The Department of Defense (DoD) annually awards individuals, service members, DoD civilians, teams, installations, military organizations, universities, businesses, employers for their outstanding achievements. These awards vary from honors and recognition to DoD funding and grants. Find the DoD awards announcements below.
If you’re looking for D0D contract awards or DoD grant awards those announcements can be found below:
DoD Contract Awards – United States Department of Defense Contracts valued at $7 million or more are announced each business day at 5 p.m.
DoD Grant Awards – This website contains publicly searchable descriptive abstracts of DoD grant awards starting from December 9, 2014, along with other grant award information. Search by the following fields: project title, award abstract, award number, DoD awarding office, recipient organization name, award amount, fiscal year, funding agency, start/end dates, creation/modified dates, and POC name.
DoD Award Announcements
DOD Awards $24 Million for the 2020 Class of the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship
May 12, 2020
The Department of Defense has selected eight distinguished faculty scientists and engineers and provided $24 million in fellowship funds as part of the 2020 Class of the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellows. Click here for a complete list of this year’s winners.
For the fiscal year 2020 competition, the Department received more than 200 white papers, from which several panels of experts invited 35 full proposals for review, leading to the selection of the final eight fellows. Each fellow will receive up to $3 million over the 5-year fellowship term to pursue cutting-edge fundamental research projects.
The Basic Research Office, part of the Directorate of Defense Research and Engineering for Research and Technology (DDRE(R&T)) within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, sponsors the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship. The Office of Naval Research manages the grants.
“The Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship program is a shining example of why the Department values exploratory basic research,” said Dr. JihFen Lei, acting director of DDRE(R&T). “Not only has this high-risk, `blue sky’ academic research resulted in extraordinary scientific discoveries in multiple disciplines, but it is also opening entirely new fields of research that will sustain the scientific leadership of the Nation. The Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellows also represent a unique pool of scientific talent that the Department can rely upon for advice, as well as an exceptional resource for developing future scientists and engineers for the defense workforce.”
The highly-competitive fellowship, named in honor of Dr. Vannevar Bush, the director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development after World War II, is the Department’s flagship single-investigator award for basic research. In line with Dr. Bush’s vision, the fellowship aims to advance transformative, university-based fundamental research.
The 2020 class will join a cadre of 56 current fellows who conduct basic research in areas of importance to DOD, ranging from materials science and cognitive neuroscience to quantum information sciences and applied mathematics. In addition to pursuing their research projects, fellows engage directly with the DOD enterprise to collaborate with defense laboratories and to share insights with Department leadership and the broader national security community.
For more information on the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship, click here.
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering is responsible for research, development, and prototyping activities across DOD and fosters technological dominance across the DOD enterprise to ensure the advantage of the American Warfighter. Learn more at www.cto.mil/ or follow us on Twitter: @DoDCTO.
Department of Defense Announces Winners of the Fiscal Year 19 Nunn-Perry Award, Recognizing Excellence in the DOD Mentor Protégé Program
May 12, 2020
The Department of Defense (DOD) announced the fiscal year 2019 Nunn-Perry Awards winners today, recognizing excellence in the DOD Mentor Protégé Program.
DOD Mentor Protégé Program participants deliver capabilities across major defense programs in support of the warfighter. Recipients of the Nunn-Perry Award excel in protégé growth and development.
The DOD Mentor Protégé Program was established Nov. 5, 1990, in response to concerns raised by DOD prime contractors regarding their inability to meet Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) subcontracting goals. At the time, many SDBs lacked the technical capabilities to meet DOD subcontract requirements.
Mr. Shannon Jackson, Deputy Director of the Office of Small Business Programs within the Office of Industrial Policy, congratulated the winners and discussed the important collaborative roles that mentors, protégés, and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) play in our nation’s small business economy and the defense industrial base.
”The Department of Defense and the American economy succeed because of the innovations borne from small companies like those in the DOD Mentor Protégé Program,” said Jackson. “Within the defense industrial base these companies work to deliver cutting edge technologies and services that challenge the status quo and have the capacity to shape the future of their respective industries. In order to create these capabilities to support the warfighter, their companies have to deliver more than technology or services.”
The program looks forward to celebrating the accomplishments of the winners, listed below, at the 2020 Mentor Protégé Training Week. The award is named for the contributions of Senator Sam Nunn and former Secretary of Defense William Perry, who both played critical roles in the implementation of the DOD Mentor Protégé Program.
“The DOD Mentor Protégé Program helps innovators grow as companies to meet the growing and shifting demands of the warfighter and the Department. The Nunn-Perry Award pauses to highlight the companies that have navigated that challenging transition from capability to company above and beyond their peers. Congratulations to this year’s award recipients,” said Jackson.
Award Recipients:
- Air Force: IBM, Steel Point Solutions, Morgan State University
- Air Force: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Marvin Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso
- Army: System Studies & Simulation, R2C, J.F. Drake State Community & Technical College and Oakwood University
- DIA: Global Resource Solutions, Advanced Decision Vectors, A&M College of Business and Southern University
- MDA, Parsons Government Services, Mb Solutions, Alabama State University
- MDA, Raytheon Company, Kord Technologies, Bethune-Cookman University and Oakwood University
DOD Invests $3.6 Million for the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Competition Winners
May 1, 2020
The Department of Defense has selected six collaborative teams as winners of the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) competition. Each team will receive up to $600,000 over a three-year period of performance to pursue science and engineering research in areas relevant to DOD initiatives supporting the National Defense Strategy.
DEPSCoR is a congressionally-mandated, capacity-building program managed by the Directorate of Defense Research and Engineering for Research and Technology (DDRE(R&T)) within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The program strengthens basic research infrastructure at institutions of higher education in under-utilized states and territories.
The competition was open to tenured and tenure-track faculty members with appointments in the 37 states and territories eligible to compete for DEPSCoR funds. It introduces potential researchers to the DOD’s unique research challenges and its supportive research ecosystem.
“Every State has a vital role to play in America’s research competitiveness, and every State has researchers capable of important contributions to the Department of Defense’s scientific and technological advancement,” said Dr. JihFen Lei, acting director of DDRE(R&T). “It is crucial that we build a Department of Defense research community that leaves no state behind and takes advantage of each state’s unique research strength.”
