Air Force teams at Eglin AFB, Fla., and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are among the nine groups across the US military recognized as the winners of the 2014 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards, announced the Pentagon on Monday. Eglin’s Natural Resources Team won in the natural resources conservation, individual/team category for offering “long-range solutions that ensured regulatory compliance while maximizing the use of land and water ranges to maintain mission readiness,” states DOD’s April 21 release. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s F-35 Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health Support Team at Wright-Patt took the prize in the category for environmental excellence in weapon system acquisition, large program individual/team. It “increased efficiencies in aircraft development, project prioritization, resource access, and other critical mission areas” that contributed to environmental and overall excellence in weapon system acquisition, states the release. DOD launched the awards program in 1962 to honor a selection of individuals, teams, and installations each year for their outstanding achievements in environmental performance. (See also our coverage of the Air Force’s 2013 winners.)
A recent seven-day exercise sent Air Force F-22s—along with other USAF aircraft—to austere, challenging environments across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Agile Reaper, taking place for the second time after its inaugural edition last year, featured 800 Airmen and 29 aircraft across five different locations from April 10-16, training…