. The Nation can, therefore, be justifiably proud of the Royal Air Force, both past and present.

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