For the fiscal year 2019 competition, the DOD received more than 200 white papers, from which subject-matter experts in the military services selected the final six collaborative teams. Universities in Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin lead the selected teams.
In addition to awards announced under this funding opportunity announcement, as part of the DEPSCoR initiative, the program also provided supplemental funds to increase the representation of DEPSCoR-eligible researchers within the DOD basic research enterprise. These funds were awarded to each military service’s Young Investigator Program and Defense University Research Instrumentation Program as well as the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship program, DOD’s most prestigious single-investigator award.
For a list of the winning teams, click here.
For more information on DEPSCoR, click here.
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) is responsible for the research, development, and prototyping activities across the Department of Defense. OUSD(R&E) fosters technological dominance across the DoD enterprise to ensure the advantage of the American warfighter. Learn more at www.cto.mil/ or follow us on Twitter: @DoDCTO.
Department of Defense Announces Winners of the 2020 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards
April 22, 2020
The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the 2020 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards winners.
The awards recognize installations, teams, and individuals for their accomplishments in innovative and cost-effective environmental management strategies supporting mission readiness. “Strong environmental programs are vital to the Department’s ability to successfully carry out its mission,” stated Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
Each year since 1962, the Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards have honored service members and civilians across the Department of Defense. The nominees’ achievements include significant strides to conserve our nation’s natural and cultural resources; protect human health; prevent or eliminate pollution at the source; clean up hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants, and munitions on DoD sites; and incorporate environmental requirements into weapon system acquisition. DoD also leverages technology to develop innovative solutions to existing and emerging human health and environmental challenges. A diverse panel of 54 judges from Federal and state agencies, academia, and the private sector evaluated nominations from the DoD Components to help determine the winners.
In 2020, DoD selected the following nine winners from a total of 30 nominees:
- Natural Resources Conservation, Small Installation: Fort Custer Training Center, Michigan Army National Guard – partnered with researchers to determine the best fire application techniques to control invasive species, promote native species growth, and support wildlife, thus helping to fill the data gap between prescribed fire management and validated species outcomes.
- Natural Resources Conservation, Individual/Team: Conservation-Training Enhancement Team, Camp Ripley, Minnesota Army National Guard – implemented a new forestry management plan for the installation’s 28,000 acres of forests, which defines short-term (10-year) management goals based on natural resources and military training objectives. The team developed a geographic information system viewer for forestry practices that includes layers for military training, wildlife, threatened and endangered species habitat, sensitive habitats, and past and proposed forest management activities.
- Environmental Quality, Non-Industrial Installation: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California – decreased hazardous material use and hazardous waste generation to reduce costs for the installation. Staff reviewed and adjusted hazardous waste disposal contracts in fiscal year (FY) 2018, resulting in an annual savings of $96,000. The installation’s Qualified Recycling Program also generated more than $240,000 in revenue in FY2018 and FY2019, which Miramar applied to the operating costs of the program and to morale, welfare, and recreation programs for active duty personnel.
- Environmental Quality, Individual/Team: Environmental Information Management System Team, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Virginia – facilitated the management, production, and timely delivery of eight Environmental Impact Statements that included thousands of pages, involved dozens of stakeholders, and adhered to very tight timelines, saving the Navy time and money while generating high-quality documents. Results enabled the fleet leadership to make informed decisions about environmental impacts for testing and training at sea.
- Sustainability, Industrial Installation: Naval Base Kitsap, Washington – reduced the amount of petroleum-based fuel in the installation’s fleet of non-military vehicles by using alternative fuels and electricity. Personnel used E-85, an ethanol fuel blend, and biodiesel to divert a total of 172,831 and 171,484 gallons from fossil fuels in FY2018 and FY2019, respectively. The installation’s vehicle inventory is also comprised of 113 electric vehicles, or 11% of the local fleet.
- Environmental Restoration, Installation: Camp Edwards, Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts Army National Guard – adopted cutting edge electromagnetic induction sensor technology, known as the “metal mapper,” to reduce the cost of source cleanup, enhance accuracy, and minimize the number of items requiring excavation. Camp Edwards decreased unexploded ordnance costs by up to 70%, and the installation is the only location worldwide to put the metal mapper technology into operation at an industrial scale.
- Environmental Restoration, Individual/Team: Vieques Environmental Restoration Team, Puerto Rico – acted immediately after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017 to inspect more than 50 beaches and all roads where munitions might have become exposed during the storm. Staff also distributed emergency supplies, established satellite telecommunications, helped the community with debris removal, disseminated munitions safety information, and repaired mission-critical roads, fences, safety signs, and infrastructure.
- Cultural Resources Management, Large Installation: Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California – completed earthquake damage assessment, recovery, and renovation efforts to the curation facility, where over 80% of Navy Region Southwest’s historic artifacts are contained, following the largest earthquakes in the State of California in the last 20 years on July 4 and 5, 2019.
- Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition, Large Program: F-35 Joint Program Office, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio – monitored the use of cadmium, a human carcinogen, since the early development and production phases of the F-35 aircraft. The team recently tested and successfully implemented a zinc-nickel plating alternative that will prevent corrosion on aircraft components and completely remove cadmium plating from F-35 aircraft production.
For more information on the 2020 winners, visit: https://www.denix.osd.mil/awards/2020secdef/. Additional Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards Program information, including past winners, can be found at: www.denix.osd.mil/awards.
DOD Announces Winners of the 2019 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence
May 30, 2019
Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan announced the 2019 recipients of the Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence.
The Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence recognizes the outstanding and innovative efforts of the people who operate and maintain U.S. military installations. The five recipients of this highly competitive presidential award were selected for their exemplary support of Department of Defense missions.
Recipients of the 2019 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence are:
U.S. Army Garrison Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, Fort Stewart, Georgia
Senior Commander: Maj. Gen. Leopoldo A. Quintas, U.S. Army
Garrison Commander: Col. Jason A. Wolter, U.S. Army
Naval Base San Diego, California
Commanding Officer: Capt. Roy Love, U.S. Navy
Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California
Installation Commander: Brig. Gen. Roger B. Turner, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps
Ramstein Air Base, Germany
Installation Commanding Officer: Brig. Gen. Mark R. August, U.S. Air Force
DLA Distribution Susquehanna, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
Commanding Officer: Col. James M. Callis II, U.S. Army
Installations compete on how well they achieve the department’s objectives in several areas of installation management, including mission support, energy conservation, quality of life and unit morale, environmental stewardship, real property management, safety, health and security, communications and public relations.
