Winners of the 2021 Defence Awards

Best Young Defence Journalist

Oriana Pawlyk

Best Training, Simulation and Readiness submission

Yasmin Tadjdeh - Air Force Embracing New Tech to Solve Pilot Shortage - National Defense Magazine

Best Military Aviation Submission

Lee Hudson - Short of Breath - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Best Breaking News Story

Jon Lake - Wedgetail at Risk - Air Forces Monthly

Best Land Systems submission

Jon Harper - Cold Front: Special Operations Forces Bracing for Arctic Missions - National Defense Magazine

The Best Defence Electronics submission

Nathan Strout - How the Space Force foiled an Iranian missile attack with a critical early warning C4ISRNET

Best Military Maintenance Repair & Overhaul submission

Megan Eckstein - NAVSEA: Analysis of Ship Repair Processes Led to Better On-Time Rates, More Realistic Schedules - USNI

Best Technology Submission

Tim Martin - Stealth technology – Now you see me, now you don’t - Air Warfare

Best National Security Space Submission

Sandra Erwin - To Defend the High Frontier, Space Force Wants Digitally Minded Troops – SpaceNews

Best Naval Systems submission

Alix Valenti – Naval Design Swap – Armada International

Best Un-manned systems submission

Garrett Reim - Record number of UAV shoot downs prompt new USAF tactics and countermeasure pod - Flightglobal

Best Military Rotorcraft submission

Steve Trimble - Fast Forward - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Best Digital Defence submission

National Defense

The John Morrocco Award for Best In-Depth Defense Reporting

Judges Commendation - Gabriel Dominguez – Heading for the Exit – Jane’s Defence Weekly

The John Morrocco Award for Best In-Depth Defense Reporting

Theresa Hitchens and Sydney Freedberg – Army plan may loosen IC grip on sat based ISR – Breaking Defense

Outstanding Achievement Award

Andrew Drwiega

Sandra Erwin

The Shortlisted Finalists for the 2021 Defence Media Awards

Best Young Defence Journalist - sponsored by NAMMO

  Sam Cranny-Evans

  Andrew Eversden

  Brian Everstine

  Oriana Pawlyk

  Yasmin Tadjdeh

  Nathan Strout

Best Training, Simulation and Readiness submission - sponsored by CAE

Megan Eckstein - Navy Expanding Use of Virtual Trainers for Surface Ship Crews - USNI

Brian Everstine - Coping With COVID Across the Force – Air Force Magazine

Gidget Fuentes - Fatigue at Sea – SEA Power Magazine

Valerie Insinna and Aaron Mehta - The military is scrambling to understand the aviation crash risk from a new 5G sale – Defense News

Gareth Jennings - Red Hawk rising: Boeing and Saab tout 21st Century trainer - Janes Defence Weekly

Yasmin Tadjdeh - Air Force Embracing New Tech to Solve Pilot Shortage - National Defense Magazine

Best Military Aviation Submission

Angie Bee and Jon Lake - Sentinel Stands Down - Air Forces Monthly

Lee Hudson - Short of Breath - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Valerie Insinna - A US Air Force war game shows what the service needs to hold off — or win against — China in 2030 - Defense News

Reuben F. Johnson - Ukraine Turns to West For Fighters - Plans to Drop MiG Fleet - Breaking Defense 

Oriana Pawlyk - After Fatal Jet Crash, the Pilots Got Blamed. Then the Air Force Banned the Flight Maneuver – Military.com

Steve Trimble - F-35A Is Caught In an Acquisition Dogfight Within The US Air Force – Aviation Week & Space Technology

Best Breaking News Story - available for sponsorship

Arie Egozi – Bibi said yes to F35 sale to UAE – Breaking Defense

Jon Lake - Wedgetail at Risk - Air Forces Monthly

Ridzwan Rahmat - Indonesian Navy submarine missing in Bali Sea - Janes Navy International

Skip Robinson - Creek Fire rescues pushed helicopter crews to the max - Verticalmag.com/Vertical Valor

Richard Scott - UK set for shipbuilding strategy refresh - Janes Navy International

Kelvin Wong - Tatmadaw brings UAVs to bear on quelling protest movement - Janes Defence Weekly

Best Land Systems submission - sponsored by Northrop Grumman

Samuel Cranny-Evans, Riccardo Cociani, and Gabriel Dominguez – Reform, Re-equip, Restructure – Jane’s Defence Weekly

Flavia Camargos Pereira - MBT modernisation: Old vs new - Land Warfare

Jon Harper - Cold Front: Special Operations Forces Bracing for Arctic Missions - National Defense Magazine

Jen Judson - US Army tackles enduring system to counter both drone and cruise missile threats – Defense News

Suman Sharma - Asymmetric Warfare – European Security & Defence

Kelvin Wong - Digital predator: Hunter AFV extends Singapore Army’s battlespace awareness and lethality - Janes International Defence Review

The Best Defence Electronics submission – sponsored by W. L . Gore & Associates

Andrew Eversden - Pentagon shattered speed record to give 1 million people remote work tools - C4ISRNET

Gareth Jennings - The Dark Art: Airborne EA becomes ‘the new black’ for mission success – Jane’s International Defence Review

