Top of the class awards have gone to three New Zealand Defence Force personnel attending overseas courses recently. Flight Lieutenant Joanne Beale, a logistics supply officer, was top student on the Logistic Executive Development Course conducted by the US Army at Fort Lee, Virginia.
At another United States course, Wing Commander Kevin McEvoy, a navigator, was named top student out of 253 course members attending the United States Air Force Air War College in Alabama.
Major Allan Kinsella, from the New Zealand Army, has been selected as the 2005 Distinguished Master Strategist at the US Army’s Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He competed against almost 1000 American officers and about 100 non-American exchange officers. The competition required the students to write both an essay and take part in an oral panel. Major Kinsella was awarded first place in both.
Flight Lieutenant Beale, who works in supply training policy for the RNZAF, said the course she was on, which was run by the US Army, focussed on resource and acquisition management, economics, statistics and “decision science” which is based on logistics. Apart from US students, other students on the course came from Lithuania, South Korea, Greece, Sudan, Egypt, Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania and Indonesia. “I enjoyed the interaction with the other students,” she said. “I learnt that we as New Zealanders are very good at what we do. Size isn’t everything – we as a Defence Force do things very well.”
Major Allan Kinsella, from Wellington, enlisted in the New Zealand Army in 1990. He graduated into the Regiment of the Royal New Zealand Artillery in 1993. He held various positions within the Army after that, and in December 2002 returned to 16th Field Regiment, Linton Camp as the Battery Commander 161 Battery.
Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson congratulated the three officers on their success. “They have displayed professionalism, hard work and dedication, and are excellent ambassadors for the New Zealand Defence Force.”
From left, Wing Commander Kevin McEvoy, Major Allan Kinsella, and Flight Lieutenant Joanne Beale.