Excellent installations enable better mission performance and enhance the working and living conditions for military men and women, DOD civilians and their families. Each of the winning installations succeeded at being the best in achieving excellence in performing installation management within their military service and the Defense Logistics Agency.
Each winning installation will receive a commemorative trophy and flag and a congratulatory letter from the president.
For information about each winning installation’s accomplishments, visit http://www.acq.osd.mil/eie/.
DOD Announces Winners of the 2019 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards
Apr. 22, 2019
The Department of Defense announces today the 2019 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards winners.
Since 1962, the Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards have honored the outstanding efforts of service members and civilians across the Department of Defense to conserve the nation’s natural and cultural resources, protect human health, prevent or eliminate pollution at the source, clean up contaminated DOD sites, and incorporate environmental requirements into weapon system acquisition. The DOD components leverage technology to develop innovative solutions to existing and emerging human health and environmental challenges.
“Strong environmental programs increase training access, improve mission readiness, and provide the capabilities required to prevail in conflict and preserve peace, all of which support DOD’s lines of effort to accomplish National Defense Strategy objectives,” said Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
A diverse panel of 58 judges from federal and state agencies, academia and the private sector evaluated nominations from the DOD components to help determine winners.
In 2019, DOD selected the following nine winners from a total of 32 nominees:
Natural Resources Conservation, Large Installation: Eglin Air Force Base, Florida – relocated 1,030 gopher tortoises to avoid its listing under the Endangered Species Act and potential mission encumbrances. Eglin also conducted 160 prescribed burns across more than 145,000 acres on base, removing 290,000 tons of hazardous fuel biomass, and reducing wildfires caused by mission activities on test areas by 20%.
Environmental Quality, Industrial Installation: Wisconsin Army National Guard – updated nine fueling systems as part of an effort to replace and update underground storage tanks at the end of their life cycle. This work helps intercept potential fuel spills and save tens of thousands of dollars in potential cleanup costs.
Environmental Quality, Overseas Installation: Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan – initiated a hazardous waste risk reduction audit, effectively reducing liability by ensuring accuracy and complete life cycle tracking of hazardous waste containers. Camp Butler also performed radon testing in 200 buildings, completed radon mitigation diagnostics in five buildings, and mitigated radon in 10 buildings.
Sustainability, Non-Industrial Installation: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California – constructed an installation-wide microgrid that provides 100% renewable energy and offers energy distribution capable of supporting over 100 mission-critical facilities for three weeks if disconnected from the grid.
Sustainability, Individual/Team: East Campus Reclaimed Water Team, National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland – led an unprecedented military construction program that developed a financially and environmentally beneficial water-cooling supply system for high performing computers. This water-cooling system uses reclaimed water, reducing costs by 80 percent when compared to a conventional potable water-cooling method.
Environmental Restoration, Installation: Naval Base Ventura County, California – used adaptive management techniques to achieve final cleanup of a methyl tertiary butyl ether groundwater plume 22 years ahead of schedule, resulting in $5.5 million in cost savings.
Cultural Resources Management, Small Installation: Washington Army National Guard – implemented maintenance and treatment plans for historic sites to improve management and streamline State Historic Preservation Officer consultation time.
Cultural Resources Management, Individual/Team: Ms. Rita McCarty, Mississippi Army National Guard – saved resources by establishing curation facilities on the installation. This allowed full public access to all holdings and eliminated the annual $5,000 university curation facility fee.
Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition, Small Program: Tagnite Technical Working Group, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland – developed and demonstrated a magnesium weapon system component manufacturing capability using both Tagnite anodizing immersion and brush application. This method reduces exposure to hexavalent chromium, a human carcinogen, and provides a more durable and corrosion resistant surface compared to traditional finishes. Switching to Tagnite anodizing is projected to save the Apache H-64 Helicopter program nearly $1.2 million per year through fiscal 2024.
For more information on the 2019 winners, visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards/
Nunn-Perry Awards Recognizes Excellence in DOD Mentor Protégé Program
Apr. 18, 2019
WASINGTON, – The Defense Department announced the winners of the 2018 Nunn-Perry Awards today, recognizing excellence in the DOD Mentor Protégé Program.
The nomination review process, completed during the second quarter of fiscal year 2019, evaluated 21 submissions. The competition was rigorous and the results incredibly close, with ten awardees who support three military departments and two defense agencies among them.
The DOD Mentor Protégé Program was established Nov. 5, 1990, in response to concerns raised by DOD prime contractors regarding their inability to meet Small Disadvantaged Business subcontracting goals. At the time, many SDBs did not possess the technical capabilities to meet DOD subcontract requirements.
Today, DOD Mentor Protégé Program participants deliver capabilities across major defense programs in support of the warfighter. Named for the contributions of Sen. Sam Nunn and the former Defense Secretary William Perry, who both played critical roles in the implementation of the DOD Mentor Protégé Program, recipients of the Nunn-Perry Award excel in technical assistance, protégé growth, and impact on protégé development.
Shannon Jackson, acting director of the Small Business Programs within the Office of Industrial Policy, recently congratulated the winners and discussed the important collaborative roles that the mentors, protégés, and historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) play in the nation’s small business economy and the defense industrial base.
“As our nation continues to face new and increasingly dynamic threats from across the globe, it must leverage the talents and capabilities of large and small businesses and HBCUs within the defense industrial base. These small businesses and universities not only include some of our nation’s brightest innovators but are major contributors to the American workforce and our economy,” Jackson said.
Just as they have been key to the technological advancements that have fueled our past successes, today and in the future, we lean on them to lead in innovation and to help bring the latest in conventional and unconventional warfighting technology to the warfighter,” she added.
The program looks forward to celebrating the accomplishments of the winners, listed below, at the upcoming Nunn-Perry Award Celebration in September.
