Meet the speakers

Maj. Gen. Genaro Dellarocco

Commanding General, US Army Test and Evaluation Command, US Army

Major General Genaro J. Dellarocco is the Commanding General, US Army Test and Evaluation Command. He assumed the position in October, 2010.

Prior to this assignment, he served as the Program Executive Officer, Missiles and Space, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. He was responsible for all life cycle activities of assigned programs including the Army’s two largest international cooperative development programs—the Medium Extended Air Defense System and the Multiple Launch Rocket System. On behalf of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics), he managed all 38 of the Army’s missile systems.

Major General Dellarocco has also served as the Deputy Commanding General for System of Systems Integration, US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. His responsibilities included quickly placing the right technology into the hands of war fighters and integrating research, development, and engineering across the entire spectrum of the Army’s technology base including: Army Laboratories and Research, Development, and Engineering Centers, Department of Defense Laboratories, universities, industry, sister services, ally and foreign services, and other science and technology sources.

He has also served as the Chief, Capabilities and Acquisition Division, J8, the Joint Staff from 2005–2006 and as the Director, US Army Acquisition Support Center. He served from 2001–2003 as the Project Manager for Force Projection at Program Executive Office, Combat Support and Combat Service Support in Warren, Michigan. He graduated the US Army War College (USAWC) at Carlisle, Pennsylvania (Class of 2001) and its Advanced Strategic Arts Program.

Prior to his attendance at the USAWC, Major General Dellarocco was assigned from 1997–2000 as the Product Manager, Petroleum and Water Systems, US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, Michigan.

In 1995, Major General Dellarocco worked in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research, Development, and Acquisition (SARDA). At SARDA, Major General Dellarocco handled Congressional activities and served as the Air and Missile Defense Branch Chief for the Missile Systems Directorate. Prior to the SARDA assignment, he served a joint tour (1992–1995) with the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO). Based on this assignment, he was formally designated as Joint Specialty Officer in 1998. As a precursor to the BMDO assignment, he spent a year in Training with Industry Program at the McDonnell Douglas Astronautics (Space Systems) Company in 1988. Also, he was inducted into the Army Acquisition Corps in 1990.

During the 1980s, Major General Dellarocco served in several logistics assignments. He started in Germany as Battalion S4, 703d Maintenance Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division in Kitzingen. Later he transferred to the 493d Supply and Service Company, 2nd Support Command in Wurzberg to lead a Petroleum Platoon. He later went on to command the 493d. Upon his return from Germany, Major General Dellarocco became a Senior Instructor at the US Army Quartermaster School and was a member of the Light Infantry Division New Organization Training Team. In the late 1980s, he served at Anniston Army Depot as the Executive Officer to the Director for Total Quality Management and as Deputy Director of Supply.

Upon graduating from Lake Superior State College in 1978, he earned a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Administration (Marketing concentration) and received a Regular Army commission in the Quartermaster Corps. He earned a Masters of Science in Material Acquisition Management from the Florida Institute of Technology (1991), a Masters of Military Art and Science while attending the Command and General Staff College (1992), and a Masters of Strategic Studies from the US Army War College (2001).

Cdre. Clive. L. Walker

Joint Force Support (Afghanistan)14, UK MOD

Clive Walker joined Britannia Royal Naval College in April 1981 having been educated in North East Hampshire. After Supply and Secretariat training, he had a succession of appointments at sea and ashore with deployments in HMS FALMOUTH and HMS YORK to the Falklands and later to the Arabian Gulf at the start of the first Iraq conflict.

As a Lieutenant Commander, he served at BRNC as a Staff Officer with responsibility for training cadets as part of the Rowallan scheme before joining HMS BROADSWORD where he patrolled in the Adriatic earning the NATO medal before serving alongside US forces on operations in Haiti.

Moving to staff appointments in the MOD and then to Bath as the Assistant Secretary to the Chief of Fleet Support, he was promoted to Commander in 2000 and became the Military Assistant to three successive Commandant Generals of the Royal Marines. During this period, he deployed to NAVCENT in Bahrain as part of the Royal Marines Amphibious battlestaff to plan the logistic support to operations in Afghanistan.

Joining HMS OCEAN in 2003, he deployed to the second Gulf War and provided direct logistic support to the combined amphibious and aviation assault of Southern Iraq and subsequently became the Maritime Task Force Group Logistics Officer. After appointments to the Amphibious Task Group and the Naval Secretary’s Department, he was promoted to Captain in 2007 and appointed to lead the Logistics staff in the Permanent Joint Headquarters responsible for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Having recently served in the MOD’s logistic staff, he was selected for promotion to Commodore in August 2010 and will deploy to Afghanistan to Command the Joint Force Support Headquarters in Camp Bastion.

