The Royal Canadian Air Force Association (RCAFA: 1948 – 1994; 2012 – present), formerly the Air Force Association of Canada (1994 – 2012), was formed by a government order-in-council in May 1948, as a not-for-profit community service organization of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) veterans, veterans of Air Command, veterans of the post-2011 name change (to RCAF), veterans of army and naval aviation, and aviation enthusiasts.
The RCAFA’s main goals are to advocate for a well-equipped, well-trained, well-prepared air force for Canada; motivate young Canadians to develop an interest in an aerospace (civil or military) career; and to inform new generations of Canadians about the importance and history of their country’s air force.
The association is also active in advocating for veterans rights, with community service, and with promoting aviation heritage and youth projects, especially those supporting the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. The association’s official publication Wings magazine was renamed Airforce in 1978. The magazine is now offered digitally and free to the public.
What We Do
As part of its advocacy mission, the RCAFA remains abreast of RCAF issues through on-going interactions with senior air force leadership and staff and seeks to understand current issues facing the RCAF. It looks to prioritize the most pressing challenges and seeks to build greater awareness of the air force needs with the public and those officials who are responsible for defence policy and procurement. The RCAFA is part of the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) and works with like-minded organizations in bringing key issues to the attention of government and those interested in defence matters in Canada.
Advocacy is done through direct engagement with officials, participation at defence conferences, contributions to think tanks, engagement with the media, production of papers and articles, testifying before defence committees and any other relevant means of providing information to the Canadian public.
With the rapidly changing nature of warfare, as seen recently in the Ukraine and the middle east, Canada must make tough choices on where to focus its efforts/resources in modernizing the CAF. The RCAF will be at the forefront of this modernization with over 10 major projects already committed to with over $100B in funds earmarked for acquisition and sustainment for the next decades. This does not include new mandates such as Integrated Air and Missiles Defence (IAMD) and Airborne Early Warning – AEW, which will require new resources (personnel, infrastructure and equipment).
Bottom Line
The RCAF is leading transformation in the DND/CAF and will require additional support in the form of more personnel, process priority, increased spending authority and procurement decision delegations. The need to prioritize programmes across the DND/CAF is essential if key RCAF capabilities are to be achieved in the next decade.
In the near term, full support must be given now to the CF35 transition to avoid the risk of losing Canada’s ability to retain air sovereignty in the years ahead. Also, immediate investments need to be made in addressing long-standing personnel issues such as affordable housing, health care support to families and adequate/modernized base facilities (many bases/wings have sub-standard living/training facilities and failing infrastructure).
These are challenging times, but we see great potential for the CAF/RCAF in meeting Canada’s growing defence needs with the continued support of our elected members in Parliament and the Canadian public.