DOD Announces Award for STEM Education and Outreach Efforts
Apr. 16, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Defense (DoD) recently announced the award of the Defense Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Consortium (DSEC) cooperative agreement. The cooperative agreement was awarded to Research Triangle Institute (RTI), who will receive up to $15 million a year over the course of five years.
The goal of the DSEC is to identify and support stronger programs for conducting Kindergarten – 12 and undergraduate STEM education and outreach efforts. It will provide the DoD with far-reaching sustainable and scalable programs through a consortium of organizations that have similar STEM goals. RTI will identify strategies to meet the vision and goals of the DoD STEM Strategic Plan, including: (1) building a highly-qualified STEM workforce in mission critical areas; (2) enhancing the preparation of dependents of our Armed Forces for careers in STEM; (3) providing education, outreach programs, and activities that stimulate an interest in STEM; and (4) promoting increased participation of underserved groups.
“STEM is a national priority. In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have given rise to major economic and political shifts across the globe,” said Dr. Milan Nikolich, Director of Defense Research and Engineering for Research and Technology. “The department’s unique STEM programs align with the newly released five year Federal STEM Strategy entitled, Charting a Course for Success: America’s Strategy for STEM Education by exposing students of all ages to ground-breaking, forward-looking research and development that supports the warfighter and provides science, technology, and engineering expertise to develop technologies that benefit the U.S. and directly contribute to protecting national security.”
DSEC members and their STEM education and outreach efforts will include programs such as For Inspiration and Recognition Science and Technology, National Math and Science Initiative, MATHCOUNTS, USA Science and Engineering Festival, and more. These programs will help the department continue to attract, inspire, and develop exceptional STEM talent across the education continuum and advance the current DoD STEM workforce to meet current and future defense technological challenges.
The DSEC will allow the department to directly support improving permeability and recruitment through strategically investing in students of all ages in STEM education and outreach activities, giving them more exposure to DoD research and career opportunities. These partnerships will enable the DoD to encourage underserved, underrepresented, and military dependent students to pursue STEM careers and consider defense laboratories as a place of employment. Additionally, the DSEC will provide unique hands-on learning experiences where students can work side-by-side with the nation’s best scientists and engineers helping to create cutting-edge research and development. They will learn to transform new ideas into innovative solutions, helping the nation thrive by solving the complex problems of today’s world and its future.
DOD Announces Fiscal Year 2019 University Research Funding Awards
Apr. 03, 2019
Arlington, Virginia – The Department of Defense (DoD) announced $169 million in its long-running multidisciplinary university research initiative (MURI) awards to 24 research teams pursuing basic research spanning multiple scientific disciplines. Since its inception in 1985, the tri-service MURI program has successfully convened teams of investigators to combine insights from multiple disciplines to both facilitate the growth of newly emerging technologies and address the Department’s unique problem sets.
“The challenges we face today are highly complex in nature and do not fall in line with a single discipline,” said Dr. Mitch Nikolich, director of Defense Research and Engineering for Research and Technology. “MURIs acknowledge these complexities by supporting teams whose members have diverse sets of expertise as well as creative and different approaches to tackling problems. It’s a program that remains a cornerstone of the DOD’s legacy of scientific impact.”
The highly competitive MURI complements the department’s single-investigator basic research grants and has made immense contributions to both defense and society at large. For example, a 1987 MURI team provided the first demonstration of self-assembled materials and micro-contact printing. These demonstrations provided a vital foundational framework in nanosciences that had transformative effects on fields including microfluidics, novel sensors, diagnostics and electronics. Additional notable MURI results include nanostructured materials to achieve new materials properties for phototronics applications, advances in computer vision systems and new pathways optoelectronics with micro-optics and micromechanical subsystems.
For the fiscal 2019 competition, the Army Research Office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Office of Naval Research solicited proposals in 24 areas important to DOD and the military services. From a merit-based review of the 295 proposals received, a panel of experts narrowed the proposals to a subset from which the 24 final awards were selected. Awards of about $1.5 million per year for three to five years will be provided to these teams located across 73 U.S. academic institutions, subject to satisfactory research progress and the availability of funds.
For a list of the winning teams, click here.
DoD Announces Fiscal Year 2019 Research Equipment Awards
Mar. 25, 2019
The Department of Defense announced awards to 185 university researchers totaling $56 million under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). These grants will be provided to 95 institutions across 36 states in fiscal 2019.
The Department of Defense has long championed the country’s scientific ecosystem. Through DURIP, DOD supports purchases of major research equipment to augment current and develop new capabilities. This effort enables universities to perform cutting-edge research that boosts the United States’ technological edge while ensuring that our future science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce remains second to none.
“DURIP awards are essential for universities to acquire the equipment needed in the pursuit of knowledge and big ideas,” said Dr. Mitch Nikolich, director of defense research and engineering for research and technology. “Research and education are inextricably linked, and these awards sustain the scientific excellence of our universities and the training of the next generation STEM workforce. Ultimately, these investments will ensure that our scientists have the resources needed to contribute to the development of game-changing technologies for the Department of Defense.”
The annual DURIP award process is highly competitive. The program is administered through a merit competition jointly conducted by the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The department seeks specific proposals from university investigators conducting foundational science and engineering research of importance to national defense.
For the fiscal 2019 competition, the service research offices received 669 proposals, requesting $259 million in funding. Selections made by the service research offices are subject to successful completion of negotiations with the academic institutions.
The list of winning proposals is available online: https://media.defense.gov/
DOD Announces FY2018 Minerva Research Initiative Awards
Mar. 18, 2019
This initiative supports basic research that focuses on topics of particular relevance to U.S. national security. Through its network of faculty investigators, the Minerva Research Initiative also strengthens the department’s connections with the social science community and helps DOD better understand and prepare for future challenges, including National Defense Strategy priorities such as great power competition.
“We live in a dynamic world, and many of the challenges we face are social or have social elements to them,” said Dr. Bindu Nair, deputy director of the Basic Research Office. “The knowledge and methodologies generated from Minerva awardees are an important source of new ideas from the social science community to better understand the social aspects that are inherent to security and stability.”