Brig. Richard Felton OBE

Chief of Joint Force Operations, PJHQ, UK MOD, UK MOD

Richard Felton was commissioned into the Gloucestershire Regiment in 1985. He served in Berlin, Northern Ireland, Catterick and the Falkland Islands before attending Division II of the Army Command and Staff Course in February 1995. Following Staff College, he served as Chief of Staff of 7 Armoured Brigade deploying to Bosnia as the Chief of Operations for MND (SW). He transferred to the Army Air Corps in 1998 and took command of 669 Squadron Army Air Corps in 1999. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in June 2001 and posted to the Directorate of Operational Capability as the SO1 Land. This appointment included operational audits of the JRRF, the Defence Crisis Management Organisation, Collective Training, Military Intelligence, Joint Air Defence, Maritime Counter Terrorism and Nuclear Attack Submarines. In April 2004 he completed the first Apache Conversion to Type Course and assumed command of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps. He deployed Apache to Afghanistan in April 2006 on Operation HERRICK 4, during which he commanded the Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan). He was promoted to Colonel in December 2006 and attended the Higher Command and Staff Course in 2007. He took over as Chief of Staff 1 (UK) Armd Div in May 2007 and deployed to Iraq on Operation TELIC as Chief of Staff MND (SE). He took over command of 4 Mechanized Brigade in January 2009 and deployed with the Brigade to Afghanistan in command of Task Force Helmand for Operation HERRICK 12. He assumed the appointment of Chief of Joint Force Operations in March 2011. He was awarded a MID in 1990 for operations in Northern Ireland, appointed MBE in 1998 for Operation LODESTAR, OBE in 2006 for Operation HERRICK 4 and CBE for Operation HERRICK 12.

Brig. Gen. Bobby Tuilan

Chief, Center of Defence Equipment Research and Development, Indonesian MoD, Indonesian MoD

Levent Senel

Head of Department, Land Platforms, Turkish Armed Forces, Turkish Armed Forces

Mr Senel completed university education at Istanbul Technical University, Aeronautical Engineering Department in 1987. After completion of 16 month military service, he started his professional life at SSM* in 1989 as a technical specialist supporting the defence acquisition programs. He served as the Program Manager in important aviation programs including Coast Guard Helicopter Procurement Program from 1996 to 2006 and as the National Program Coordinator of Turkey in the multinational A400M Transport Aircraft Program from 1991 to 2006. In July 2006, Mr Senel was appointed as the Department Head for International Cooperation, in charge of coordinating foreign relations of SSM, coordinating national participation in the international defence exhibitions, supporting the Turkish defence industry in their export activities, seeking the opportunities for international cooperation where possible, including NATO and other multilateral platforms. He was appointed as the Department Head for Land Platforms in January 2008. In this assignment, he took the lead in the contract awards for the important projects of Turkish Army, including Altay National Battle Tank, Tactical Wheeled Vehicles, Mobile Surgical Hospital, Tank Transporter, CBRN Mobile Field Laboratory, Amphibious Assault Bridge. Mr. Senel completed “Senior Executive Fellows” programme for high level executives at Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government in 2007 and National Security Academy in 2008. In parallel to his assignment as the Department Head at SSM, he served as the member of the Board of Directors of Tusas Engine Industries (TEI) from 2007 to 2010 and has been serving as the Auditor to Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) since 2010. He is married with three children.

*SSM (“Savunma Sanayii Müstesarligi” which stands for Undersecretariat for Defence Industries) is the Defence Procurement Agency of Turkey.

Col. Jens Riis

Commanding Officer DABG Team 11, Danish Army, Danish Army

As a junior officer, he served in different tank battalions. He graduated from the US Army Command and General Staff College in 2000. Upon return he got assigned to the Policy, Concepts and Doctrine Branch of the Army Staff.

He deployed to Afghanistan spring 2002, serving as the ACOS J9 of the Kabul Multinational Brigade, ISAF.

In 2003 he was assigned to HQ SACT, Virginia, where he worked with joint doctrine development, NATO Network Enabled Capability, and Integrated Logistics. Lastly, he became the Danish Army’s liaison officer to the US Army Training and Doctrine Command.

In 2008 he took command of an armoured infantry battalion, which later formed the basis of the Danish battle group in Afghanistan.

