About GEN William G.T. Tuttle, Jr. Award
The GEN William G. T. Tuttle, Jr. Award for Business Acumen in Defense and Government recognizes an IDB alumni and her or his direct colleagues for demonstrating the application of principles learned in an IDB educational program to achieve outstanding results in their organization.
ELIGIBILITY
Individual and team submissions are accepted. Each submission must include at least one individual who is a graduate of one or more IDB educational programs. Graduates from all past and present IDB educational programs qualify.
CRITERIA
Successful applicants will have demonstrated one or more of the following in their submission:
WHO CAN APPLY
IDB alumni can self-nominate by submitting an award application. Colleagues, peers, and supervisors of IDB alumni are invited to recommend alumni who they feel are qualified candidates for this award and who graduated from one of the following current or legacy IDB education programs:
- LOGTECH Executive and Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology
- Depot and Arsenal Executive Leadership Program (DAELP)
- Life Cycle Executive Leadership Program (LCELP)
- Log21: Logistics for the 21st Century
- UNC-IDB Strategic Studies Fellows Program (UNC-IDB SSFP)
- IB2 LOG, IB2 IO, IB2 IA, and IB2 IE
- Dense Urban Studies (DUS)
- IU-IDB Cyber Risk Management
- Aviation Industrial Readiness Program (AIR-P)
Upon receipt, IDB will contact the nominee to confirm acceptance of the nomination and gather submission material.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
The committee is composed of senior logistics experts from the IDB network including the IDB Board of Directors, Executive Fellows. A selection of the top applications is provided to the members of selection committee who review all application materials and select the winner.
QUESTIONS
Please contact Caitlin Lederer, Program Manager at lederer@idb.org
2024 Tuttle Award Recipients:
Mr. Roy Longley and Mr. Bryan Spaunhorst
United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) Strategy and Assessments Team
LOGTECH Advanced and LOG21 Alum
Strategy and Assessments Team
In support of the USTRANSCOM Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution processes for Fiscal Year 25, the efforts of Mr. Longley and Mr. Spaunhorst were directly responsible for integrating and modernizing supporting strategic programs, streamlining mission critical prioritization methodologies, and revising key combatant commander guidance.
The Team’s application of innovative strategies and alternative approaches for addressing challenge areas yielded efficiencies manifesting themselves in budget increases for global power projection, an enhanced overall level of command efficiency, and significantly advanced the USTRANSCOM’s mission in support of readiness and national defense.
2023 Tuttle Award Recipients:
Ms. Kristina O’Brien, SES
Mr. Garrett Heath
Mr. Ferald Cleary
CDR Dante E. Williamson, USN
LTC Matthew Strickland, USA
Joint Staff J4
LOGTECH Alumni
Wargaming, Analysis, and Assessment Team
The Joint Staff J4 Team, led by Kristina O’Brien, conducted a series of logistics-centric joint wargames that informed and shaped key strategic capability and readiness documents translating national defense strategy into measurable outcomes. The team led the Advancing Globally Integrated Logistics Effort (AGILE) Wargame series.
This wargame series focused on future warfighting concepts contained in the Joint Warfighting Concept and Joint Concept for Contested Logistics, two key strategic directives in support of the 2022 National Security Strategy.
The team effectively applied tools, knowledge and insights gained during their participation in the IDB LOGTECH Programs. Congratulations on this accomplishment!
2022 Tuttle Award Recipients:
Mr. Andrew J. Rock
FRC-East
AIR-P Alumnus
V22 Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)
Average increase in work hours per aircraft of 24% for CV-22 and 12% for MV-22, leading to an increase of direct labor hours by 30% with only a 15% increase in staffing. Additionally, the V-22 line fully implemented the Naval Sustainment System (NSS) initiative and established a Production Control Center (PCC). By empowering and supporting the PCCs to continuously review work orders to improve accuracy, FRC East ensures on time or early delivery and optimized employee utilization.
2019 Tuttle Award Recipients:
Development of IT System Health Assessment Method to Improve Cloud Environment
Submitted by Jasen Blacksburg, Civ, DAF, AF/A4PA IT Governance and Portfolio Management
Jasen Blacksburg and the Air Force IT Transformation Team developed a robust IT system health assessment method to modernize the existing infrastructure by reducing the footprint, refactoring systems, and re-hosting to an improved cloud environment. Beginning with identification of risk, the team proceeded to assess the health of 169 Logistics IT systems and prioritize their consolidation, migration, and/or shut down for a cost avoidance of $330M.