The 12 faculty awardees were selected for the prestigious awards following a merit competition from approximately 175 applicants across eight categories. Research proposals were peer-reviewed and selected in conference between the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to identify proposals that make foundational contributions to basic social science and align with the National Defense Strategy.
The Minerva Research Initiative is jointly administered by the Basic Research Office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Strategy and Force Development Office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The projects are jointly supported by the Basic Research Office, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Office of Naval Research.
The list of Minerva Award winners is available online.
For more information on the Minerva Research Initiative, click here.
Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards Announced
Nov. 26, 2018
The Department of Defense (DoD) announced the 2018 winners of the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards. These awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in weapon systems and military equipment maintenance.
The depot-level award is named in recognition of Robert T. Mason, a former assistant deputy undersecretary of defense for maintenance policy, programs, and resources. Mason served as the champion of organic depot maintenance for three decades and was instrumental in transforming DOD organic depot-level operations. The recipient of the 2018 Robert T. Mason Depot Maintenance Excellence Award is the Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Maintenance and Emergent Repairs, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. Among many significant accomplishments, this team produced the first early delivery since 2009 of an organic in-yard nuclear aircraft carrier availability and provided a significant carrier maintenance cost avoidance of $8.136M.
A total of six field-level awards are presented in three categories – large, medium, and small. The recipients of this year’s Secretary of Defense Field-level Maintenance Awards in the large category are the 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force and the 48th Maintenance Group. Winners in the medium category are the Headquarters and Headquarter Company, 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) and Fleet Readiness Center Mid-Atlantic Oceana. The small category winners are Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron TWELVE and 31st Munitions Squadron.
The Secretary of Defense Field-level Maintenance Awards are symbolized by the legendary Phoenix, a mythological bird which lived for some five centuries, died, was consumed by flames, and then reborn from its own ashes. Periodically, so states the myth, the Phoenix would again and again be reborn. This unique ability of the legendary Phoenix to rejuvenate and renew itself characterizes the role of weapon systems and maintenance in the DOD. The winner of the Phoenix Award, recognized as the best of the best field-level maintenance units, will be selected from the six field-level award winners.
The department also recognized excellence in maintenance training, advice, and assistance of foreign security forces. This year’s operational category winner is Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Technical Assistance Field Team, United States Southern Command.
The awards will be presented to the winners on December 18, 2018, in the Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida at an awards ceremony as part of the 2018 DOD Maintenance Symposium. Continually updated Maintenance Symposium information is available at www.sae.org/dod.
Defense Department Selects Awardees in the Manufacturing Engineering Education Program (MEEP)
Oct. 19, 2018
WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today the award of four grants in support of the Manufacturing Engineering Education Program (MEEP). The grants were awarded to Battelle Education, Clemson University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining. These organizations and universities will receive a total of $5,775,755 over a three-year period to enhance or establish educational programs that support manufacturing engineering education.
“Historically, the Nation’s manufacturing base has allowed the United States to build the most complex and capable weapons systems in the world, allowing the military to meet the full spectrum of missions,” said Dr. Jagadeesh Pamulapati, Director, Laboratories Office. “Nurturing and growing the manufacturing capacity in the United States through MEEP will allow the United States to maintain its technological advantage and ignite the next generation of manufacturing talent.”
The goal of MEEP is to establish programs to better position the current and next-generation manufacturing workforce to produce military systems and components that assure technological superiority for the DoD. The four awardees’ efforts include:Battelle Education (Columbus, OH):
- Battelle will leverage public private partnerships to strengthen the manufacturing engineering education at the high school level.
- Clemson University (Clemson, SC): Clemson University will develop immersive and personalized instruction to strengthen learning and retention for high-school through graduate school students.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA): The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will develop a comprehensive 15-month apprenticeship training program in support of a highly-skilled manufacturing workforce. This program will teach general and specific manufacturing competencies (ex., introductory quantum mechanics, electrical technology, and design principles) that demonstrate the interrelation of various manufacturing sectors.
- National Center for Defense Manufacturing & Machining (Blairsville, PA): The National Center for Defense Manufacturing & Machining will develop and launch a series of new virtual courses, inclusive of additive manufacturing and related technologies, to broaden and extend the scope of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ long-standing certificate programs.
Disabled Employees’ Achievements Recognized at Pentagon Ceremony
Oct. 5, 2018
WASHINGTON — Twenty-five personnel received Department of Defense Disability Achievement and Recognition Awards at a Pentagon ceremony, Oct. 4.
Kevin Kelly, deputy director, Office of Force Resiliency, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, provided opening remarks, commending DOD’s advancement of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Strength Through Diversity
“As leaders, it is our job to attract, recruit, and retain a strong and disciplined workforce in order to ensure the readiness and lethality of our military,” Kelly said. “Strength can only be found within diversity — diversity of thought, skills, experience and perspective. A workforce of solely like-minded individuals breeds nothing but status quo and complacency. It is in our diverse perspectives and experiences that we advance. It is in our ability to bring together shared goals, but unique perspectives, that we remain at the forefront of innovation.”
Each October, DOD celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Kelly said.
This commemorative month has its origins in 1945. During the World War II era, as service members with disabilities from the war began to return home, the American public became increasingly interested in the workplace participation of people with disabilities, Kelly said. That launched a weeklong celebration during the first week in October 1945, and later was extended to the entire month.
This year’s theme, “America’s Workforce: Empowering All,” highlights the importance of the full participation of all individuals in the total workforce, he said. Fundamental to mission readiness is the promotion of an environment free from personal, social, or institutional barriers that prevent personnel from rising to the highest possible level of responsibility commensurate with their abilities.