Col. Rupert Wieloch

Director Defence Studies (Army), British Army, British Army

Commissioned into the 17th/21st Lancers in 1979, Rupert Wieloch commanded the full range of British armoured vehicles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He deployed for 3 months to Norway in Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) with NATO’s Allied Command Europe and commanded a main battle tank squadron in Germany during the Cold War. His operational deployments have included: a tour as a rifle platoon commander in West Belfast; Gulf War security tasks in the Forward Mounting Base; an independent command in Bosnia during the transition between UN Peacekeeping and NATO Peace Enforcement and staff tours in Sarajevo and Baghdad. Between 2004 and 2006, he was responsible for delivering Land Forces’ Urgent Operational Requirements to the front line in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the first Task Force Helmand deployment and in 2007, he authored the Defence Equipment and Support UOR Study.

Current Appointment: Director of Defence Studies (Army) since 2009. The Chief of the General Staff’s representative with academia, delivering a Masters Degree programme in Strategic Studies, Contemporary Warfare and International Relations.

Lt. Col. Andy Weir

S01 Land 121 Capability Implementation Team, Development and Plans, Australian Army

Andy Weir was born on 22nd July 1973 in Melbourne. He is a graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy, The University of New South Wales, Deakin University, Australian Maritime College and the Royal Military College Duntroon into the Royal Australian Corp of Transport. He has been in the Australian Army for 18 years and has held a series of logistic and operational appointments and is currently the Staff Officer Grade 1 of the Land 121 Capability Implementation Team within the Director General Development and Plans in Army Headquarters, Canberra.

Lt. Col. Brian Doyle

Executive Officer, 3-4 Infantry, US Army

Brian J. Doyle is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. He is trained as an Armor officer and has served primarily in Cavalry units. His operational assignments include being a Tank Platoon Leader in South Korea, a Troop Commander in Germany, a Combat Advisor in Iraq and an Infantry Battalion Executive Officer in Afghanistan. He has deployed three times in support of the Global War on Terrorism. LTC Doyle received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Norwich University in Northfield Vermont, a Master’s degree in Geography from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the US Army Command and General Staff College. He is currently assigned as the Executive Officer of 3rd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment of the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Baumholder, Germany.

Lt. Col. Simon Hamilton OBE

Commanding Officer 2 Close Support Battalion REME, British Army

Lieutenant Colonel Simon Hamilton was commissioned into the REME in 1995 and was initially posted as a Phase 1 Recruit Platoon Commander at Princess Marina College in Arborfield. In 1996 he completed a degree in Electronic and Communications Systems Engineering and was subsequently posted as a Platoon Commander with 6 Battalion REME in Tidworth, deploying on operational tours to both Kosovo and Bosnia.

Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton was posted as Officer Commanding the Light Aid Detachment with the King’s Royal Hussars as part of 12 Mechanized Brigade in 2001. During his two year tour the King’s Royal Hussars converted from the Challenger 1 Main Battle Tank to the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank and deployed on Ex IRON ANVIL in Canada. In 2003 Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton was posted back to 6 Battalion REME as the Adjutant, where he deployed to Kosovo in-role with the Combat Service Support Battalion. On promotion to Major he was posted as the REME Officer Recruiter for a year, prior to attending Staff College.

Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton completed the Australian Advanced Command and Staff Course and a Masters in Defence Management and Strategic Studies in 2004. He was posted in 2005 as Officer Commanding 7 Close Support Company with 2 Close Support Battalion REME in Fallingbostel and deployed on Operation TELIC 7. Following Company Command, Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton was assigned as the Deputy Chief of Staff 20th Armoured Brigade in 2007, where he deployed to Iraq on Operation TELIC 13. In 2009 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed as Military Assistant to Director (Battlespace Manoeuvre)/Master General of the Ordnance on the central staff in the Ministry of Defence. He assumed command of 2 Close Support Battalion REME in Fallingbostel in September 2010.

He was awarded the OBE on the Operational Honours List 34 for his role on Operation TELIC 13.
Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton is married to Celia and has four children; Miles (14); Guy (12), Luke (10) and Edith, who was entirely planned and is 2!

Maj. Robert McKenzie

Regimental 2nd in Command, Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), 1 Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group

Maj McKenzie joined the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) in May of 1984, having completed recruit school at CFRD Cornwallis and served his first tour of Regimental duty in B Squadron until June of 1992. During that period, he deployed on a peacekeeping tour in Cyprus and attained the rank of Sgt. In Jan of 1992, he was trained as a Tactical Helicopter Observer (CH-136 KIOWA) and was posted to 408 Tac Hel Sqn, returning to the Regiment in Aug of 1993 for deployment to Bosnia in 1994, once again in B Sqn. In June of 1995, he was posted to Valcartier Quebec for French language training and employment as a tank Troop Warrant (Leopard C1) in Esc B, 12e Regiment Blinde du Canada. Maj McKenzie returned to the Strathcona’s in March of 1997 and deployed to Bosnia as part of the Strathcona Battle Group that August.

