Progeny Systems: Engineering Solutions That Last Generations

Cogswell Award

The following was awarded to Mark and the Groton Facility. Congratulations!

Defense Security Service
James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement Awards

The James S. Cogswell Award was established in 1966 and named in honor of the late Colonel James S. Cogswell, USAF, the first chief of the unified office of Industrial Security. Colonel Cogswell was responsible for developing the basic principles of the Industrial Security Program, including the Program's emphasis on partnership between industry and government to accomplish industrial security objectives, and excellence for the benefit of its ultimate customer, the U.S. warfighter. The Cogswell Award is the most prestigious honor for cleared industry. Of nearly 11,000 cleared contractors less than one tenth of one percent are annually selected to receive this Defense Security Service Award. Achieving this distinction requires extraordinary excellence involving a total team effort by top management, the facility security officer, and the facility work force. Selection for the award is based on the following criteria:

• An outstanding overall security program in which the contractor routinely resolves problems independently and is extremely responsive to changes in the National Industrial Security Program (NISP).
• Management's active support and involvement in maintaining an excellent security posture.
• Knowledge and professionalism on the part of the Facility Security Officer.
• A record of outstanding security review results that set standards for emulation by other contractors.
• Internal operating procedures which implement or exceed applicable requirements of the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM).
• An absence of security violations that impact on the integrity of security systems.
• An effective, ongoing security education and awareness program.
• Support for DoD personnel security initiatives by all levels of management.

• A program to limit the number of classified holdings in the facility.

The Cogswell Award selection process is very rigorous. Facilities are nominated by their assigned DSS Industrial Security Representatives, based on the criteria noted above and two consecutive industrial security reviews which show a sustained degree of excellence in program requirements. Nominations are then submitted throughout all levels of the DSS field organization for endorsement and vetting. A National Review Team consolidates and ranks the nominations, which in turn are submitted to Senior Management for final endorsement and approval.