Defence Fellowship to focus on oil security
Australia's oil security will be scrutinised under a new Secretary of Defence Fellowship awarded toDefence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) Senior Research Scientist Dr Greg Calbert.
Greg was presented with his Fellowship certificate in a ceremony on Monday 10 February, 2014.
“My fellowship will ultimately produce a sound method to inform strategy for decision makers on fuel security and decision points that have to be made to enhance security if required,” Greg said. “It’s about setting up a military and civilian liquid fuel security barometer".
“All components of the fuel chain are important including supply, reserves, politics, diversity of supply, agreements and contracts.”
Greg has worked in the fuel domain for nine years studying fuel supply chain modelling and analysis for his client, the Director of Strategic Fuel. His work has impacted on capacity and throughput for Defence to meet contingency fuel requirements.
“Australia’s refineries are disappearing,” he said, “and it’s vitally important to also look at the impact of this on fuel security.”
Greg says being awarded the Fellowship was a real surprise. “When the Director General Defence Learning phoned me it came as a shock."
“I said to him, is this real, and he replied, it’s so real I’ll send you an email confirming it. It was a surprise and I am very proud to be selected.”
Two questions will form the basis of his research:
- How is liquid fuel security changing in the long term to meet future operational requirements of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and how we should measures those changes?
- What decision points should Defence be aware of in the future, that may cause Defence and Australia as a whole to act to ensure liquid fuel security?
Greg’s Fellowship formally started on January 1 and finishes on December 29 next year.