Following a year and a half as a troop Warrant and Tp Leader in C Sqn, he deployed to Kosovo as the tank (Leopard C1) Troop Warrant Officer with the 1 PPCLI Battle Group in June of 1999. Post-tour, he served as the Regimental Operations Warrant until being posted to the Land Forces Western Area Training Centre as the Company Sergeant Major of Advance Training Company, holding that position until Dec of 01, when he was commissioned from the ranks.

On commissioning, he returned to the Regiment and B Squadron as a Reconnaissance Troop Leader (Coyote) and deployed for a third tour in Bosnia in 2002. On return, he was Battle Captain of B Squadron (Leopard C2) until posted to HQ First Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in June of 2004, remaining there until Jan of 2007. During his time at Brigade HQ, he worked in the G3 cell, completed Staff College and deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 in the Regional Command South HQ as SO2 J35 Plans.

Post-Tour, he returned to the Regiment, serving as Operations Officer until promotion to his current rank and assumption of command of Reconnaissance Squadron in Nov of 2008. As OC Recce, he furthered the re-establishment of Recce capability within the Regiment and continued the integration of LAV TUA into Recce Squadron and the Corps.

Maj McKenzie assumed command of A Squadron in June of 2009 and deployed the Squadron to Afghanistan on Leopard II A6M as part of the 1 RCR Battle Group in the Spring of 2010. Post-tour, he remained in A Squadron during reconstitution and assumed the duties of Regimental Second in Command in July of 2011.

Maj. Steen Holm Iversen

Chief Lessons Learned Branch, Development Division, Danish Army Combat Centre

Major Steen Holm Iversen has served in the Danish Army since 1985 and has a broad military background. Major Iversen has served as Platoon and Company Commander from 1993 - 2003 in both Mechanized Infantry units and armoured units and undertaken several deployments in that period of time. Since 2003, Major Iversen has been serving at the Danish Army Combat Centre (DACC) in DK-6840 Oksboel. DACC is responsible of the research and development of the infantry, armoured and the reconnaissance units and the battlegroup level of the Danish Army.

From 2005-2006 as Chief of the Medium Battle Tank Branch Major Iversen was responsible for the studies and preparation work which led to a possible redefining of the use of the Medium Battle Tank in today’s Counter Insurgency. This work undertaken by Major Iversen and his team later contributed and made the deployment of the LEO 2 MBT to ISAF in 2007 possible.

As of 01 MAR 2008 and until 31 DEC 2009, Major Iversen was assigned as Chief of the Research and Development Branch in the Armoured Division of the DACC. In this position, Major Iversen was actively involved in defining the requirements for new procurements and for the ongoing development of the wheeled and tracked platforms of the Danish Army. The responsibility of Major Iversen and his team included mobility, agility, protection, sensor suites armament and ammunition. Major Iversen also led the investigations conducted on combat damaged vehicles in ISAF.
During this period Major Iversen also was assigned as one of the authors on the most extensive survey on protection technologies, the operational usage in relation to both the present and future fleets of vehicles ever produced in within the Danish defence. From 01 JAN 2010, Major Iversen was assigned to the Development Division of the DACC. In this position Major Iversen will be responsible for the developing the a ‘Lessons Learned Exploitation Centre’ of the Danish Army Combat Centre.

Maj. Dave Rutkay

Land Requirements 3 – Armoured Fighting Vehicle Systems, Canadian Forces

Major David Rutkay joined the Canadian Forces in 1984 as a Military Engineer. After completing basic and classification training, he was posted to an Engineer Field Unit at CFB Gagetown. In 1988 he was posted to National Defence Headquarters with the responsibility for counter-mine projects. He subsequently completed tours as a Trial Officer and with the Research and Development group focusing on mine-countermine technology. After tours as a Squadron Commander and a Land Force Area headquarters staff, Capt Rutkay was selected to attend Land Force Technical Staff Program in 1998. Upon completion on the course, he was posted to the Material Group as the project manager for the Improved Landmine Detection system (ILDS). He was promoted to his current rank in May 01 and became section head responsible for life cycle management of combat engineer related equipment. In 2006, he was posted to into the Directorate Land Requirements (DLR) as part of the Army Staff. He has held an array of positions, including the Project Director for the Expedient Route Opening Capability project, support to operations, Section head for Force Generation & Sustainment Systems, and currently is the Section Head for Armoured Vehicles.

