29 November 2024
Tireless work to improve body armour to better protect Australian soldiers has earned a senior engineer in Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group a prestigious engineering award.
Goran Milosovski, who works in the Land Engineering Agency as part of Land Systems Division in Melbourne, was named Capability Assurance Specialist of the Year in the annual Engineering Technical (EngTech) awards.
At the heart of Dr Milosovski’s work are his efforts to ensure the technical integrity of body armour by rigorously assessing its performance across its lifecycle. He is committed to maximising the protection offered by our armour while enabling enhanced troop mobility.
'A key part of that is looking at new materials used for body armour systems – like man-made fibres, composites, ceramics, alloys and polymers.'
This involves working with other subject-matter experts to stay at the cutting edge of development – considering factors like coverage area, ballistic protection levels, heat dissipation, fit and integration.
“A key part of that is looking at new materials used for body armour systems – like man-made fibres, composites, ceramics, alloys and polymers,” Dr Milosovski said.
In his role within the Soldier Modernisation Systems Program Office, Dr Milosovski is responsible for technical certification and ensuring that the equipment acquired for the war-fighter is safe and compliant.
To achieve this, he regularly works with groups like the Defence Science and Technology Group, Diggerworks, the Directorate of Specialist Engineering, and the Lethality and Situational Awareness Systems Program Office.
Since January 2023, Dr Milosovski has represented Australia internationally as our nation’s delegate for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) STANAG2920 Team of Experts, known as the STANAG2920 Committee. STANAG refers to a standardisation agreement, meaning common standards across NATO, and the STANAG2920 Committee focuses on procedures for evaluating and classifying personal armour.
He is also responsible for maintaining the technical integrity assurance framework – the Land Engineering Agency's primary reference for test methods and protocols used to assess body armour and other personal armour, including ballistic helmets, shields and blankets.
'Anything I can do to better protect them – while hopefully making their lives a little easier – well, that’s why I do what I do.'
The assurance framework was recently updated with the addition of statistical tools for drawing evidence-based conclusions.
The award’s citation praised Dr Milosovski for his innovative technical and engineering solutions and improved processes, also noting his through-life test program.
The citation read: “Your contribution has resulted in significantly improved safety and confidence in this equipment for the war-fighter, whilst also reducing through-life cost. Dr Milosovski, your achievements are recognised as outstanding and in keeping with the finest traditions of the Australian Army, Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group and the Australian Defence Force.”
Dr Milosovski said while the award meant a lot to him and he was deeply honoured, at the end of the day his work was for Australia’s men and women in uniform.
“Anything I can do to better protect them – while hopefully making their lives a little easier – well, that’s why I do what I do,” he said.
Dr Milosovski was presented with his award at Russell Offices, Canberra, on November 8.
