On Wednesday 7 October 2009, Group Captain Ian Shields, Assistant Head, Air & Space Development, Concepts & Doctrine Centre will speak on “The Future Air and Space Operational Concept” from, 11.00am-12.00pm.
The Ministry of Defence’s Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre recently published the second edition of the Future Air and Space Operational Concept (the first edition was published in 2004). This Concept looks forward 20 years to try to answer the question of how Air and Space assets might be configured to respond to the threats of the time. Starting with an examination of how the world - and thus security challenges - might appear in 20 years, it analyses the future in four, five-year epochs, judging when currently emergent technologies might enter front-line service and the impact they will have. Issues such as the importance of Space, novel weapons and the manned/unmanned mix are considered. This session will comprise a presentation from Group Captain Shields, to be followed by questions and answers.
Group Captain Ian Shields is in the third generation of his family to serve in the RAF. He joined the RAF in 1977 and after training as a navigator, caught the very back end of the V-Force, with a short first tour on Vulcans. He then transferred to the Hercules fleet where he has spent the majority of his operational flying, undertaking strategic and tactical air transport and air-air refuelling. He commanded No 47 squadron from 2001 – 2003, during which time he was second-in-command of the team that re-opened Kabul International Airport. For this and his time commanding No 47 squadron he was appointed OBE in 2004. Group Captain Shields holds an MA in Defence Studies from King’s College, London and an MPhil in International Relations from Queens’ College, Cambridge. He is presently undertaking a part-time PhD at Cambridge. He has been in his present appointment since September 2007 and has previously addressed the Institute on the subject of Space as a national security issue.
This meeting will be chaired by Andrew Brookes, Aerospace Analyst and will take place on the Fourth Floor at Arundel House, 13–15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London WC2R 3DX.
If you would like to attend please RSVP to Clara Lane-Spollen e-mail: lane-spollen@iiss.org or tel. no. 020 7395 9169.