DOD Component Awardees
- Department of the Air Force
- Defense Logistics Agency
- Defense Technical Information Center
- National Security Agency
Individual Awardees
- Department of the Army:
- Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan W. Hosley
- Staff Sgt. Jason T. Pacheco
- Tracy Tao-Moore
- Nathan “Dale” Whittaker
- Department of the Navy:
- Donna Spaddy
- Jerry Boster
- Department of the Air Force:
- Master Sgt. Benjamin G. Seekell
- Christopher Ferrell
- Office of the Secretary of Defense, Defense Agencies, and DOD Field Activities:
- Susan “Jen” Haggerty, Office of the DOD Chief Information Officer
- Sally Davis, Defense Logistics Agency
- Elveda Pitts, Defense Contract Management Agency
- Darryl Bartlett, Missile Defense Agency
- Gregory Sampson, Office of the DOD Inspector General
- Margaret Posa, Office of the Deputy Inspector General
- Edna Johnson, Washington Headquarters Services
- Gail Potts, Pentagon Force Protection Agency
- Katherine Rose, Defense Contract Audit Agency
- Doriann Sison, Department of Defense Education Activity
- Sandra Brown, Defense Commissary Agency
- Joy Atkinson, Army and Air Force Exchange Services
- Patrick Jue, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- Richard Neth, National Security Agency
- Robert Dela Rosa, Defense Security Service
- Jan Bickhart, Defense Intelligence Agency
- Karren Brunell, Defense Finance and Accounting Service
DoD Announces BARI Award for US-UK Collaboration on Human-Machine Teaming
Sept. 25, 2018
Release No: NR-273-18
The Department of Defense (DoD) announced selection of an academic team comprised of researchers from the U.S. and United Kingdom for the Bilateral Academic Research Initiative (BARI). The awarded team is led by Dr. Maryam Shanechi at the University of Southern California for the U.S. and Dr. Riccardo Poli at the University of Essex for the U.K. The U.S. research team will receive up to $3,00,000 million of U.S. DoD funding over three years, and the U.K. research team will receive up to £1,500,000 million from the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) core research portfolio over the same time period.
BARI, a pilot program, supports high-risk basic research as a bilateral academic collaboration. BARI’s inaugural year focuses on artificial intelligence and collaborative decision-making. Specifically, BARI sought proposals that build new frameworks for artificial intelligence agents to more truly team with human counterparts. BARI also aims to support academic teams from the U.S. and U.K. to combine unique skillsets and approaches and provide rapid advances in scientific areas of mutual potential interest to both countries.
“The awarded team has proposed an innovative approach to create novel frameworks for humans and machines to be effective, collaborative teammates,” said Dr. Bindu Nair, deputy director for Basic Research. “In addition to its scientific potential, this team also represents an important collaborative effort in the long tradition of U.S.-U.K. partnerships.” Dr. Kate Griffin, deputy head Portfolio Commissioning for Defense Science and Technology (DST) in the U.K. MOD concurred, adding, “The awarded team’s proposal is scientifically ambitious and represents a truly integrated bilateral research team.”
BARI is jointly sponsored by the Basic Research Office in the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.K. MOD. The project will be managed by subject matter experts from a joint service team from the Army Research Office, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and Office of Naval Research as well as from the U.K. Defense Science and Technology Laboratory.
For more information on the Basic Research Office, please visit: http://basicresearch.defense.gov/.
Defense Department Announces Fiscal Year 2018 Research and Education Awards to Minority-Serving Institutions
Sept. 14, 2018
Release No: NR-264-18
Arlington, VA – The Department of Defense (DoD) announced awards to 45 minority-serving institutions totaling $25.8 million as part of the fiscal year (FY) 2018 DoD Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCUs/MSIs) Research and Education Program. The selected institutions will conduct basic research with student support in scientific disciplines critical to national security and the DoD. Awards ranging from $300,000 to $600,000 will support three-year research projects with up to four students per project each year. The announcement is the result of a merit competition administered by the Army Research Office under policy and guidance of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) with participation from the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. All awards will be made by the Army Research Office.
The goals of the DoD HBCU/MSI program are to enhance research programs and capabilities in scientific and engineering disciplines critical to the national security functions of DoD; enhance the capacity of HBCU/MSI to participate in DoD research programs and activities; and increase the number of graduates, including underrepresented minorities, in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) important to the defense mission.
“The HBCU/MSI Program is a vital component in the department’s basic research enterprise. The research efforts are aligned with the department’s most important science and technology interests, and the student researchers ultimately graduate into essential STEM fields,” said Evelyn Kent, DoD HBCU/MSI program director. “In addition to contributing to the defense technology base, the program facilitates research dialogue among the department’s laboratories and HBCU/MSI faculty, and it supports underrepresented minority students toward research careers.”
The FY 2018 Funding Opportunity Announcement received 139 eligible proposals with combined requested funding totaling $80 million. Applications were evaluated by the three Service research offices, and the most meritorious were selected for awards. Award recipients represent 27 HBCUs and 18 MSIs and support the research interests of OUSD(R&E) and all three Services. All awards are subject to the successful completion of negotiations between DoD and the academic institutions.
Click here for the list of awardees.
DoD Announces Five DESI Awards for University-Industry Collaborations
Aug. 7, 2018
Release No: NR-229-18
The Department of Defense announced the selection of five university-industry teams for the Defense Enterprise Science Initiative (DESI). DESI is a pilot program supporting university-industry research collaboration focused on accelerating the impact of basic research on defense capabilities.
DESI’s goals are twofold. First, it seeks to foster sustainable university-industry partnerships to identify and apply new discoveries and knowledge on existing capabilities and address technological gaps. DESI also aims to charter a new pathway to accelerate the transfer of basic research to innovative technologies and complement the Department’s other basic research programs such as the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship, the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), and the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP).
“Programs like DESI are vital to foster collaboration in the research ecosystem and accelerate the transition of ground-breaking basic science to transformative capabilities,” said Dr. Bindu Nair, Deputy Director for Basic Research. “I look forward to seeing how these teams can help us address our unique and challenging defense problem sets.”
The awarded teams were selected from five topical areas: power beaming, highly-maneuverable autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), soft active composite materials, metamaterial-based antennas, and an alternate topics section for innovative proposals unaligned to the defined themes. Each team will receive up to $1.5 million over two years to further fundamental knowledge and understanding in the context of end-use applications
| FY18 DESI Topics and Teams | |
|---|---|
| Topic | Team |
| Power Beaming (Topic Chief: Dr. Jason Marshall, Air Force) |
Lead: The Boeing Company Arizona State University Syracuse University |
| Highly‐maneuverable autonomous UAVs (Topic Chief: Dr. Jean-Luc Cambier, Air Force) |
Lead: Stanford University Skydio |
| Soft Active Composites with Intrinsic Sensing, Actuation, and Control (Topic Chief, Dr. Samuel Stanton, Army) |
Lead: Northwestern University TERA-print, LLC |
| Metamaterial-based Antennas (Topic Chief: Dr. Harold Weinstock, Air Force) |
Lead: Duke University University of Washington Northrop Grumman |
| Alternate Topics Encouraged (Topic Chief: Dr. Stacie Williams, Air Force) |
Lead: Stanford University University of California, Merced Visor Corporation |
DESI is sponsored by the Basic Research Office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research administers the program in collaboration with the Army Research Office.
