Army recognizes garrisons for outstanding community partnerships

By Army Public AffairsMay 18, 2022

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Army will hold a virtual ceremony for winners of the 2021 Army Partnership Awards from the Pentagon auditorium at 1:00 p.m. (EDT) on May 19, 2022. The original ceremony was to be held in January 2022, but was postponed due to Covid-19 precautions.

The awards focus on partnerships between the Army and communities that have enhanced readiness, supported reform initiatives and contributed to modernization.

The Army selected seven installations and neighboring communities for demonstrating these criteria while building strong community relationships. The 2021 winners are:

  • Fort Benning Hazard/Emergency Mutual Aid Assistance with Chattahoochee Valley: Fort Benning partnered with the Chattahoochee Valley “Tri-community” for an All Hazard/All Emergency Mutual Aid Assistance Memorandum of Agreement. This partnership creates and codifies a systematic approach in which 22 military and civilian partner organizations exercise local and regional mutual aid assistance, share information and rapidly share and sustain emergency aid and resources.
  • U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Emergency Services Partnership with German Police: USAG Wiesbaden has a longstanding partnership with the German Host Nation Police (Polizei) for enhanced emergency response, coordination and rehearsal of training events, and regular engagements with various first responder and intelligence agencies. This partnership is critical to the health, life and safety/security for the Wiesbaden military community, which includes more than 15,000 personnel and 14 sites in two German states. Notably, the partnership was imperative to the success and safety of a multi-day international event with 50,000 visitors.
  • Fort Knox Energy Utility Partnership with Nolin Rural Electric Co-op Company: Fort Knox partnered with the Nolin Rural Electric Co-op Company to manage Fort Knox electric utilities. This partnership allows Fort Knox to achieve energy resiliency, independence and save money. By working with Nolan Electric, Fort Knox reduced its power costs by 50% over the last six years. This program provides Fort Knox a micro-grid distribution system for “zero” system-wide power outages.
  • Fort Riley Demolition Intergovernmental Support Agreement with Unified School District 475: Fort Riley and Unified School District 475 entered into the first Army Demolition IGSA. This partnership eliminated an unsightly structure and safety hazard near a housing area, enabled an 83% reduction in procurement time, and generated cost savings to the Army of more than $190,000. The agreement also expanded operational capabilities, maintenance and staffing resources.
  • USAG Miami Service and Family Member Readiness with the City of Doral: USAG Miami and the City of Doral Parks and Recreation developed a memorandum of agreement to make Doral Park properties available for physical fitness testing, unit physical fitness activities, unit field days, command activities and the Army Birthday 5K Run/Walk. The partnership also promoted recreational and athletic programs for families of USAG Miami. This provides service member and family member readiness at no cost for USAG Miami while building closer relations between U.S. Southern Command and the City of Doral.
  • Fort Carson Family Advocacy Program with El Paso County: Fort Carson and the El Paso County Department of Human Services brought the Center on Fathering curriculum to Fort Carson Soldiers and families under the Army Community Service Family Advocacy Program. This partnership aims to prevent child abuse by encouraging father-child relationships, cultivating bonds, strengthening attachments, encouraging communication and building family resilience. Ninety fathers have graduated from the 15-week course, and the program has received overwhelming positive feedback from participants, showing the need for and importance of programs specifically designed for fathers.   
  • Fort Polk Education Enhancement Initiatives with Vernon Parish: Fort Polk partnered with the Vernon Parish School Board to provide enhanced educational programing and promote community involvement and partnerships. VPSB improves readiness by ensuring parents and their children are in a safe, positive learning environment and offers after-school programming with extracurricular activities, tutoring and education enrichment. Fort Polk and VPSB work together to provide counseling services to military members and their children. Fort Polk also offers active-duty military police officers as school resource officers for security to on-post schools and to provide positive role models to students.

This event will be broadcast live from the Pentagon Auditorium. For more information on how to view the event or with any questions, please contact Mr. David Leinberger at David.J.Leinberger.civ@army.mil.