Civilian Employee Receives ASIC Award
By WGCDR Rory Paddock
On 31 May 2010, Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air Commodore Gavin Howse presented Mr Mark Knight with an award for his longstanding commitment and dedication to the Air and Space Interoperability Council (ASIC); the ‘Five-Eyes’ air forces interoperability organisation.
ASIC Award
Mr Knight has been the New Zealand Head of Delegation of the ASIC Fuels Group—previously Air Standardisation Coordination Committee (ASCC) Working Party 15—since 1997. He represented New Zealand at 10 international working group meetings, involving the militaries of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as New Zealand. During this period, Mr Knight has been one of the ‘unsung heroes’ of ASIC, working to maintain and enhance interoperability of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Much of the work undertaken by Mr Knight is of the sort that many of us tend to take for granted, but without which we would not be able to land or take off our aircraft, or receive those from visiting nations, without considerable difficulty, and indeed risk. But then, of course, air power is holistic—and works from the ground up!
Mr Knight’s dedication to ASIC has contributed to significant and mutually beneficial advances in interoperability, with associated intangible benefits from information sharing and equipment loans between ASIC member nations, plus some considerable cost savings in the area of fuels.
Recent estimated savings include:
- $1M on manuals production for the mobile petroleum laboratory and refuellers
- $1.5M on research for synthetic aviation fuels, and
- $150,000 on the development of specifications for fuel tankers.
These are significant amounts, by any stretch of the imagination, and it is thanks considerably to the leadership role undertaken by Mr Mark Knight in ASIC that they have been achieved.
So, very well done, and congratulations, Mark!