Head of the RAF predicts more personnel from the ranks will land his role in future
The head of the RAF has said he has no doubt that more officers who are commissioned from the ranks will hold the role of Chief of the Air Staff in the coming years.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton said 40% of officers in the RAF are currently commissioned from the ranks, so it was almost inevitable that more would become CAS.
Air Chf Mshl Sir Rich is the first non-pilot to hold the role and comes from an engineering background.
He told BFBS Forces News he expected to see his role be held by personnel from a range of different branches in the future.
Air Chf Mshl Sir Rich was speaking at a graduation ceremony for a new Royal Air Force talent programme for enlisted personnel called RAF Lead.
He presented certificates to more than 70 Enlisted Aviators from the programme at RAF High Wycombe.
Ranks across the military make up a chain of command that helps everyone understand the different levels of authority, leadership and responsibility found within the Armed Forces.
Until now there hasn't been a leadership talent programme specifically for the group that makes up the majority of the workforce – enlisted personnel and the Non-Commissioned Officer ranks.
The RAF says it is the first of the three services to create a programme like this.
When joining the RAF, you can join as a commissioned officer, with ranks beginning at Pilot Officer with the potential to rise all the way to Air Chief Marshal, the head of the RAF.
Alternatively, you can join as an Enlisted Aviator, starting at the rank of Air Recruit with the potential to rise all the way up to Warrant Officer.
And if Enlisted Aviators or NCOs want to become a commissioned officer, it is possible to transfer over.
RAF Lead a first for the Armed Forces
Warrant Officer Matt Williams, the programme manager for RAF Lead, explained: "This is the first time in all three services anything like this has been attempted for the Enlisted Aviator.
"It's a 12-month programme. They are selected through their annual appraisal or SJAR [Serviceperson's Joint Appraisal Report] and given a leadership talent marker."
RAF Lead sees 200 personnel at a time selected by their chain of command.
Once on the programme, they are given a mentor, receive specialist coaching and the chance to pitch an idea to get to shadow any part of the RAF.
For example, one person is about to shadow the Chief of the Air Staff as the second year of the programme gets underway.
Bolstering leadership and retention
Air Chf Mshl Sir Rich presented the first cohort of RAF Lead with certificates at a graduation ceremony held at RAF High Wycombe.
He told BFBS Forces News: "Good leadership is fundamental to the effectiveness of a fighting force.
"If the Air Force is to be ready to fly and fight then we need to have the best leadership possible and this is an opportunity for us to develop it in the people we've identified."
He hopes this programme will help tackle the retention issues faced across the Armed Forces.
"We retain people one person at a time," he explained. "Anybody who has got leadership responsibilities or supervisory responsibilities has a role to play in creating an atmosphere where people feel valued, develop and can be heard.
"Leadership does all of those things so I'm very hopeful that the development of these people and the next cohort will help improve the environment and lived experience of many people in the service."
One of the graduates was Sergeant Jo Livingstone, an instructor at Defence Medical Services Whittington.
"It's been good to identify areas of my leadership that perhaps needed some work," she said.
"Identify my strengths, be offered some great opportunities like one-to-one coaching, which has been excellent, and to have opportunities to understand leadership on a wider scale in the RAF."
The RAF Lead programme is to receive funding for the next 10 years.
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