The Royal Air Force Centre for Air and Space Power Studies (RAF CASPS), known as the Royal Air Force Centre for Air Power Studies (RAF CAPS) until 2019 is a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

sponsored

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

which engages in the study of

air power Airpower or air power consists of the application of military aviation, military strategy and strategic theory to the realm of aerial warfare and close air support. Airpower began in the advent of powered flight early in the 20th century. A ...

. The centre was launched on 23 August 2007 by

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

Sir

Glenn Torpy Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Lester Torpy, (born 27 July 1953) is a retired senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander. He was a fast jet pilot in the late 1970s and 1980s, saw active service during the Gulf War and then went on to higher command. He ...

, Chief of the Air Staff.RAF Chief unveils the latest weapon in the RAF's inventory
{archived from original) Originally based at the Royal Air Force College, the Centre subsequently moved to the Defence Academy of the UK at Shrivenham operating under the leadership of the Director, Defence Studies RAF. The Centre brings together serving members of the RAF and air and space power academics from the UK and around the world to analyse how air and space power have been used in the past and the way in which it is used in the modern world. It aims to act as the RAF’s centre for

strategic Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "troop leadership; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art o ...

and conceptual thinking about air power, to "encourage and promote the study of air power, particularly within the Service and academia, but also throughout the broader intellectual community (including the media and think-tanks)." The centre hosts a website, runs major conferences, most notably the annual Global Air Chiefs conference in conjunction with the Air and Space Power Association,offers fellowships and, in 2008 took over responsibility for the journal now known as ''Air & Space Power Review'' (''Air Power Review'' until Volume 22, 2019). Its board is headed by the Air Officer Commanding No. 22 (Training) Group. The small staff consists of members of the Directorate of Defence Studies RAF, led by a trio of Directors in the form of the Director of Defence Studies, RAF, the Head of the Air Historical Branch (RAF), and Dr David Jordan of

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

. RAF CASPS also oversaw the Chief of the Air Staff's Air Power Workshop, sometimes known as the CAS Workshop, which acts as a means of drawing together small essentially ad hoc working groups of air power practitioners and academics working in the field. The Workshop's original aim was to develop and debate cutting-edge ideas on

, engaging a wide range of practitioners and academics. Its outputs have included articles in ''Air and Space Power Review'' and occasional books on air and space power matters, printed both by official sources and in conjunction with commercial publishers. The evolution of the

Air and Space Warfare Centre The Air and Space Warfare Centre (ASWC) is a Royal Air Force research and testing organisation based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. It has a training branch nearby as a lodger unit of RAF Cranwell and other branches elsewhere, including a ...

(ASWC) and t
Tedder Academy of Leadership
as seen much of the CAS Workshop's role in doctrinal development and air contemporary air power become more formalised under the auspices of those two organisations.

Notes

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External links

Royal Air Force Centre for Air & Space Power Studies
official website. British defence policymaking Education in Lincolnshire Foreign policy and strategy think tanks based in the United Kingdom Royal Air Force education and training North Kesteven District Organisations based in Lincolnshire Royal Air Force