USAASC Takes Home Top Prizes in Armywide Public Affairs Competition

By Tara Clements, U.S. Army Acquisition Support CenterApril 1, 2013

Army AL&T Magazine named the Army's top magazine
Following a complete redesign in 2011, Army AL&T Magazine has been named the Army's top magazine in the 2012 Keith L. Ware Public Affairs Competition. Army AL&T magazine is a quarterly professional journal serving the acquisition, logistics and tech... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BELVOIR, Va. (March 28, 2013) -- The U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) took first place honors in two categories of the 2012 Keith L. Ware Public Affairs Competition, and secured second place in another honoring excellence in Army public affairs.

Army AL&T magazine was named the Army's best magazine-format publication and the magazine's senior editor, Margaret Roth, won first prize for best news feature article ("Building a Better Rotorcraft," April-June 2012 issue, page 150). Inside STRI, the premier newsletter for Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), placed second in the newsletter/field newspaper category.

"We have an impressive level of talent in our public affairs community, evident by the quality of the 588 total individual entries submitted this year. Their outstanding efforts helped their commanders and supervisors tell the Army story," said Brig. Gen. Gary J. Volesky, Chief of Army Public Affairs in his email announcing the results.

The Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware Annual Public Affairs competition recognizes the best achievements in telling the Army story. First-place winners go on to compete in the Department of Defense's Thomas Jefferson Awards, which honor the best work in public affairs across DOD.

"To place in a Keith L. Ware completion category, much less win, is quite an achievement," said Nelson McCouch, Army AL&T magazine editor-in-chief and chief of communications for USAASC. "These awards validate the professionalism of the various writers, editors and graphics professionals it takes to produce a quality product, and that we're delivering the best Army acquisition news and information possible to our audience."

In early February, USAASC, a Direct Reporting Unit (DRU) of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, conducted its first-ever review board of all entries submitting its first-place winners to compete in the Keith L. Ware Annual Public Affairs competition.

"I'm very proud of all the efforts across the DRU to communicate the contributions of the Army acquisition community. Army AL&T and PEO STRI's awards reflect those efforts and demonstrates our effectiveness," said McCouch. "I look forward to hosting next year's DRU-level competition and hope to receive even more submissions to compete at the Department of the Army level."

Related Links:

Keith L. Ware Public Affairs Competition

Army AL&T Magazine

Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training & Instrumentation