Outstanding achievement in Defence science

An expert in the science behind the Australian Defence Force’s command and control systems has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to Defence, winning the 2021 Minister’s Award for Achievement in Defence Science.

Dr Alex Kalloniatis, a senior Operations Analyst with the Department of Defence, was awarded the honour by Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price.

“Dr Kalloniatis is a standard bearer for outstanding scientific leadership,” Minister Price said.

“He has conceived and been the driving force behind the future Command and Control concepts that are now at the heart of the ADF’s approach,” Minister Price said.

The Command and Control system is a critical warfighting system in the ADF. It turns individual capability elements into a coordinated, coherent force.

“As our ADF encounters increasingly complex and contested environments, they need to be able to bring together capabilities across all domains of warfare; air, maritime, land, space, information and cyber, to achieve complementary and coordinated effects,” Minister Price said.

“Dr Kalloniatis’ work is critical to enabling the ADF to synchronise its efforts across all domains and operational levels.”

The annual Minister’s Award for Achievement in Defence Science was introduced in 1988 to recognise original and outstanding contributions capable of enhancing Australia’s defence effectiveness and efficiency.

The awarding of the 2021 Minister’s award was delayed due to COVID. 

The 2022 award will be presented at the Australian Defence Science Technology and Research Summit, (ADSTAR) in July this year.

Details of previous winners are available at https://www.dst.defence.gov.au/award-groups/ministers-achievement-award.

Imagery of Dr Kalloniatis is available at: https://images.defence.gov.au/S20220389