A century ago, bombers of Number 101 Squadron took the fight to the enemy in the midst of the Kaiser’s Spring Offensive. It was our adversaries’ final roll of the dice but the very first mission of the newly formed Royal Air Force – the world’s first independent air force.

As we mark the RAF’s 100th anniversary, this is a golden opportunity to reflect on their soaring success since then. In 1940, its daring pilots saved our nation in its darkest hour. Its ever vigilant crews blanketed us against the nuclear chill of the Cold War. Its dauntless air men and women toppled a dictator in the Gulf, and stopped terrorists turning Afghanistan into a base from which to launch attacks on our streets. Together they’ve earned the RAF a glowing global reputation and cemented its place in our history books.

Today’s aviators continue to be trailblazers: patrolling NATO skies against aggression; eliminating barbaric Daesh fighters in Syria; and standing at the ready, round the clock, to intercept incoming threats at home. As I write, they are conducting 13 operations in 21 countries across 5 continents. It’s been my great privilege to meet some of those brave heroes up close and to witness their world-class professionalism, their ability to build international alliances and their belief that anyone with talent can rise to the very top. The RAF is the true face of a global, modern Britain – admired by our friends, respected and feared by our adversaries.

Yet, what stands out above all, is the RAF’s priceless capacity to adapt to meet changing dangers. That quality is in ever greater demand. The world is becoming a darker, more dangerous place. We’re not simply dealing with the toll of international terror – underscored by the appalling attack on a French supermarket by Daesh just last week. We’re also having to counter rising state-based dangers and react to growing global instability.