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Additionally, the team worked with maintainers and industry to tackle a way for Airmen on the flight line to document aircraft maintenance in real time without duplicative and manual inputs. An investment of $2M will recover 494,000 maintenance man hours per year.
The Air Force IT Transformation Team members are Aspasia Wooldridge, Jasen Blacksburg, Kim Brown, and Mark Heitkamp.
Previous Tuttle Award Recipients
Increasing Coast Guard YARD Efficiencies and Cutter Readiness Returns
Submitted by CAPT Matthew Lake, Commanding Officer of the US Coast Guard YARD, LOGTECH Advanced Alumni
CAPT Lake applied LOGTECH principles to evaluate better methods for producing low-cost, high-volume, industrial materials and commodities, resulting in the implementation of a successful GSA Fourth Party Logistics procurement program (4PL). This program has effectively reduced overhead activities and enabled procurement personnel to focus on large-scale purchases, such as ship engines, motors and cranes.
His application of the YARD’s production process efficiencies increased the Industrial Production throughput and revenue while decreasing the labor rate for workforce production by 4% per hour. The savings were applied to other projects to lighten the maintenance backlog.
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CAPT Lake has applied lean manufacturing to ensure fleet readiness and initiated a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) for a small fleet of 65 training vessels. YARD employees have used their engineering expertise to efficiently complete a major refurbishment in a 12-month cycle with only a 1% growth.
He has demonstrated efficiency, innovation, and leadership which earned recognition by the American Society of Naval Engineer (ASNE) and the USCG Naval Engineering Program as the 2017 Lucas Plaque Award winner for achieving excellence in Naval Engineering.
MCAAP Strategic Planning and Governance Restructuring Initiative
Submitted by COL Sean M Herron, previous Commander of McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, currently at USARCENT G4, Depot & Arsenal Executive Leadership Program Alumnus; COL Joseph D. Blanding, current Commander of McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, Depot & Arsenal Executive Leadership Program Alumnus
McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (MCAAP), led by a team of graduates from the Institute for Defense and Business’ Depot and Arsenal Executive Leadership Program (DAELP), has initiated a broad range of organizational, procedural and cultural changes. The concepts presented in the DAELP curriculum are interwoven throughout these changes and have provided the structural framework for MCAAP’s leaders to mold their vision for the long-term success of the plant.
The result of this work is MCAAP’s strategic plan, aptly entitled Over the Horizon. It clearly lays out who MCAAP’s culture, competencies, process, governance structure, business philosophy, vision, and how they are turning plans into synchronized actions and metrics.
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This comprehensive plan for simultaneously running two business units (distribution and production) and a small city (the installation) with an economic impact to Southeastern Oklahoma of over $475M through a Working Capital Fund structure is critical for the long-term success of the plant, the community, and the workforce.
Additionally, MCAAP has an embedded culture of continual process improvement through the use of LEAN, Six Sigma, and value engineering that has saved over $18M in FY15 and over $23M in FY16. These efforts have allowed MCAAP to consistently sustain the lowest rates in Army Materiel Command and provide quality, low-cost products to its customers.
Improving Operations through Unified, Modernized Approach
Submitted by CDR Travis Rasmussen, LOGTECH Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology Alumnus; LCDR Brook Sherman, LOGTECH Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology and Log21: Logistics for the 21st Century Alumnus; CAPT Jeffrey Good, LOGTECH Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology Alumnus
The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Industrial Enterprise (NIE) workforce successfully re-engineered the NIE into a unified and modernized organization that directly supports and exemplifies the Deputy Commandant for Mission Support (DCMS) mission support business model of total asset visibility, bi-level maintenance, configuration management, and product line management. This was a significant Business Process Re-engineering initiative valued at $330 million dollars, the largest in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Contributing to the success of this massive effort were logistics and business acumen principles obtained by members of the U.S. Coast Guard while attending the LOGTECH Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology, and more importantly, applied to this monumental enterprise-wide effort. The men and women of the NIE have greatly improved the Coast Guard’s capabilities and have led to the best industrial performance in program history accounting for over a 100% increase in fully burdened production value since the establishment of the NIE in 2012.
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Through extensive collaboration with customers, master production planning, business line analysis and work distribution, the organization attained an increase in labor utilization while generating an average 30% cost savings over equivalent commercial contracts.