Jon Lake - Next Gen Radar - Air Forces Monthly

Nathan Strout - How the Space Force foiled an Iranian missile attack with a critical early warning C4ISRNET

Yasmin Tadjdeh - Semiconductor Shortage Shines Light on Weak Supply Chain -National Defense Magazine

Steve Trimble - Shock Force - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Best Military Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) submission – sponsored by Northrop Grumman

Rachel Cohen - Fighter wings try a fresh approach to combat maintenance - Air Force Times

Gerrard Cowan - Automated advantage: The defence industry and AI - Janes Defence Weekly

Megan Eckstein - NAVSEA: Analysis of Ship Repair Processes Led to Better On-Time Rates, More Realistic Schedules - USNI

Jon Harper - Transition to New F-35 Logistics System Hits Headwinds - National Defense Magazine

Trevor Nash - Maintenance Training: Gold Standard - Military Training

Nathan Strout - The Army is making tank upgrades as simple as switching video game cartridges - C4ISRNET

Best Technology Submission - sponsored by L3Harris

Sydney Freedberg – Pentagon’s Hypersonics director rebuts the critics – Breaking Defense

Jon Lake - Next Gen Radar – Air Forces Monthly

Tim Martin - Stealth technology – Now you see me, now you don’t - Air Warfare

Meredith Roaten - Analysts Question Uniqueness of Hypersonic Weapons Capabilities - National Defense Magazine

Richard Scott - Decision time: Human-machine teaming in the future operations room - Janes International Defence Review

Kenneth I. Swartz - US Air Force Primes the eVTOL Industry - Vertiflite

Best National Security Space Submission – sponsored by Sierra Nevada Corporation

Sandra Erwin - To Defend the High Frontier, Space Force Wants Digitally Minded Troops – SpaceNews

Lee Hudson - Space Alert - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Valerie Insinna - Can Biden solve the Space Force’s public relations crisis? - Defense News

Vivienne Machi - US military places a bet on LEO for space security - Via Satellite

Oriana Pawlyk - General Says US Military Should Consider a Deconfliction Line for Space – Military.com

Tom Withington – Pan’s Labyrinth – Armada International

Best Naval Systems submission

Megan Eckstein - USS Carl Vinson Preparing for First F-35C, ‘Advanced Carrier Air Wing’ Deployment – USNI

David B. Larter - For the fire-ravaged ship Bonhomme Richard, the US Navy has no good options - Defense News

Richard Scott - Access all areas: UKMCMFOR stays the course in the Gulf - Janes Navy International

Suman Sharma - Indian Naval Aviation Considering Major Reforms in 2021

Anika Torruella and Mike Fabey - Vanishing act: policing new Arctic routes as ice cover retreats- Janes Navy International

Alix Valenti – Naval Design Swap – Armada International

Best Un-manned systems submission – sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

Pat Host - Manned or unmanned: Light combat aircraft face competition from UAVs – Jane’s

Valerie Insinna - Get ready for another fight over the future of the MQ-9 Reaper - Defense News

Tim Martin - MALE UAS: The Trump effect - Air Warfare. Issue 1/2021

Garrett Reim - Record number of UAV shoot downs prompt new USAF tactics and countermeasure pod - Flightglobal

Steve Trimble – Autopilot - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Kelvin Wong - China’s CH-6 armed reconnaissance UAV development breaks cover - Janes International Defence Review

Best Military Rotorcraft submission - sponsored by Elbit Systems of America

Jason Jorgensen- Black Hawk Glass – Heliops Magazine

Tim Martin - FVL: upward spiral - Air Warfare

Garrett Reim - US Army to exploit crucial weakness in Russian, Chinese air defences - Flightglobal

Yasmin Tadjdeh - U.S. Rotorcraft Industry Trying to Regain Footing - National Defense Magazine

Chris Thatcher and Dan Parsons - Atlantic Destiny - Vertical Valor

Steve Trimble - Fast Forward - Aviation Week & Space Technology

Best Digital Defence submission (including video reports, podcasts and online news reports)

Defense & Aerospace Report

Defense News

National Defense

Rotor Radio

Shephard media

Wombat – Women in Combat

The John Morrocco Award for Best In-Depth Defense Reporting

- sponsored by Boeing

Mark Cazalet - GBAD moon rising: Examining future radar and anti-air technologies - Janes International Defence Review

Sam Cranny Evans - Russian special forces rearm to shape the battlefield – Jane’s International Defence Review

Gabriel Dominguez – Heading for the Exit – Jane’s Defence Weekly

Megan Eckstein and Sam LaGrone - No Margin Left: Overworked Carrier Force Struggles to Maintain Deployments After Decades of Overuse - USNI News

Gina Harkins - These Marines Devoted Their Lives to the Corps. Then They Were Singled Out for Having Children – Military.com

Jon Harper - Pentagon Grapples With AI’s Ethical Challenges - National Defense Magazine

Theresa Hitchens and Sydney Freedberg – Army plan may loosen IC grip on sat based ISR – Breaking Defense

Ashley Roque - Under Pressure: US Army races to prove combat vehicle progress – Jane’s International Defence Review

The Outstanding Achievement Award (s) will be announced during the presentation of the Defence Media Awards on 10th October.