Robert Shaw

Head of C-IED Office, ISAF

Patrik Persson

Head of Survivability Group, FMV, Swedish Armed Forces

Head of the Armour protection and Active Protection Systems section

Directorate for defence research and development, Land Systems Division, Israeli Defence Forces

Daniel Klein

Senior Armaments Cooperation Officer, European Defence Agency

Daniel Klein is working since October 2009 as Senior Armaments Cooperation Officer at the European Defence Agency in Brussels. He has 13 years of experience as Infantry and as Psychological Operations Officer in the German Army. Since 2001 he is working for the German Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement. As economist and price auditor he provided his experience to support the Eurofighter Project and worked for one year as procurement officer at the French Defence Procurement Office (DGA) in Paris

Paul Pointer

Former Turrets and Weapon Systems Planning and Technology Manager, Combat Tracks Group, DE&S, UK MOD

From 1966 – 1990 I served with UK BRITISH ARMY, (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) working in a variety of roles in the maintenance and support of Armoured Vehicles culminating in the role of Senior Technical Advisor for the Challenger1 Advisory Team. Following my service completion in1990 I then worked until 1992 at the SCHOOL OF ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (UK MoD) as a Technical Instructor lecturing on Heavy Armoured Vehicle Systems.

From 1992-1997, I moved to a post at The VEHICLES AND WEAPONS BRANCH REME which later became the ARMY TECHNICAL SUPPORT AGENCY of UK MoD where I worked as a Failure Analyst for Challenger MBT Systems. I was then recruited to work from1997-2000 at the TECHNICAL STUDIES INSTITUTE of the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES MOD. Where I served as, the Automotive Projects Manager, and Technical Advisor to the Commandant.

On my return in 2000 until 2003 I was employed by the DEFENCE LOGISTICS ORGANISATION (UK MOD) as the Equipment Support Manager for Mine Warfare Systems. In 2003 I became a Reliability Centred Maintenance Consultant for Land Systems until 2007.

During the restructuring of the MoD Support organisations I served from 2007 -2008 in DEFENCE EQUIPMENT & SUPPORT, as the Special Projects Manager for the Infantry Fighting Vehicles Team. In 2008 a further restructuring lead me via an 8 month tour as Senior Project Manager to my current post as Senior Planning and Technology Manager for Turret and Weapons Systems Team, Combat Tracks Group.

Prof. Farhad Rachidi

Head Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Group, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL)

Farhad Rachidi is the head of the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Group of of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). The Group is active in EMC research since early 1980s. Our Research is essentially sponsored by various programs of Swiss National Science Foundation, European Community, Swiss Electrical Utilities (PSEL, CREE-RDP), as well as by private companies.

We collaborate with many international research centers and universities among which Universities of Bologna and Rome (Italy), Uppsala University and KTH (Sweden), University of Toronto (Canada), University of Florida (USA), Radio Research and Development Institute (Russia), etc. Students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have an opportunity to get involved in EMC research through semester projects (undergraduate level), diploma projects (equivalent to MS), and Ph.D. programme. BIOGRAPHY Farhad Rachidi (IEEE Fellow, EMP Fellow, Electromagnetics Academy Fellow) was born in Geneva in 1962. He received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering and the Ph.D. degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, in 1986 and 1991 respectively. He worked at the Power Systems Laboratory of the same institute until 1996 and had several short stays at the University of Florida and the NASA Kennedy Space Center. In 1997, he joined the Lightning Research Laboratory of the University of Toronto in Canada and from April 1998 until September 1999, he was with Montena EMC in Switzerland. He is currently the head of the EMC Group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Prof. Ph.D. D.Sc. Adam Wisniewski

Head of Material Engineering Department, Military Institute of Armament Technology

Professor Adam Wisniewski, a retired Lieutenant Colonel, has been working for the Military Institute of Armament Technology in Zielonka, Poland, since 1972, when graduated the Military University of Technology in Warsaw. He is the Head of the Material Engineering Department, focusing his scientific activity on different types of armours and ammunition. So far, 15 inventions of Professor Wisniewski have been patented, among which the most important are the following: the explosive reactive armours ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2; the passive armours CAWA-1, CAWA-2 and PAWA-1; the passive-reactive armours CERAWA-1 and CERAWA-2. The armies of Poland and Malaysia are equipped with the PT-91 Hard tanks with the add-on modular ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 explosive reactive cassettes, protected by three patents. Professor Wisniewski is an author of three books, 147 articles published by Polish and international journals, or issued in the proceedings of Polish and international conferences, and183 unpublished written reports. He has participated in 22 research projects, two of them financed by the European Union. He has been granted a membership of scientific committees and scientific programming boards of various specialistic conferences and journals. Last year Professor Wisniewski became a member of Paper Selection Committee of the 26th International Symposium on Ballistic, to be held in Miami, in September 2011.

