DoD Announces Secretary of Defense Maintenance Award Winners

Press Operation / Published September 29, 2017

WASHINGTON - -- The Department of Defense (DoD) announced the 2017 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.

Depot Maintenance Excellence Award
The recipient of the 2017 Robert T. Mason Depot Maintenance Excellence Award is the 567th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex. This team accomplished superior depot maintenance by producing a record-breaking 25 aircraft during the previous fiscal year.

Field-Level Maintenance Awards
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 2nd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and the 1st Special Operations Maintenance Group, Hurlburt Field, Florida.

Winners in the medium category are the Assault Craft Unit Four, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia Beach, Va. and 341st Maintenance Group, 341st Missile Wing, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.

The small category winners are Bravo Maintenance Company, Group Support Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Reparable Management Company, 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California.

Phoenix Symbolizes Rejuvenation
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. A total of three awards are presented in two categories – ministerial and operational. This year’s ministerial category winner is the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, U. S. Army Europe, U. S. European Command. This year’s operational category winners are Integrated Maritime Skills Training Team, Joint Interagency Task Force West, U. S. Pacific Command and the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Technical Assistance Field Team, U. S. Southern Command.

The awards will be presented to the winners on Dec. 5 in the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Lake City Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, at an awards ceremony as part of the 2017 DoD Maintenance Symposium. Continually updated symposium information is available at www.sae.org/dod

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