By Jennifer M. Keating
Special to The Voice

Courtesy photo

Members of the Countermeasure Flares Team and officials pose after the ceremony for the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award. They are Mary S. Adams (front row from left), Maj. Gen. Paul S. Izzo, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Kenneth J. Krieg, Rene Medina, Col. William W. Stevenson, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Claude M. Bolton Jr. and Santo Lombardo. Also shown are June DeSalvio (back row from left), Heather Johnson, Sandra LaBell, Maj. Keith Taylor, Amanda Amoroso and Robert J. Ritchie.

The Countermeasure Flares Team from the office of the Project Manager for Close Combat Systems here received the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award in recognition of their outstanding work in the field of Acquisition Logistics Nov. 8.

The Packard Award is the highest honor the Department of Defense can bestow upon acquisition professionals. It is presented to civilian and military organizations that have significantly contributed or have demonstrated exemplary innovations and best practices in the Defense acquisition process.

This is the second year in a row the Program Executive Office for Ammunition has been recognized for acquisition excellence.

Last year, the 40mm Systems Contracting Team of the Project Manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems received the Packard award for its contributions.

The Countermeasure Flares Team members earned the distinguished award for their hands-on coordination with contractors to meet the Army’s accelerated demand for the life-saving M211, M212 and M206 flares.

Through a combination of acquisition expertise, constant communication and quick action, the team provided exceptional management of increasingly larger contracts for countermeasure flares and production facility expansion to support higher production rates and an accelerated delivery process, expediting clearance and direct shipment of completed flares to Iraq.

The Countermeasure Flares Team received the award in conjunction with the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, the Rock Island-based Joint Munitions Command, the contracting staffs of the Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command and the Army Field Support Command, and Communication Command’s Infra-Red Flares Team.

This is the second award the Countermeasure Flares Team has received in two months; in October, they were the only team to be recognized by the Federal Executive Board for their exemplary achievements.