WASHINGTON -- The Department of the Army recognized Fort Huachuca, along with nine other winners of the 2019 Army Community Partnership Awards at a Dec. 5 ceremony in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon.

"This is exciting news for the Army and for our community partners" said Hon. Alex Beehler, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. "Our partners help us enhance readiness, create efficiencies and modernize our Army. We thank them for all they do."

The Community Partnership Awards recognize exceptional community partnerships that have improved readiness, driven modernization and contributed to reform initiatives throughout the Army. Army awardees include commands, installations and state National Guards.

Eligible partnership agreements include memorandums of understanding, memorandums of agreement, cooperative agreements, educational agreements, leases or licenses, mutual aid agreements, and intergovernmental support agreements.

Submissions were evaluated on how the partnerships improved or enhanced readiness; modernized services, systems, or processes; provided cost or other efficiencies; expanded capabilities; improved the lives of Soldiers and their families; and improved community relations.

Fort Huachuca was recognized for four partnerships with various community partners. Fort Huachuca and the city of Sierra Vista partnered to provide advanced lifesaving and basic lifesaving ambulance service. The installation also participates in the Upper San Pedro Partnership to balance the water needs of the region affected by a growing population, without causing unacceptable environmental, economic or social consequences. An additional partnership with the United Service Organization establishes a permanent USO center on Fort Huachuca, which will provide a variety of programs for active-duty service members and their families. Finally, the installation partnered with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management for wildland fuel removal and Mexican Spotted Owl habitat protection in sensitive areas that affect the Army's training mission.

The additional awardees include the following partnership initiatives:

• The U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC), the state of Texas, the University of Texas System, and the city of Austin will be recognized for three partnerships focused on AFC security, research and modernization, and integration with the greater Austin community. AFC and its partners secured $2 million in grant funding from the Governor's Texas Military Preparedness Commission Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant Program to construct a sensitive, compartmented information facility in Austin. In partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, AFC strengthened their relationships with university faculty members to enhance research capabilities in areas of mutual interest. As a result, the university has been designated as a hub for AFC's Robotics and Assured Positioning, and Navigation and Timing programs. Additionally, AFC partnered with the city of Austin and participated in the South by Southwest festival and "Thank You, Austin," which increased public understanding of the command's mission and integrated AFC into the Austin community.

• Camp Humphreys, South Korea, together with the city of Pyeongtaek, and Pyeongtaek, Hoseo, and NamSeoul Universities will be recognized for multiple partnerships focused on mutual cooperation, cultural understanding and establishing stronger ties between the installation and the community. Camp Humphreys and the city of Pyeongtaek have established multiple organizations and working groups that organized community events, such as the ROK-U.S. Friendship Spring Festival, and provided a forum to work together to address operational, technical and community-relations issues. Camp Humphreys has also partnered with Pyeongtaek, Hoseo, and NamSeoul Universities to provide students with six-month internships which gave them the opportunity to learn about the U.S. military system, American culture and customs, and to attend professional-development training. The partnership fosters positive relationships with young citizens who will be the future leaders of South Korea.

• Fort Belvoir and the Community, Military, and Federal Facility Partnership of Northern Virginia will be recognized for a partnership that focused on developing and implementing the Northern Virginia Cyber Training and Education Roadmap, which seeks to address a shortfall in cyber readiness throughout the region. The roadmap presents a collaborative effort to prepare, grow and sustain a cybersecurity workforce that safeguards and promotes the region's security and economic prosperity.

• Fort Drum, Jefferson County Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), the New York State Division of Police and the Development Authority of North County will be recognized for partnerships focused on enhancing Soldier and family readiness, supporting emergency responses and mitigating encroachment issues. Fort Drum and Jefferson County CCE partnered to provide Soldier and family-member support services, including Army emergency relief, relocation services, information and referral, financial readiness and employment readiness. The partnership enhances Soldier and family readiness through robust support programs. Fort Drum also maintains a partnership with the New York State Division of State Police to obtain support from their Special Operations Response team for critical incidents at Fort Drum that target installation personnel and/or property. Fort Drum's partnership with North Country ensures development in North Country and minimizes adverse effects to training and operational capability of the installation.

• Fort Hamilton and Poly Prep Country Day School will be recognized for a partnership that allows shared use of indoor and outdoor fitness facilities by Soldiers and students. Service members gain access to the school's Olympic-quality, outdoor, all-weather track and indoor heated pool. In exchange, Fort Hamilton allows Poly Prep Country Day School's intramural sports program to utilize the Fort Hamilton Fitness Center Gymnasium for basketball and Sgt. Deon Taylor Field for lacrosse practice. This partnership ensures that service members can sustain a level of physical fitness in support of readiness based on this reciprocal partnership.

• Fort Meade and the Fort Meade Alliance (FMA) will be recognized for their partnership for their developed plan to transform Fort Meade's historic Kuhn Hall building into an expansive, welcoming, state-of-the-art Resiliency and Education Center. The 9,000-square-foot renovated facility now serves as the hub of information, programming and services for the Fort Meade community -- covering all five areas of resiliency: physical, emotional, social, family and spiritual. The partnership seeks to help erase the stigma associated with seeking mental health services by providing a facility that will consolidate cooking, educational counseling and Functional Army Skills Training to enhance service member health.

• Prickly Pear Land Trust partnership is a national model of how government agencies and community programs work together to protect military training resources and stewardship of Montana's open space. The Montana Army National Guard (MTARNG) and the Prickly Pear Land Trust will be recognized for their "Peaks to Creeks" initiative, which allowed MTARNG to reduce encroachment threats to Fort Harrison while creating public access along the banks of the Ten Mile Creek and Seven Mile Creek waterways for recreational opportunities.

• The New Jersey Army National Guard (NJARNG) and Rowan and Stockton Universities will be recognized for their partnerships to establish an internship program focused on improving operational and mission readiness in the sustainability, real property, facilities management, and environmental programs. These partnerships ensure that NJARNG Soldiers train in state-of-the-art, energy-efficient, hygienic facilities.

• Presidio of Monterey (POM) and the Presidio Municipal Service Agency will be recognized for an intergovernmental support agreement (IGSA) that provides installation support services to operate, maintain, inspect and repair facilities at POM, Ord Military Community and U.S. Army Signal Activity at Camp Roberts, California. The IGSA has reduced both partners' operational costs through economies of scale and modernized and enhanced the services provided to the Army.