In addition, strong financial controls were instituted which eliminated a $2.5 million dollar operating deficit, returned over $31 million dollars in outstanding obligations to the general ledger and resulted in a balanced operating account for the first time in 20 years. Their efforts also established a foundation for CFO compliance, made targeted recapitalization of industrial equipment possible and created an innovation fund to enable local improvements in equipment, facilities, and training.
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Improving Distribution Overseas through Supply Chain Innovation
Submitted by Col Emily Buckman, Division Chief, LOGTECH Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology Alumna; Ms. Terri Ryder, Deputy Division Chief (DLA-T); Dr. Stephen Dubernas, Management Analyst, LOGTECH Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology Alumnus
During intense operations in support of Combined Joint Operation Area-Afghanistan, Colonel Emily Buckman, and her team applied logistics and business principles learned during the LOGTECH Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology to create innovative approaches in supply chain operations. Laying the foundation by creating the new Defense Logistics Agency-U.S. Transportation Command Support Division (DLA-T), Colonel Buckman and her experts ensured a robust level of strategic flexibility by instituting the “band of excellence” algorithm concept which overcame fluctuations in weather, speed, cost and political will encountered in transiting contributing countries, from the Northern Distribution Network in the north to the Pakistan Ground Lines of Communication to the south and east.
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She also created a two-way multi-modal support mechanism through Riga, Latvia reducing airlift costs from $5.00 to 80 cents per pound, resulting in a savings of up to $700,000 per flight; and through the TRIDENT FOCUS IPT formed new enterprise level business rules that redirected transport of low priority cargo. Cost avoidance in the first year alone amounted to over $150 million dollars
Port Visit Management Initiative
Submitted by LCDR Cielo Almanza, Action Officer, Port Visit Management Initiative, COMPACFLT N40 – LOGTECH Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology Alumnus
The Commander Pacific Fleet, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Fleet Supply and Ordnance (CPF N4) team in Future Logistics Operations Division (CPF N40) recognized high variability and inconsistency in port visit processes resulting in premium pricing for service and support. LCDR Almanza applied business principles to assess how the process “should” look with a goal of streamlining the process. He developed an interactive way to share data related to contracted and preferred services in each port. (That data was previously manually assembled into a PowerPoint slide deck by each ship staff before the visit.)
With the new system, ships staff have access to all the information they need for each port they visit and now also are able to provide reviews to further inform future users. Each year 300 to 375 port visits occur in the Western Pacific costing more than $50M.
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LCDR Almanza moved the system from a reactionary nonstandard process to an efficient and convenient process for ships visiting any ports in the western Pacific. The system provided accountability that ended expensive practices like $1M extra water taxi rental when the cost was already covered under a port visit agreement. It also helped maximize Navy refueling to avoid very high port fueling costs.
To date the efforts produce monthly cost avoidance ranging from a few thousand dollars to an instance of $500K at a single port visit. These savings allowed the Commander, Pacific Fleet to increase the number of theater engagements with partners and allies, strengthening theater and national security.
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Speeding Delivery by Optimizing Mixed Versus Pure Palletized Materials
Submitted by Mr. Mike Hansen, Acting Division Chief of USTRANSCOM’s Logistic Sustainment Division – LOGTECH Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology Alumnus
Mr. Hansen and his team optimized distribution using business principles reinforced at the LOGTECH Advanced course he attended. The fundamental principle Hansen used was to take an enterprise-wide look to improve performance in order to overcome inefficiencies and excessive costs driven by local optimization policies. Hansen’s team found that pure pack containers were often not speeding delivery to the customer as intended, and that the benefits of reduction in handling and potential speed gains at forwarding distribution points were outweighed by the extended pipeline created when the modes of transportation were only partially filled by the light loads intended for one unit.
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They knew that the old pre-pure pack metric of maximizing container and aircraft weight or space was also not the answer. The answer was to find the optimal balance between pure pack and mixed pack pallets or containers that would depend on the receiving distribution center’s capacity to repackage or route cargo from full pallets or containers.
The Logistic Sustainment Division’s use of business principles and analytics produced straight forward tools and procedures that yielded savings of $123 million in 2010 and improved velocity by 20% in sea containers while increasing aircraft utilization on all airlift missions by 11.7 percent with far more aircraft meeting the 90% utilization goal.