An ongoing close partnership between the Navy Entomology Center of Excellence (NECE) and the Camp Blanding Joint Training Center (CBJTC), Florida Army National Guard, has produced an unexpected benefit for the Department of Defense.

The CBJTC was awarded the 2015 Secretary of Defense Environmental Award for Natural Resources Conservation, Large Installation.

The award recognizes large installations (over 10,000 acres) promoting the conservation of natural resources, including the identification, protection, and restoration of biological resources and habitats; the sound long-term management and use of the land and its resources; and the promotion of a conservation ethic.

CBJTC was one of nine winners selected from a total of 35 nominees. A diverse panel of judges representing federal and state agencies, academia and the private sector selected the winners.

"One of the major indicators that helped us win the award was our 12 ongoing research initiatives including research project collaborations with the Navy Entomology Center of Excellence (NECE)," said Jerry Kerce, CBJTC integrated pest management coordinator. "Additionally, last year CBJTC was invited to become a World Health Organization (WHO)/NECE collaborative center for excellence partner."

"NECE serves as the field testing hub of a very successful federal consortium between services, CDC, USDA, academia and industry all with overlapping motives to deliver new products to better protect deployed warfighters from blood feeding insects that transmit diseases," said Dr. Gary Breeden, program manager, Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC). "CBJTC offers 76 thousand acres of military-only, protected areas to test new products in a safe, real-world, field trial away from civilian populations and potential interference and possible contamination to/from civilian populations."

NECE's work at CBJTC has included testing new products for the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative, a $1.3 billion dollar effort in 17 sub-Saharan African countries to reduce malaria by 50 percent. Additionally, NECE completed numerous projects at CBJTC that have resulted in the assignment of National Stock Numbers for equipment and pesticides that will directly aid in the protection of the deployed warfighter.

"All these opportunities for collaboration bring extremely valuable "fresh ideas" and potential solutions to better protect deployed warfighters as well," said Breeden.

According to Capt. Eric Hoffman, NMCPHC executive officer, NECE and Camp Blanding have worked closely together for years.

"NECE and Camp Blanding worked together well before multi-agency collaborations and jointness were common, to address significant insect-borne disease challenges that impact readiness," said Hoffman. "The award Camp Blanding received acknowledges and validates the effectiveness of this relationship in producing products that protect our most valuable asset, our people."

"Overall, the goal of our collaboration is to leverage joint assets in order to increase the value of the products and services we offer to our customers," said Cmdr. Darryl Arfsten, officer in charge NECE. "Future plans for NECE and Camp Blanding collaborations will only intensify as the collaboration continues its importance in testing products to benefit deployed warfighters."

For more information on the Navy Entomology Center of Excellence, visit: http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcphc/nece/Pages/default.aspx.

For more news from Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, visit www.navy.mil/.