Genevieve Langdon

Associate Professor , Blast Impact and Survivability Research Unit (BISRU)

Genevieve was born in Liverpool (UK) where she grew up. She attended the University of Liverpool where she graduated with a first class honours degree in Integrated Engineering in 1999. Her undergraduate project thesis examined the failure modes of thin aluminium panels subjected to pressure pulses. She showed, for the first time, that the failure modes used to classify impulsively loaded beams and plates could also applied to statically and dynamically pressure-loaded metal panels. She worked at the University of Liverpool Impact Research Centre from 1999 to 2004 and was awarded a PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2003. Her thesis title was "Failure of corrugated panels and supports under blast loading: experimental, analytical and numerical studies". Her doctoral research was concerned with the performance of corrugated blast walls subjected to gas explosion loading, concentrating on the influence of the connection support in limiting the overall deformation and buckling of the panels. She recently completed a fellowship, funded by the 1851 Royal Commission, at the Blast Impact and Survivability Research Unit, University of Cape Town. She is now an academic staff member in the Mechanical Engineering Department at UCT. Her research involves examining the blast resistant properties of novel lightweight materials, scaling blast response and energy absorption of structures subjected to impulsive loading.

Anthony Bull PhD DIC ACGI BEng CEng FIMechE

Professor of Musculoskeletal Mechanics, Imperial Blast Research Group

Anthony Bull is Professor of Musculoskeletal Mechanics and Deputy Head of Bioengineering at Imperial College London. His research into how forces and motion are transmitted through the human body has resulted in over 100 peer-review journal publications covering the spectrum of how joints move, through novel implants and surgical procedures, to an analysis of the effect of extremely high loading rates on failure of tissues. He leads the civilian side of the Imperial Blast research group (www.imperialblast.org.uk) that seeks to establish fundamental understanding of blast-induced molecular, cellular, tissue and organ dysfunction by developing experimental and computational models of blast injury in order to impact on mitigation, acute-phase treatment (both surgical and non-surgical), restoration of function and rehabilitation.

Jörg Weise

Fraunhofer Institut für Fertigungstechnik und aterialforschung , IFAM Bremen

1989 - 1994 Study of physics at the Technical University Chemnitz

1995 - 1999 PhD study at the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg on modelling of the solidification kinetics of cast iron melts

since 1999 Scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials in Bremen working on casting and powder technology

since 2009 Visiting lecturer for material science at the University of Applied Science Bremen

Joachim Baumeister

Fraunhofer Institut für Fertigungstechnik und aterialforschung , IFAM Bremen

scientist: 1985-1991 IFAM, Bremen:

• optimisation of the mechanical properties of various steels • development of layered steel composites • superplasticity

project manager metal foams: 1991- today IFAM, Bremen:

• metal foams with open and closed pores by powder metallurgical and casting methods

awards 1994-1998

• International Schunk-Materials-Award, Paris • International EPMA-Award of Merit in PM, Granada

Felix Vega

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Group, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL)

Felix Vega is a Ph. D. student at the Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology EPFL, Switzerland. He received a B.S degree in Electronics Engineering and a M.S degree in Telecommunications from the Distrital University of Bogota, Colombia. He is also lecturer and researcher at the National University of Colombia, Bogotá. His research interests are in high power electromagnetic sources and antennas, high amplitude pulse sources, pulse radiating antennas and characterization of systems subject to intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI).

Chris Witts

Business Development Manager / RPG Protection Systems, AmSafe

Chris Witts served 9 years as an officer in the British Royal Marines deploying to Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, where he commanded 32 Hagglund VIKING armoured amphibious vehicles on their inaugural operation in Helmand.

Chris’s final assignment for the Royal Marines was as Capability Manager – Navy Command Headquarters – where he was responsible for analyzing capability requirements and proposing solutions to capability gaps.

Chris’ first-hand experience with RPG attacks provides him with unique insight into the operational protection requirements of vehicle commanders. Chris left the Royal Marines in 2010 and is now Business Development Manager for AmSafe’s Tarian RPG Protection System.

