WASHINGTON – The Department of the Army hosted the 9th Annual Army Community Partnership Awards Ceremony, honoring seven Army installations and their local partners for innovative initiatives that enhanced readiness, improved quality of life for Soldiers and families, and advanced Army modernization and reform efforts.

"I am excited to co-host today's ceremony alongside Lt. Gen. David Wilson, in honor of our installations, their surrounding communities, and the exceptional partnerships that support Army readiness," said Daniel M. Klippstein, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment.

The Army Community Partnership Awards showcase how installations and local communities work together to solve challenges, extend capabilities, and enhance mission support. These partnerships drive innovation and improve how the Army delivers services to Soldiers and families.

"These partnerships help us solve the right problems with the right solutions. With creative, innovative and original partnerships like the ones we celebrate today, we can deliver capabilities at the speed of need rather than the speed of bureaucracy,” said Lt. Gen. David Wilson, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-9.

The Army selected seven installation-community teams to form innovative partnerships that deliver shared services, boost efficiency, and strengthen local ties:

  • Fort Leonard Wood and the cities of Saint Robert and Waynesville
  • U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii, Pōhakuloa Training Area, and Hawaii County Fire & Emergency Services
  • Picatinny Arsenal and the Morris County Municipalities & Fire Districts
  • Fort Carson and Colorado Springs Utilities
  • Fort Bliss and El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board
  • U.S. Army Garrison Poland and the Republic of Poland
  • U.S. Army War College and the Cumberland County Department of Public Safety

"Let’s continue to collaborate to ensure the Army maintains momentum on increasing its focus on readiness, lethality, and efficiency, while also enhancing quality of life for our soldiers and their families," Klippstein said.

About the Army Community Partnership Program

Established in 2013, the Army Community Partnership (ACP) Office helps installations and local governments develop shared services that benefit both the Army and surrounding communities. Since the awards program began in 2016, the ACP office has recognized 66 partnerships and helped execute 185 Intergovernmental Support Agreements (IGSAs), generating $120 million in annual savings for the Army.

The ACP Office works across the Army enterprise to match installations and public partners with the right tools to implement effective, mutually beneficial partnerships.

These efforts aim to:

  • Enhance Quality of Life for Soldier and their families, as outlined by the Chief of Staff of the Army’s QoL Initiatives
  • Create cost savings/avoidance and efficiencies for the Army and Community
  • Sustain and improve support services for Soldiers and their Families, and the Community
  • Strengthen relationships between the Installation and surrounding Communities
  • Implement Army lessons learned and best practices for the installation and land holding command pilot partnership programs

These partnerships go beyond cost savings—they improve emergency response times, streamline services, and build trusted lines of communication between installations and local agencies. Each effort contributes directly to Army readiness and operational effectiveness.

Selection Process

Awardees are selected by a panel of judges representing the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army Reserve, Air National Guard, and the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC). Each nomination is scored based on innovation, impact, and potential for replication.

These partnerships reflect the Army's enduring commitment to collaboration, innovation, and community engagement—key drivers in sustaining readiness, improving quality of life, and supporting the force of the future.