2016–17: Plan Jericho Implementation Phase (AI Study Guide)
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2016–17: Plan Jericho Implementation Phase
𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
Across 2016–17 the Royal Australian Air Force shifted Plan Jericho from slogan to system, institutionalising trials, governance, and workforce changes to embed fifth-generation integration. The Air Warfare Centre led rapid “Jericho Dawn” experiments, while program lines converted lessons into doctrine, training, and sustainment changes. KC-30A, E-7A, and Super Hornet networks were hardened for coalition operations, with data, accreditation, and security controls tightened. Partnerships with Army, Navy, industry, and allies matured practical interoperability, turning experimentation into repeatable processes that improved readiness, survivability, and decision speed under national command.
𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬
𝟏. Air Warfare Centre: Leads tactics, trials, test, and evaluation for integrated force.
𝟐. Jericho Dawn: Rapid experiments proving networking, ISR reachback, and mission agility.
𝟑. Program of Work: Governance assigning responsibilities, schedules, and transition milestones.
𝟒. Accreditation: Assurance that networks and data meet security, safety standards.
𝟓. DGS-AUS: Distributed Ground Station Australia exploiting ISR for joint operations.
𝟔. Mission data: Configurable libraries enabling sensors, identification, and electronic effects.
𝟕. Kill-chain integration: Linking find-fix-track to target-engage-assess across components.
𝟖. Interoperability: Routine ability to operate effectively with partners and allies.
𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬
𝟏. Program governance locked in: Air Force issued a Jericho Program of Work aligning lines-of-effort, owners, schedules, and transition-to-service gates; this converted vision to accountable tasks, resourcing trial teams, and binding outputs to force-generation cycles while protecting airworthiness, safety, and security requirements inside joint and coalition frameworks. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF18-Plan-Jericho_Program-of-Works-2ndEd.pdf
𝟐. Air Warfare Centre primed experimentation: The Air Warfare Centre absorbed trial leadership, standardising test, evaluation, and certification pathways; Jericho Dawn events demonstrated data-linking, ISR reachback, and en-route retasking for deployed elements, shortening decision loops and proving tactics suitable for rapid transition into frontline wings and joint headquarters. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF14-Plan-Jericho.pdf
𝟑. Networked force thickened: Implementation focused on resilient connectivity between E-7A, KC-30A, Super Hornet, and ground nodes, improving shared tracks, identification, and mission-system coherence; iterative trials hardened procedures and interfaces so legacy and new platforms delivered combined effects without breaking safety cases or compromising sovereign approvals. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF18-Plan-Jericho_Program-of-Works-2ndEd.pdf
𝟒. Data, security, accreditation: Jericho lines addressed mission-data stewardship, cyber hygiene, and accreditation so experimental links could become operational at scale; governance aligned operational need with information-assurance standards, enabling reliable kill-chain data flows while protecting classified sources and coalition trust across day-to-day tasking cycles. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF14-Plan-Jericho.pdf
𝟓. ISR exploitation matured: DGS-AUS and unit teams refined processing-exploitation-dissemination routines, pushing actionable intelligence to commanders and controllers faster; exercises and operations validated that fused sensor feeds, products, and mission-data updates materially improved survivability, precision, and tempo for deployed Australian and coalition forces. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF18-Plan-Jericho_Program-of-Works-2ndEd.pdf
𝟔. Joint integration routines: Implementation paired Air Force networks with Army and Navy systems, rehearsing control measures, targeting processes, and logistics interfaces; experiments exposed friction points and produced procedural fixes, enabling habitual joint planning, shared assessment, and compatible mission-systems across components under Chief of Joint Operations tasking. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF14-Plan-Jericho.pdf
𝟕. Industry and allies leveraged: Jericho formalised collaboration with industry and partners to accelerate software increments, gateways, and tactics; combined teams proved practical solutions, then codified user-level guidance and training so units could field improvements without losing tempo, safety, or sovereign configuration control. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF18-Plan-Jericho_Program-of-Works-2ndEd.pdf
𝟖. Education and doctrine updates: Air and Space Power Centre publications and courseware absorbed fifth-generation concepts—sensor fusion, human-machine teaming, network security—creating a common vocabulary and planning baseline for squadrons, wings, and headquarters executing information-rich missions. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF14-Plan-Jericho.pdf
𝟗. Operational feedback loop: Deployed lessons from Operation Okra and regional exercises flowed into Jericho lines, driving practical changes to communications plans, tanker procedures, and airborne C2 tactics that improved persistence, retasking, and safety margins in congested airspace and complex rules-of-engagement environments. https://www.defence.gov.au/defence-activities/operations/global-operations/okra
𝟏𝟎. Institutionalisation achieved: By late 2017 Jericho was less a campaign name than an institutional habit—continuous trials, measured transitions, and integrated planning—maintained through the Air Warfare Centre and program governance, with outcomes tracked against survivability, lethality, and readiness metrics across the integrated force. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF18-Plan-Jericho_Program-of-Works-2ndEd.pdf
𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬
𝟏. Australian War Memorial. The Royal Australian Air Force—structure and roles overview. Reference page. [https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/understanding-military-structure/raaf] Australian War Memorial
𝟐. Australian War Memorial. Annual Report 2015–16 (modernisation context and contemporary collections). Corporate report. [https://www.awm.gov.au/about/organisation/corporate/annual-report-2015-2016] Australian War Memorial
𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝟏. Royal Australian Air Force, 2016, Plan Jericho—Program of Work (2nd ed.), Canberra: Air and Space Power Centre. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF18-Plan-Jericho_Program-of-Works-2ndEd.pdf
𝟐. Royal Australian Air Force, 2015, Plan Jericho, Canberra: Air and Space Power Centre. https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/AF14-Plan-Jericho.pdf
𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬
• AWM items provide organisational context and contemporary collection references relevant to modernisation.
• Official Air Force documents supply authoritative detail on Jericho governance, experiments, and implementation lines.
• Operational summaries of Okra ground the feedback loop linking experimentation to deployed effects.