Jan Molter

Vice President Protection Division, SCHOTT

Jan Molter has been responsible for the Protection Division of SCHOTT as Vice President since he joined the company in 2008. Prior to joining SCHOTT, he held a senior position in the defense industry. He began his career as a soldier and served in the German Navy. After more than 14 years, he left the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander and Commanding Officer of a submarine

Stephen M. Webb

Program Manager, DRS Sustainment Systems Inc

Stephen M. Webb is Program Manager for DRS Technologies, Inc. In this capacity, he is responsible for overall management of the company's armor business. This includes program execution, managing customer relationships, and new business pursuits.

Mr. Webb earned his Bachelor’s Degree in business administration from Saint Louis University in 2001, and is currently pursuing an MBA from Webster University. In 2009, Mr. Webb was honored by the St. Louis Business Journal as a “40 Under 40” honoree. This annual award recognizes young leaders who are making a significant impact in the St. Louis business arena and in their communities.

Michael Klein

Director Defence and Security, Hutchinson

1987 Joined the Army in the Artilleries Troops 1988-91 Officers course in Germany and France 1998 Captain, Unit Commander, Artillery Bataillon 2000 SFOR Bosnia (Mostar), HQ Multinational Division South East, G2 Ops 2001 General Staff Course, Hamburg (GE), Shrivenham (UK), Paris (FR) 2003 HQ EUROCORPS, Strasbourg (FR), G3 Ops 2004-05 HQ ISAF, Afghanistan (Kabul), Military Advisor to Deputy Commander Operations (DCOM Ops) ISAF 2005 Ministry of Defense, Plans & Policy 2008 Head of Sales, Deutsche Hutchinson GmbH, Defense & Security 2010 Director, Hutchinson GmbH, Defense & Security

Col. Jon Clasper

Defence Professor Trauma & Orthopaedics, Imperial College London

Jon graduated in medicine from Glasgow University in 1986 and completed his basic surgical training in the armed forces. Jon’s higher surgical training included a year at the major trauma centre in Baltimore, USA, as well as 3 years at Oxford. His clinical training also included basic science research on implant infection, for which he was awarded a DPhil in 2001 and a DM in 2002. Since being appointed a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, in 1999, his main clinical interests are in trauma and upper limb surgery, particularly instability and shoulder pain, both of which involve multidisciplinary approaches. As Defence Professor in Trauma and Orthopaedics he is responsible for the orthopaedic research focus of the British military. This is a joint post between the military and The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and was established in June 09 to complement the Defence Professor of Surgery within the Academic Department of Military Surgery and Trauma, which itself was established in 2006. Prior to his appointment as Professor, Jon was the Reader in Military Surgery in the Department.

Cobus van der Merwe

Executive Manager: BD Land, Saab

Cobus van der Merwe joined the South African Army in Jan 1975 and was trained in mechanised warfare (cavalry, armour and specialised infantry). His training also included Soviet block platoon weapons and MBT’s.

He served on active duty in African conventional warfare, counter-insurgency warfare, peace support and stability operations. He served in a number of systems and technology related staff positions. Most notably of these were Armour R&D Wing commander, PM for the ROOIKAT Wheeled Combat Vehicle program, PM for SA Army Vehicle Simulators and Senior Staff Officer Armour R&D for the South African Army. From1999 until his retirement from Regular Service in 2001, he was User System responsible for SA Army vehicle technology programs including programs like active protection, electric drive vehicles and signature management. He was awarded the Military Merit Medal and also holds three campaign medals.

He is currently employed at Saab as Executive Manager Business Development responsible for Land System survivability for the global market. He is consulted by Government and Industry as subject matter expert on Armour User System issues and military technology matters. He is a frequent speaker at international events on protection related subjects. In 2010 he won the Saab Corporate Innovator of the Year Award.

He is married to Brita and they have two sons. His interests are wildlife conservation, military and business strategy, combat vehicle technology and wildlife photography.

Roger Sloman

, Advanced Blast and Ballistic Systems

Founded the Advanced Composites Group in 1975 and developed the business into a global operation based on novel prepreg materials for the aerospace, motor racing, and general composites markets. The company was sold to Umeco for £45million in 2004.

In 2007 worked for Aigis Blast Protection Ltd. which resulted in a brief involvement in blast testing of armoured vehicles.

After leaving Aigis in 2008, recognised the potential for active blast protection systems, and carried out initial privately funded trials to demonstrate the VGAM principle. Further development by Sloman & Associates Ltd. funded by UK MOD.

