Keeping pace with the Air Force
20 November 2006
by Charlotte Lee-Smith
Air Commodore Peter Stockwell is a man who likes to push himself – at least physically. Along with the many challenges he faces daily as the Air Component Commander at Headquarters Joint Forces, he has a longer term goal: to keep pace with the youngest and fittest members of the Air Force.
“My goal is to leave the Air Force having maintained the top fitness level (F1 for the youngest age group) the whole way through my career,” he says. When asked if he’s going to make it, his reply is quietly confident: “I’m optimistic I can achieve it.”
After 33 years with the Air Force, Air Commodore Stockwell is showing no signs of slowing down. He’s had many challenging roles in his career: Commanding Officer of No 40 Squadron, Senior National Representative at US Central Command HQ in Florida, Defence Advisor in Canada and Deputy Chief of the Air Force. Just last month he took on his newest challenge as the Air Component Commander (ACC). Based at Headquarters Joint Forces in Trentham, Air Commodore Stockwell is part of the Defence Force’s operational hub where Navy, Army and Air Force work alongside one other.
“It’s like drinking from a fire hose,” says Air Commodore Stockwell of his ACC role. “I’ve been out of the operational field for 10 years and a lot has changed in the way we go about our activities. I’ve really enjoyed getting out and catching up with what the Air Force is doing now.”
He says another major attraction of the ACC role is the chance to work at Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand. “It’s great to deal with my counterparts in Navy and Army, because we can make things happen across our three Services jointly that were a lot harder to achieve before we were all placed together. It’s an exciting, dynamic environment.”
He sees the “joint approach” as the future of the Defence Force. “While we still need to be experts in our three different areas, working together we can achieve great things.”
The move to the joint approach is one of many changes that Air Commodore Stockwell has seen over his Air Force career. The most significant shift has been changes to resources and organisational structures. “We have less people now in the Air Force but they are doing a lot more. On top of that we have moved from the Cold War-type mentality that was in place during my first 15 years with the Air Force to a time of more instability around the world, and the war on terrorism. We’ve had to adapt to those changes and we’ve done it successfully.”
He has also witnessed a change in attitudes. “The younger generation are more inclined to question how things are done and why things are done, and that’s a really good thing. I think one of the challenges for older, more senior people is to adapt to this,” he says.
Air Commodore Stockwell also sees it as vital that the Air Force keep pace with society. “The Air Force has to be careful not to slavishly adhere to standards from 20 to 30 years ago, when society itself has changed. That’s not to say we should dump everything; we have some clear standards established through our military traditions, but we have got to adapt to the modern generation otherwise they’ll get turned off.”
Air Commodore Stockwell joined the RNZAF straight from school, partly inspired by his family’s military heritage – his father served in World War II and his grandfather in World War I.
The day he graduated from his Wings course is etched in his memory as a pivotal moment in his career. “Up to then I didn’t know if I was going to be in the organisation, but once I was in I never looked back. I can say that I’ve never had a day since when I didn’t want to go to work. There’s always been something that’s held my interest and motivated me.”
He sees the standout highlight of his career as being the two years he spent leading No.40 Squadron in Whenuapai. “That was the most satisfying job I’ve done, given its operational focus and its critical nature to the Defence Force. I don’t think you can go past commanding a force element – to me it’s the pinnacle of operational service.”
He also gained valuable insights during his six-month stint at US Central Command HQ in Tampa, Florida, observing the American military fighting two major wars. “What I observed was that size really does matter. They have such a huge military and you have to admire their capacity and capabilities. That’s not to say that everything they do we would do, because as Kiwis we think differently. While we can learn from them, there is an equal opportunity for them to learn from us.”
Air Commodore Stockwell describes himself as a collegial leader who believes in giving people room to develop their potential. “I like the use of flexible work practices and the more freedom we can give people, the more likely they are to come up with good solutions. I also like people to have fun.”
In his own life, Air Commodore Stockwell often runs out of time for fun. “I don’t get a lot of time for pursuing my other interests,” he says. “I love playing golf and my family is really important to me.” He also admits to being a TV sports fan and consequently a bit of a “couch potato”.
But any couch potato tendencies are kept in check, after all he has a goal to reach – fighting fit to the last – and he’s positive he’s going to get there.
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