Joe Medved

Air Commodore Mr Medved is an experienced aviation safety professional and was appointed as Director General Defence Aviation Safety Authority (DASA) in December 2020.

Air Commodore Medved joined the Air Force in 1992 as an engineering cadet at the Australian Defence Force Academy. As an engineering officer Air Commodore Medved served in 32SQN as the aircraft maintenance officer on HS748 aircraft and then at Training Aircraft Logistics Management Squadron in a design engineer and logistician role supporting the PC-9/A fleet.

Following post graduate study in Aircraft Vehicle Design at Cranfield University in 2000, Air Commodore Medved completed multiple specialist engineer postings to the Defence aviation safety regulator (formerly the Directorate General Technical Airworthiness) supporting F/A-18, Hawk and PC-9/A aircraft, during which he was promoted to SQNLDR. As a strong advocate for the engineering workforce, Air Commodore Medved then worked in the Air Force posting agency in 2006 as a career manager for Air Force engineers.

In November 2008, Air Commodore Medved was posted on promotion to Wing Commander into the Aerospace Systems Division Chief Engineer position where he governed acquisition engineering management systems and provided Divisional headquarters engineering staff support. This was followed by his selection as the Battlefield Airlifter Project Engineering Manager in 2011, during which he oversaw entry of the first C-27J aircraft into the Air Force inventory in 2014. Air Commodore Medved returned to the Defence Aviation Safety Authority in 2015 to develop the Defence Aviation Safety Regulations prior to his posting on promotion to Group Captain into the Director of Aviation Engineering position in 2016.