The Defense Acquisition Workforce Awards recognize accomplishments in support of the National Defense Strategy. The five annual awards, representing 24 separate categories, recognize individual and team accomplishments that support the Secretary of Defense’s priorities through excellence in acquisition.

In April 2020, a joint Air Force team delivered a rapidly developed containment system prototype that will enable as many as 28 COVID-positive patients to be transported aboard a C-17 aircraft. This Negatively Pressured Conex is designed to stop bio-organisms from leaving the container, enabling infected patients to safely travel to receive treatment from medical facilities all over the world. The award was made only eight days after the RPP was released to Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Consortium members, to meet the Joint Urgent Operational Need from U.S. Transportation Command. Between April 2020 and February 2021, the Negatively Pressured Conex transported 267 COVID-19 patients over 37 missions with no confirmed cases of infection spread. For this accelerated effort, the U.S. Air Force received the 2021 David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award, which recognizes DoD acquisition program and other teams who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in developing, acquiring, and sustaining operational capability that supports the National Defense Strategy lines of effort to increase readiness and lethality, strengthen alliances and achieve significant reform.

About CWMD Consortium

The CWMD Consortium focuses on research and development of technologies to detect, prevent, and protect against weapons of mass destruction. The consortium is comprised of a mixture of traditional and non-traditional contractors, small businesses, for-profit and not-for-profit entities, and academia, representing the key players in the industry. The CWMD Consortium is supported by Advanced Technology International.