FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Oct. 28, 2026) -- – Fort Drum was recently named 2026 Best Garrison for U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Western Hemisphere, recognizing its exceptional operational readiness, transformative energy resilience, and commitment to Soldiers and their families.
The award evaluated garrison performance across a dozen functional categories – ranging from mission support and quality of life to real property management, safety, health and security and communications.
“There is an incredible amount of work that goes into being selected for Best Garrison, but what stands out most to me every day is a team that cares deeply about the mission and the Fort Drum community,” said Col. Jason Adler, Fort Drum garrison commander. “This award is a direct reflection of their quiet professionalism, their pride, and their unwavering commitment to ensuring that the 10th Mountain Division is ready to answer the nation’s call.”
Home to the 10th Mountain Division (LI), Fort Drum serves as the premier Northeast Power Projection Platform. In fiscal year 2026, the garrison sustained 53 live-fire ranges and 69 training areas to support more than 251,000 multi-component personnel across 1,000 unit training events. This robust capability supported three Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) rotations, three overseas combat deployments, and major joint training exercises including Jaded Thunder and Summit Strike.
To accelerate warfighter training, garrison personnel leveraged a zero-cost “design-build-refine” model. Using internal labor and existing assets, the team converted an underutilized shoot house into dedicated live-fire firing lanes for the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) – slashing the traditional delivery timeline by 180 days at zero military construction (MILCON) cost.
Simultaneously, Fort Drum positioned itself at the cutting edge of the Chief of Staff of the Army’s transformation priorities. In partnership with the 10th Mountain Division, the garrison executed an innovative training curriculum for MAVEN Smart Systems (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Command and Control). The program trained more than 300 Soldiers in Vantage-based AI platforms, reducing Command and Control product generation timelines tenfold and directly influencing the institutional curriculum at the Mission Command Center of Excellence.
While the 10th Mountain Division locked in on combat readiness, the garrison focused heavily on enhancing the everyday lives of the service members and families.
Fort Drum modernized its 55 permanent-party barracks, fully renovated eight barracks to restore maximum capacity and secured funding to refit furnishings in 13 buildings that supports 2,200 Soldiers.
Monthly hands-on barracks inspections led by newly certified company commanders and noncommissioned officers in charge resolved maintenance issues before room degradation could occur.
Last fall, the Fort Drum garrison launched the Alpine Express through an Intergovernmental Support Agreement (IGSA) with Lewis County. The fare-free, installation-wide shuttle expands on-post mobility for Soldiers, civilians and family members with three separate routes across the cantonment and Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield. It also features connection points into neighboring Jefferson County.
Childcare and spouse employment also reached enterprise benchmarks. Maintaining 100-percent National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation, the garrison recruited and retained roughly 25 Family Child Care (FCC) providers, adding more than 140 childcare slots and fulfilling one-tenth of IMCOM’s enterprise-wide campaign plan target.
The Career Skills Program provided training, internships and apprenticeships to more than 500 Soldiers within 180 days of separation and provided military spouse career coaching and training scholarships through SpouseWorks. Fort Drum approved 100 percent of Home-Based Business (HBB) packets within 30 days, expanding the footprint to 23 approved business to secure spouse entrepreneurship.
Fort Drum’s Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (FMWR) organized signature events that drew more than 20,000 participants—including the 5.5-mile Mountain Mudder obstacle course, Riverfest, and Mountainfest. Grassroots initiatives such as the Sip of Glory coffeehouse, Mountain Peak Ice Cream, and the outdoor dining “Igloo Experience” expanded services while generating reinvestment revenue for community programs.
Through the values-based “Keys to Connection” curriculum and the “Mountain CARES” suicide prevention framework, Fort Drum operationalized frontline leader intervention. These efforts directly contributed to a 28-percent reduction in harmful behavior Serious Incident Reports and zero garrison suicides over a 12-month period, earning Best Practice endorsements from the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Army G-1.
Following a joint feasibility study with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Drum secured placement to host an advanced nuclear microreactor under the Janus program. This clean baseload power generation will allow mission-critical operations to run independently of the commercial grid during emergencies.
Complementing this energy initiative, Fort Drum deployed four on-post photovoltaic solar arrays delivering 580 kW of capacity and generating 400,000 kWh of clean power annually, with 70 percent of purchased energy certified carbon-free.
Leveraging utility partnerships, 70 percent of all Fort Drum’s purchased energy is carbon-free electricity, exceeding annual energy resilience targets.
Additionally, Fort Drum was the first installation to complete a Deep Energy Retrofit Assessment. This milestone established a roadmap of 28 targeted measures designed to reduce energy use intensity by 14 percent across 182 facilities, encompassing 76 percent of the post’s total energy footprint.
Also:
- Passive solar-wall systems across 53 buildings were installed to preheat ventilation air and cut natural gas consumption.
- A major potable water wellfield expansion project was completed that doubled local water production and guaranteed a 14-day emergency sustainment capability.
- Recovered $8.67 million in Defense Support reimbursements and secured $8.1 million in competitive Other Procurement, Army (OPA) funding to modernize public safety dispatch systems and address vital equipment needs.
Behind Fort Drum’s high operational readiness is a proactive force protection and security network. Following an external assessment, the installation received top marks across all defense pillars, including its Random Antiterrorism Measure (RAM) program, access-control vetting, and emergency management execution.
The garrison’s Threat Working Group synchronized military law enforcement, counterintelligence, and the local Joint Terrorism Task Force to evaluate crime trends using tactical data analysis reviews. This targeted patrol strategy yielded a 21 percent overall reduction in total crime – highlighted by a 52 percent drop in sexual assaults, a 41 percent decrease in larcenies, and double-digit reductions in crimes against persons and property.
The Visitor Control Center processed over 14,500 inspections and executed 6,065 RAMs, intercepting contraband and weapons while denying installation access to more than 165 high-risk individuals, including 32 registered sex offenders. Streamlined vetting workflows cut access-pass turnaround times, while a 100 percent credentialed emergency dispatch and security team maintained rapid response standards.
Fort Drum’s sustained success is deeply intertwined with its surrounding civilian communities. With approximately 40 percent of Soldiers residing off post and nearly all school-aged military children attending local public schools, the garrison actively collaborates with municipal partners across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Through cost-saving IGSAs – including partnerships with Cornell Cooperative Extension for family life educators (with a $484,000 annual cost avoidance), the State University of New York for carbon forest baseline research, and regional public safety agencies for synchronized mutual-aid response—the garrison prides itself on civic integration.
“An installation cannot achieve this level of excellence in isolation,” Adler said. “We work with our North Country partners every day to support our Soldiers and their families. Together, we ensure that our warfighters are supported at home so they can succeed on any battlefield in the world. To our garrison team: Be proud of what you and your teammates have accomplished – this is a job well done.”
The IMCOM-WH Best Garrison competition is the first step toward vying for the annual Commander in Chief’s Award for Installation Excellence.
Previously, Fort Drum was awarded the 2020 Commander in Chief’s Award for Installation Excellence and was named IMCOM Best Garrison Award recipient in 2019.
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