For more information on the Basic Research Office, please visit: basicresearch.defense.gov.
Department of Defense announces the Fiscal Year 2017 Value Engineering Achievement Award recipients
June 26, 2018
Release No: NR-205-18
In a ceremony in the Pentagon auditorium at 2:30 p.m. on June 28, the Department of Defense will present the Fiscal Year 2017 Value Engineering (VE) Awards. As part of the broader DoD Honorary VE Awards Program, the award recognizes DOD civilian and military organizations, teams, individuals, and programs or projects demonstrating exemplary VE accomplishments.
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering Kristen J. Baldwin will honor the award recipients.
“Value engineering award winners represent the Department’s success in improving reliability, quality, and safety while delivering performance with affordability and speed, ” Baldwin said. “This year’s recipients executed exemplary efforts, providing superior capability to the Warfighter while garnering cost savings or cost avoidance, quality improvements, and efficiency for the department.””
Value engineering was born out of innovative material and design alternatives resulting from the material shortages of World War II. DoD Components use VE to analyze programs, projects, systems, products, equipment, facilities, buildings, services, and supplies to achieve essential functions at the lowest life cycle cost consistent with required performance, reliability, quality, and safety.
To view the DoD VE Achievement Awards Ceremony live or archived, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/16037. For a list of FY 2017 VE Achievement Award recipients and descriptions of their accomplishments, and past recipients visit the DoD Systems Engineering website: https://www.acq.osd.mil/se/initiatives/init_ve.html.
Recipients of SecDef Employer Support Freedom Award Named
June 26, 2018
Release No: NR-203-18
Fifteen Exceptional Employers Recognized for Top Honor
WASHINGTON – The Department of Defense announced the 15 recipients of the 2018 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest U.S. government honor to employers for support of National Guard and Reserve employees.
“It is my pleasure to recognize these 15 outstanding civilian employers,” said Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis. “Our National Guard and Reserve members are a vital part of our national defense and deserve as much support as our country can provide. These 15 employers lead the way and we are grateful for their role in helping to keep our nation safe and secure.”
The Freedom Award recipients below will be honored August 24 at a Pentagon ceremony:
| City/State | Employer |
|---|---|
| Austin, Texas | Texas Department of Insurance |
| Charlotte, North Carolina | Duke Energy |
| Dunlap, Tennessee | Dunlap Police Department |
| Hiawatha, Iowa | Crystal Group, Inc. |
| Ligonier, Indiana | AME Swiss Machining LLC |
| Malvern, Pennsylvania | Greencastle Associates Consulting, LLC |
| Newmarket, New Hampshire | ArgenTech Solutions, Inc. |
| Omaha, Nebraska | Werner Enterprises, Inc. |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | FMI Corporation |
| Salisbury, Maryland | Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office |
| Seattle, Washington | Amazon |
| Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania |
| South Charleston, West Virginia | South Charleston Police Department |
| St. Louis, Missouri | Big Sky Advisors |
| St. Paul, Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Transportation |
The 2018 recipients were selected from more than 2,350 nominations received from Guardsmen and Reservists highlighting how their civilian employers went far beyond what the federal law requires to support them. The Freedom Award began in 1996 under the auspices of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to recognize exceptional employer support, with 250 honorees to date.
For more information about the Freedom Award and this year’s recipients, visit www.FreedomAward.mil. To learn more about ESGR, part of the Defense Personnel and Family Support Center, visit www.ESGR.mil.
DoDEA Announces 2019 Teacher of the Year
May 18, 2018
ALEXANDRIA, VA — May 18, 2018 — Vicenza Middle School science teacher Anna Sansone has been selected as the 2019 Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Teacher of the Year.
DoDEA Director, Mr. Thomas M. Brady spoke to her teaching style and educational philosophy.
“Ms. Sansone brings a persistent and relentless belief in student achievement and success, and she pursues engaging learning activities that bring the community into the classroom and the classroom to the community,” said Brady.
Ms. Sansone is a 7th grade science teacher at Vicenza Middle School in Vicenza, Italy. Ms. Sansone has twelve years teaching experience, eight of which have been with DoDEA. Prior to her present work in Vicenza, she also taught science and social studies and served as an Educational Technologist at EJ King High School in Sasebo, Japan and taught math and science at the Incirlik Unit School in Incirlik, Turkey.
An undergraduate Environmental Science and Policy major at Clark University, Ms. Sansone has a Master of Arts from National Louis University in Secondary Science Teaching, and Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology from Walden University. She is currently working toward a PhD. Certified in science, math, social studies, Spanish, and as an Educational Technologist, she focuses on developing STEM literacy in diverse learning contexts. Her goal is to help students develop an identity as scientists and historians in her classroom through collaborative learning, real-world applications, and inquiry-based instruction.
The DoDEA Teacher of the Year Program recognizes and honors exemplary Pre-K through high school teachers. The process begins at the nomination level where teachers may be nominated by peers, administrators, parents, students or community members. Each District Teacher of the Year is selected by a district panel using specified criteria to review District teacher of the Year applications. Eight teachers were named District Teacher of the Year for 2019. Each District Teacher of the Year is invited to apply for the DoDEA Teacher of the Year.
Along with public recognition and the award, Ms. Sansone will gain entry into the National Teacher of the Year application pool and will be recognized by the President at a future event at The White House. Ms. Sansone will also attend the National Teacher of the Year Conference and participate in the Council of Chief of State School Officers (CCSSO)-sponsored Teacher of the Year events.
