Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the Chief of the Air Staff has released the below foreword regarding the 3rd Edition of Stories from the Future.
Welcome to our 3rd Edition of ASTRA Stories from the Future. When we launched ASTRA Stories from the Future at the beginning of 2021, we were overwhelmed by the interest, positive comments and ideas we received from all ages and backgrounds. It was enough to convince us of the appetite for a 2nd Edition, exploring elements of the future operating environment, and now we have a third.
This Edition explores potential roles and missions in the future, and the viewpoints of the people conduction those missions. Unlike the first release, none of these stories are placed precisely in time and place, so an open imagination is required. They are researched carefully by the writing team and, however fantastical they might seem, there is a thread in every story to the reality of today. I encourage you to explore some of the additional reading that the various creators have provided for insight on how each tale came to be.
I guarantee that some of your will disagree with some of the ideas, and some may feel exasperated by what they read. But in your frustrations, do remember the purpose of these Stories from the Future is to provoke, stimulate, and start conversations amongst your colleagues about our Next Generation Royal Air Force, what it will be like, and our journey to get there. Those conversations are the successful outcome I seek.
Do enjoy these short stories. I invite you to place yourself in these imagined situations and think about the characters and how they might reflect upon us and our challenges today. Did we prepare them for their challenges? If not, what could we and should we have done better?
Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston
Chief of the Air Staff
You can read the 3rd Edition of Stories from the Future here.
Or look back to the 2nd Edition here.
