The NATO Science and Technology Board (STB) has awarded the 2023 Von Kármán Medal to Prof. Krzysztof Kulpa, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the field of radar technology. The STB also granted the 2023 STO Excellence Awards to Dr Paramsothy Jayakumar (USA) for his work on the modelling and simulation of mobility and vehicle dynamics, and to an international research group focused on high-energy laser weapons. The award selections were approved on 22 March at the spring 2023 STB meeting held at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
The Von Kármán Medal honours individuals for their lifetime dedication to international collaboration on science and technology (S&T) in NATO, and for their contributions to STO activities over an extended period. The STB typically awards one Von Kármán Medal each year. The STO Excellence Awards recognise exceptional accomplishments in STO activities that were conducted and completed within the last four years, and can be granted to both teams and individuals.
As the governing body of the STO, the NATO STB provides strategic guidance on science and technology (S&T) in NATO, provides direction and guidance on the STO Programme of Work, and delivers S&T-based advice to NATO decision makers. It is chaired by the NATO Chief Scientist, Dr Bryan Wells.
2023 Von Kármán Medal
 This year’s Von Kármán Medal winner, Prof. Krzysztof Kulpa, is the Scientific Director of the Center for Position Organization in Scientific Research Defense and Security Technology at Warsaw University. He has received several awards for his educational skills, including the Rector Award for Didactics, the Medal of the National Education Commission, and the Polish Ministry of Higher Education Award. He has also received awards for his scientific achievements, including the Gold Cross of Merit and several Medals of Merit for National Defense.
Prof. Kulpa has published more than 500 papers on radar technology – including more than 100 on passive radars – and has worked extensively with military experts to integrate passive radars within command and control networks, and apply them to the modern battlefield. He has worked with the STO since 1999 and has led several Research Task Groups and Lecture Series, primarily in the Sensors and Electronics Technology (SET) Panel. He has won the SET Panel Excellence Award four times, and has demonstrated exemplary commitment, professionalism and expertise over the course of more than 20 years with the STO.
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STO Excellence Awards
This year’s STO Excellence Awards honoured a Research Task Group focused on the integration of high-energy laser (HEL) weapons in future coalition operations. Formed under the Systems Concepts and Integration (SCI) Panel, the team (SCI-264) considered the impacts that the introduction of HEL weapons would have on the shared battlespace, and was the first STO research group to conduct joint testing of reflections from targets engaged by HEL weapons in realistic conditions. Six NATO Nations were represented on the team, which began work in 2014 and concluded in 2018.
Over this period, the team carried out an assessment of the kill chain for HEL systems and developed an “HEL 101” briefing that NATO Nations can use to educate technical and operational staff. They also shared a large dataset that provided the basis for ongoing follow-on analysis. Together, these products have helped to improve Nations’ understanding of HEL safety hazards and impacts on interoperability. The Netherlands initiated a laser weapon programme following the release of the team’s report, and credited SCI-264 for helping to inform the decisions of leadership.
Their work has also fed into other STO research activities, including work on directed energy weapons concepts and employment (SAS-140), quantifying the impact of HEL weapon atmospherics and reflections (SCI-316), and a research lecture series on the opportunities and challenges of HEL weapon technology (SCI-340).
Dr Jayakumar, the other recipient of a 2023 STO Excellence Award, is a recognised leader in the modeling and simulation of mobility and vehicle dynamics within the STO and the US Department of Defense. Over the course of his career, he has developed methods and tools that enable mobility performance assessments for current and future military ground systems. He currently works as a Senior Technical Expert at the US Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center.
Between 2015 and 2022, Dr Jayakumar served as the co-chair of two Exploratory Teams formed under the Applied Vehicle Technology (AVT) Panel, three AVT Research Task Groups, and two AVT Cooperative Demonstrations of Technology. He led teams that developed the Next-Generation NATO Reference Mobility Model (NGNRMM), which provides enhanced mobility prediction to support operational planning, vehicle design and acquisition. Two demonstrations of this model were held in 2018 and 2022, and it has been documented as a NATO Standardization Recommendation (STANREC 4813) as well as the corresponding NATO Standard AMSP-06.
The 2023 STO Excellence Award recognises Dr Jayakumar’s unwavering commitment to NATO and the STO, and the expertise, engagement and leadership he has displayed in coordinating multinational and multidisciplinary collaboration.
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