Rear Adm. Mary M. Jackson, Commander Navy Region Southeast (CNRSE), recognized Naval Air Station Whiting Field as the CNRSE nominee for the Installation Excellence Award Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the small base category. The award lauds the top Navy commands at shore for their installation management, program excellence and community outreach.

NAS Whiting Field will continue on to compete at the Commander Navy Installations Command level against the top bases from other regions worldwide for the Navywide award. Winners at the CNIC level will compete with military bases from other services for the Commander in Chief awards.

This is the second year in a row for NAS Whiting Field to represent the region in the competition. Last year, the base received the Navy-wide award in the small installation category.

Installations are graded across thirteen key areas including: facilities management, quality of life, environment, energy, property stewardship, communication, safety and health as well as many other categories. Each entry is limited to a four page write-up of accomplishments plus supporting documentation and photographs.

NAS Whiting Field received word of the award Tuesday afternoon, and Commanding Officer Capt. Todd Bahlau commended the Whiting Team.

"We have once again set the example for excellence - for the second year in a row we are the Southeast Region nominee to CNIC for the Installation Excellence Award (IEA) for the small installation category," he said in an email to everyone in the command. "We have a lot to be proud of - congratulations on a job well done!"

However, while NAS Whiting Field receives the recognition, the honor couldn't be achieved without a community that supports and partners with the air station to accomplish the mission. The award nomination package included citations emphasizing partnerships with Santa Rosa County toward maintaining a "Safe Community" designation for the county, encroachment partnering to secure property around the base to prevent incompatible development, incorporating 16 Military Family Life Counselors in area schools, hosting the Military Appreciation events for local military and retirees; and maintaining a resolute program toward building strong community/military bonds.

"Our county exemplifies an attitude that is unparalleled in maintaining, sustaining and enhancing lives of our military and their families," Bahlau stated. "The cooperative effort between the county and NAS Whiting Field is truly what enables us to stand out among our peers."

NAS Whiting Field was selected as the regional representative from a field of eight military bases from Florida to Tennessee to Texas. Navy Region Southeast is the largest of the Navy's eleven regions and consists of more than 25 percent of all the entrants within this competitive category.

For more news from Naval Air Station Whiting Field, visit www.navy.mil/.