The year of service for the 2019 Teacher of the Year will begin on January 1, 2019 and run through December 2019. The selection is made months before the term begins to allow the DoDEA candidate and other candidates from the 50 states time to participate in the National Teacher of the Year program which selects a finalist in December. The current (2018) DoDEA Teacher of the Year’s term runs through the end of December 2018.
A complete listing of this year’s recipients is listed on the next page. Additional information about DoDEA’s Teacher of the Year Program, including point of contact, may be found on our web site.
DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for school-aged children of Department of Defense personnel who would otherwise not have access to a high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Educational Activities throughout the U.S. that serve children of military families.
DOD Announces Winners of the 2018 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence
May 17, 2018
Release No: NR-154-18
Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis announced the 2018 recipients of the Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence:
– U.S. Army Garrison Fort Rucker, Alabama
Senior Commander: Maj. Gen. William K. Gayler, U.S. Army
Garrison Commander: Col. Brian E. Walsh, U.S. Army
– Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California
Commanding Officer: Col. Jason G. Woodworth, U.S. Marine Corps
– Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington
Commanding Officer: Capt. Geoffrey C. Moore, U.S. Navy
– Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
Commander: Col. Scott C. Campbell, U.S. Air Force
– Defense Distribution Depot San Joaquin, California
Commanding Officer: Col. Andre T. Harrell, U.S. Marine Corps
The Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence recognizes the outstanding and innovative efforts of the people who operate and maintain U.S. military installations. The five recipients of this highly competitive presidential award were selected for their exemplary support of Department of Defense missions.
Installations compete on how well they achieve departmental objectives in several areas of installation management, including mission support, energy conservation, quality of life and unit morale, environmental stewardship, real property management, safety, health and security, communications, and public relations.
Excellent installations enable better mission performance and enhance the working and living conditions for military men and women, DOD civilians and their families. Each of the winning installations succeeded at being the best in achieving excellence in performing installation management within their Military Service and the Defense Logistics Agency.
Each winning installation will receive a commemorative Commander in Chief’s Award trophy and flag and a congratulatory letter from the President.
For information about each winning installation’s accomplishments, visit http://www.acq.osd.mil/eie/.
Department of Defense Announces Winners Of the 2018 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards
April 20, 2018
Release No: NR-121-18
The Department of Defense (DOD) announces the 2018 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards winners.
The awards recognize individuals, teams and installations for their exceptional environmental achievements and innovative, cost-effective environmental practices.
“By safeguarding the long-term sustainability of our nation’s vital resources, DOD is improving the capabilities of our forces,” said Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
For more than half a century, the Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards have annually recognized the extraordinary efforts of service members and civilians across the Department of Defense to protect the environment, human health and the nation’s natural and cultural resources. Environmental stewardship enables the Department to enhance military readiness capabilities, strengthen alliances and increase efficiencies for greater performance and affordability.
A diverse panel of 63 judges from federal and state agencies, academia and the private sector evaluated nominations from the DOD components to help determine the winners.
In 2018, DOD selected the following nine winners from 35 nominees:
Natural Resources Conservation, Small Installation: Hawaii Army National Guard –implemented a multifaceted invasive species management program to increase acreage available for training and conserve a unique tropical ecosystem.
Natural Resources Conservation, Individual/Team: Natural Resources Conservation Team, Naval Base Ventura County, Calif. – established programs to support coastal resilience, conserve habitat and species, and reduce costs at its three primary operating facilities.
Environmental Quality, Non-Industrial Installation: Fort Hood, Texas – exceeded Qualified Recycling Program goals by selling 27.2 million pounds of recyclable materials and surpassed water and energy reduction goals by installing a solar photovoltaic array, wind turbines, and water conservation systems.
Environmental Quality, Individual/Team: Frederick A. Javier, 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Floa. – provided outstanding leadership by training installation staff on environmental management and engaging with the local community to promote the DOD’s mission and science education.
Sustainability, Industrial Installation: Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif. – achieved reductions in electricity and water consumption while partnering with local government to gain cost savings.
Environmental Restoration, Installation: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. – completed a 10-year performance-based restoration initiative resulting in response complete or site closure for 44 environmental restoration sites ahead of schedule, and maintained accelerated or on-time closure for 55 additional sites.
Environmental Restoration, Individual/Team: Vieques Environmental Restoration Team, Puerto Rico – implemented successful restoration projects to remove unexploded ordinances and cleanup contaminants while engaging with local partners.
Cultural Resources Management, Large Installation: Camp Ripley, Minnesota Army National Guard – completed an installation-wide record of all archaeological sites that will benefit cultural resources management and reduce impact to critical military operations.
Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition, Large Program: Combat Rescue Helicopter Program Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Team, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio – implemented programs to eliminate or reduce exposure to hazardous materials like hexavalent chromium (Cr6+).
For more information, visit: https://www.denix.osd.mil/awards/2018secdef/
For more information about the Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards Program, including past winners, please visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards
Department of Defense Announces FY18 Research Equipment Awards
April 3, 2018
Release No: NR-096-18
The Department of Defense announced awards to 175 university researchers at 91 institutions in 36 states, totaling $53 million through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program. DURIP augments research capabilities at universities conducting cutting edge research for DoD, through the procurement of state-of-the-art equipment.
“DURIP instrumentation awards provide the unique means through which DoD supports universities in the acquisition of essential laboratory equipment, usually out of reach for most research grants,” said Dale Ormond, principal director for research. “DURIP is a true enabler of discovery for DoD supported science and technology research, and supports of the training of the next generation science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.”
Awards are administered through a merit competition jointly conducted by the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Solicited proposals target university investigators conducting foundational science and engineering research of importance to national defense. Pertinent research underpins advances in materials, structures, and manufacturing science; quantum and nanosciences; computing and networks; electronics, electromagnetics, and electro optics; acoustics; neuroscience; fluid dynamics; robotics and artificial intelligence; and ocean, environmental, and life sciences and engineering.
The annual DURIP awards process is highly competitive. Collectively, the Service research offices received 671 proposals, requesting $254 million in funding, of which the most meritorious proposals were selected. Selections made by the Service research offices are subject to successful completion of negotiations with the academic institutions. The list of winning proposers can be download here.
Freedom Award Finalists Named
March 27, 2018
Release No: NR-090-18