SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii has received the 2014 Army Community of Excellence Award as the top installation in the Army.
Established in 1985 and sponsored by the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Army Communities of Excellence (ACOE) program is an annual Army-wide assessment of all aspects of installation management.
U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii received the highest score – the Gold medalist.
This morning’s announcement is the culmination of an 18-month process where each Army installation submits their strategic plan, improvements and innovations which are then evaluated and scored by teams of trained experts at the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management, Washington, D.C. and Headquarters Installation Management Command, San Antonio, Texas.
“This was a team effort throughout U.S. Army Hawaii,” said Col. Daniel Whitney, garrison commander. “Our dedicated garrison staff has worked with all of our commands and partners on our installations here in Hawaii to ensure the best practices and plans are in place to support our military community.”
The program is designed to improve installation operations and readiness with effective business transformation processes.
“Your concepts, visionary and supportive leadership, core values, learning and innovation, and organizational performance combined with your ability to focus on results and creating value plus customer driven excellence have put you a pace ahead of other installations,” stated Lt. Gen. David Halverson, Assistant Chief of Staff of the Army for Installation Management and commanding general of Installation Management Command in a congratulatory email to Hawaii’s Army leaders.
The award noted U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii’s accomplishments in institutionalizing a cost savings culture resulting in initiatives that saved $700K in FY13 and $61.7M since FY10. Also noted was the garrison’s reduced regulated waste generation by partnering with Hawaii-based Army units to replace traditional petroleum motor pool maintenance products with bio based lubricants and spill absorbent.
“This award reflects how you consistently excel at providing base operations, training support and quality of life services to Soldiers, Families and Civilians,” stated Halverson.