The Ministry of the Army today announced the winners of the 2021 Army Partnership Awards. The prizes will be presented during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday January 12, 2022.

The Army has selected seven nearby facilities and communities to demonstrate partnerships that improve quality of life, enhance Army readiness, and modernize Army processes, while building stronger community relationships. .

This year’s winners include the following partnership initiatives:

· Fort Benning Hazard / Mutual Emergency Assistance with Chattahoochee Valley: Fort Benning has partnered with the Chattahoochee Valley “Tricommunity” for an All Hazards / Emergency Mutual Aid Memorandum of Understanding. This partnership creates and codifies a systematic approach in which 22 military and civilian partner organizations provide local and regional mutual assistance, share information, and rapidly share and maintain emergency aid and resources.

· Partnership of the emergency services of the US Army garrison in Wiesbaden with the German police: USAG Wiesbaden has a long-standing partnership with German Host Country Police (Polizei) for enhanced emergency response, coordination and rehearsal of training events and regular engagements with various first responders and intelligence agencies. . This partnership is essential for the health, life and safety / security of the military community of Wiesbaden which includes more than 15,000 people and 14 sites in two German states. In particular, the partnership was imperative for the success and security of a multi-day international event with 50,000 visitors; the partnership extends both the response operations and the mission-related capabilities of the garrison and the Polizei.

· Partnership between Fort Knox Energy Utility and Nolin Rural Electric Co-op Company: Fort Knox has partnered with the Nolin Rural Electric Coop Company to manage Fort Knox’s electric utilities. This partnership enables Fort Knox to achieve energy resilience, independence and money saving. By working with Nolan Electric, Fort Knox has reduced its electricity costs by 50% over the past six years. This program has also cut Fort Knox’s electricity bills by more than half over the past decade and provides Fort Knox with a micro-grid distribution system for “zero” system-wide blackouts. .

· Fort Riley Intergovernmental Demolition Support Agreement with Unified School District 475: Fort Riley and Unified School District 475 entered the Army’s first demolition IGSA. This partnership eliminated an unsightly structure and a security risk near a residential area, resulted in an 83% reduction in procurement time and resulted in cost savings for the military of over 190 $ 000. This agreement expanded operational capacities, maintenance and personnel resources.

· USAG Miami service and preparation of family members with the city of Doral: USAG Miami and the City of Doral Parks and Recreation have developed a Memorandum of Understanding to make Doral Park properties available for fitness testing, unit fitness activities, field days of unity, command activities and the Army Anniversary 5K Run / Walk. The partnership also promoted recreational and athletic programs for families at USAG Miami. This allows service members and their families to prepare for USAG Miami at no cost, while building a closer relationship between the United States. Southern Command and the town of Doral.

· Fort Carson Family Advocacy Program with El Paso County: Fort Carson and the El Paso County Department of Social Services (DHS) offered the Center on Fathering program to soldiers and families in Fort Carson as part of the Community Service Family Advocacy Program. army. This partnership aims to prevent child abuse by encouraging father-child relationships, cultivating bonds, strengthening attachment, encouraging communication and strengthening family resilience. Ninety fathers completed the 15 week course and the program received very positive feedback from participants showing the need and importance of specially designed programs for fathers.

· Fort Polk Education Improvement Initiatives with the Parish of Vernon: Fort Polk has partnered with the Vernon Parish School Board (VPSB) to deliver enhanced educational programs and promote community participation and partnerships. VPSB enhances preparation by ensuring that parents and their children are in a safe and positive learning environment and offers after-school programming with extracurricular activities, tutoring and educational enrichment. Fort Polk and VPSB work together to provide counseling services to military personnel and their children. Fort Polk offers active duty military police officers as school resource officers for on-duty school safety and to provide positive role models to students.

The Army Partnership Awards program aims to highlight examples of exceptional cooperation and diligence that will encourage continued collaboration to realize the full potential of community partnerships. LTG Jason Evans, Deputy Chief of Staff, G9 (Installations), said, “Once again, we are delighted to recognize these exceptional partnerships that create efficiencies, build resilience, enhance preparedness and improve the quality of life for soldiers and their families.

The winners included partnerships signed during the 2018-2021 fiscal years by garrisons, reserve centers and armories. The submissions were evaluated according to the following criteria:

Improves the quality of life of the soldier / family

Improves or improves preparation

Modernize a service, system or process

Allows cost savings or other efficiency gains

Increases capacity

Improve relations with the community

For more information, contact Ivan Bolden at ivan.g.bolden.civ@army.mil, or David Leinberger at david.j.leinberger.civ@army.mil.