Andrew Plater

research thrust coordinator, Shield and Sustain, Defence Research and Development Canada

Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret’d) Plater has served as both an Engineer officer and Artillery Officer in the Canadian Forces. His first regimental posting was with 5e Régiment d’Artillerie Légère du Canada where he served in a wide variety of Regimental posts and deployed to Bosnia as a Forward Air Controller. His second regimental tour came at 4 Engineer Support Regiment as the Adjutant, Officer Commanding 41 Construction Squadron, and subsequently 48 Administration Squadron. He has also served at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering as the Officer Commanding the Field Engineer Training Squadron, and as the Deputy Commanding Officer. His last post before retirement was in the Directorate of Land Requirements as the Section head for Mobility, Counter-Mobility and Survivability equipment.

LCol (Ret’d) Plater retired from the Canadian Army in March of 2009 to assume a position as a program coordinator for Defence Research and Development Canada. He is currently a research thrust coordinator for the Army Capability areas of Shield and Sustain.

LCol (Ret’d) Plater holds Bachelors Degrees in Science (Acadia) and in Chemical Engineering (TUNS), as well as a Masters Degree in Applied Military Science (RMC). He is a graduate of the Land Force Technical Staff Course, the Army Command and Staff Course, and the Canadian Forces Joint Command and Staff Program.

Dr. Daniel Farmer

Force Protection, Senior Scientist

Dr. Dan Farmer received his M.Sc. at the University of Illinois in 1980 and in 2003 he was awarded his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the North Carolina State University. He also attended a large number of military courses and has worked under the direction of Dr. Vernon Joynt.

Combining technical knowledge and a practical welding and fabrication background, he was an instructor at University of Illinois, North Carolina State University and Western Washington University where he taught undergraduate level dynamics, engineering economics and vehicle powertrain design. For the State of Washington, he was a board member of the Washington Technology Center (now Innovate Washington) reviewing the state funding of startup companies. For two years he was the president of a worldwide technology user group on focused on simulation and vehicle laboratory testing.

Dr. Farmer is responsible for a large number of innovative designs and patents. He led teams designing the current delivery vehicles for Fed EX and UPS, Aerodynamic trucks for Kenworth and buses for Los Angeles. He and his father developed a series of handicap assist devices and exercise equipment. He was also the university program lead on the early “global warming” measurement - Lewis and Clark satellite program for NASA.

His focus at Force Protection has been to lower the vehicle purchase and operational cost without compromise to the protection level.

Dr Andy Rogers

Vice President, Survivability, QinetiQ North America

Dr. Rogers is currently the Vice President of QinetiQ North America, Technology Solution Group's Survivability Division. The Division offers a broad portfolio of Survivability products for aircraft, ground vehicles and personnel. Ground vehicle offerings include a variety of ballistic armor (opaque and transparent), spall liners, RPG defeat solutions, gunshot detection, egress lighting, blast mitigating seating, track pads and fuel efficiency systems. Prior to this position he has held a variety of positions in both management and as a scientist in the high tech industry. Dr. Rogers holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the University of Miami.

Lieutenant Colonel Jaromir Mares, PhD.

Deputy Chief of Logistics Department, Czech Military University

Position: Deputy Chief of Logistics Department, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Defense in Brno, Czech Republic. I am married, my wife is Marie and we have 3 children

My education: I graduated master degree in 1979; PhD graduation – 2001 in branch of technology and materials at Military Academy in Brno, I went though short practice at the units as commander and I have reach carrier as university instructor with practice in abroad. Experiences from abroad missions: Spent 3 years in Libya for maintenance department, 4 election missions in Bosnia (1998, 1999 -2x) and Kosovo (2001), Special courses: Course in Canada 1993, Logistics courses in USA at ALMC Fort Lee Virginia (2003 – CLC3 and 2005 - LEDAC)

Current activity with foreign partners:- The leader for practical international students logistics exercise - FOURLOG; Member of NSA (NATO Standardization Agency) - battle maintenance panel. presentations per year in frame of ERASMUS program in Romania Presentations abroad from Science grand task

Except these, I am soldier and my main daily program consists of paper work for chief of department and others activities which include: - Classes as university instructor (our students are military and civilians – in three programs bachelor, master and doctor). - To do science work for logistics department - I am main manager of one our project and my obligation is to research and after participate at international conferences, to write papers and to do presentations - I am member of international boards, boards for final students exams, work for international journals as Reviews and Bulletins in Sibiu and Brasov, Romania, member of scientific committees during international conferences. - I have usual daily obligations as soldier: military preparation, PT, duty as duty officer ect.