Writing Awards

2025 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition Award Winner for the article “Australia’s Increasingly Important Role in Regional Maritime Security: Reconciling Ends and Means.”

2024 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition Award Winner for the article “Australia’s Critical Role in Regional Maritime Security.”

2024 – SIGNAL Magazine 2024 Cyber Edge Writing Contest, Award Winner for the article, “Leveraging Social Engineering for Successful Cyber Operations: Enhancing the Minds of Decision-Makers.”

2023 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition First Place Award Winner for the article “Adding to the ‘Kit’ of Australia’s Blue Water Navy.”

2022 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition Award Winner for the article, “A National Imperative to Protect Australia’s Ports and Harbors.”

2021 – SIGNAL Magazine 2021 Cyber Edge Writing Contest, First Place Award Winner for the article, “From AI Hype to AI Proof” (with Sam Tangredi).

2019 – Naval Information Warfare Command Pacific, Distinguished Publication Award for the SUBTECH Symposium conference paper, “Providing an Undersea Infrastructure for Energy Replenishment and Data Transfer” (with Jose Chavez, Lorraine Duffy, Pedro Forero, and Eric Hendricks).

2019 – Naval Information Warfare Command Pacific, Publication Award for Non-Technical Documents for the 23rd ICCRTS paper, “Command and Control for the Global Network of Navies” (with Stephanie Hszieh).

2019 – U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings – Prize Winner in General Prize Essay Contest for the article, “The Navy Needs AI, It Just Isn’t Certain Why.”

2019 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition, First Place Award Winner for the article, “The Importance of the International Law of the Sea to Australia’s Growing Role as a Maritime Power.”

2017 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition, Prize Winner for the article, “A Navy for a Dangerous Neighborhood.”

2016 – Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific Publication of the Year Award for Non-Technical Documents for the Naval Engineers Journal article, “Distributed Lethality, Command and Control Software Engineering, and Navy Laboratories,” (with Bill Bonwit, Kurt Rothenhaus, and Anna Stang).

2016 – Surface Navy Association Literary Award for Best Professional Article addressing surface navy issues for the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings article, “A Potent One-Two Punch.”

2016 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition, Award Winner for the article, “Dealing with Two Superpowers: Australia Must Understand What China and the United States Want.”

2015 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition, First Place Award Winner for the Professional Category for the article, “Defending Our Neighborhood: Can We Guard Australia’s Maritime Frontier.”

2014 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition Second Place Award Winner for the Professional Category for the article, “The U.S. Pivot to the Pacific: Is It Real or Is It Memorex?”

2013 – Military Writers Association of America Silver Medal Award Winner for Thriller/Mystery for Tom Clancy Presents: Act of Valor.

2013 – Military Writers Association of America Awards Finalist for History for The Kissing Sailor.

2011 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition First Place Award Winner for Professional Category for the article, “Australia and AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defence: Preparing for the Indo-Pacific Century,” (with Ed Feege).

2010 – Navy League of Australia’s Annual Essay Competition Award Winner for Professional Category for the article “Australia’s Key Role in the Global Maritime Partnership: Challenges and Opportunities” (with Stephanie Hszieh and Darren Sutton).

1999 – Navy League of the United States – Runner-up for Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement (runner-up to Edward Beach).

1993 – Navy League of the United States – Winner of the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement.

1992 – U.S. Naval Institute – First Honorable Winner in Arleigh Burke Essay Contest in U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings.

1991 – U.S. Naval Institute – First Honorable Winner in International Navies Essay Contest in U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings.

1989 – Naval Helicopter Association – Award for Best Article on Career Planning and Management in Rotor Review.