Altus named Air Force finalist for Installation Excellence Award

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jesse Lopez
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- --  Air Force leaders selected Altus Air Force Base as one of two installations to compete in the 2014 Commander-In-Chief's Installation Excellence Award.

Air Education and Training Command commander Gen. Robin Rand announced the 97th Air Mobility Wing as the AETC nominee for the award in November, and the wing was further selected to compete against Travis Air Force Base, Calif. for the final award.

"Altus AFB has stood out as an example in innovation and cost-savings across our Air Force. This is a collective reflection of dedicated Airmen contributing to overall mission success. The result of their hard work can be seen throughout the service and around the world through global mobility.
Thank you for your commitment to excellence," said Rand.

A few examples of Altus AFB's efforts include its highly rated dual flying training units, revamping the aerial refueling track scheduling, achieving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Voluntary Protection Program Star level, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, as well as the 96 idea contributions to the Cost Conscious Culture program, saving the Air Force $41.1 million.

U.S. Air Force Col. Bill Spangenthal, the commander of the 97th, thanked Team Altus for their award-winning efforts.

"This prestigious nomination highlights your outstanding efforts in taking care of people and making the most of every dollar. Thank you for what you do to make this wing the best of the best in AETC and the Air Force," said Spangenthal.

A board of command senior leaders from various career fields determined the command-level winner for AETC.

Selection for the Air Force-level winner is broken into two phases. The first phase consists of the functional expert working group developing recommendations for the Installation Excellence Review Committee, which eliminates all but two selected bases. The second phase is a visit to the two remaining bases by the Installation Excellence Selection Board.

When the reviewing is finalized and the nominee is approved by the Secretary of the Air Force, the winning installation is awarded $1 million and
$500,000 is given to the runner-up. The monetary incentive is to be used for future quality of life improvements for their respective installations.

To win the award, an installation must demonstrate exemplary support for the Department of Defense mission and show marked improvement and innovative progress in various processes that are fundamental to an installation's successful operations.