WEST FORT HOOD, Texas -- Two safety awards were presented to Operational Test Command here recently by its higher headquarters, showcasing the testing unit's continuous improvements in accident prevention during 2015.

The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, endowed OTC with its overall "Organizational Safety Certification - Outstanding Safety Program."

OTC's Maneuver Support and Sustainment Test Directorate also received ATEC's "Accident Prevention Award of Accomplishment."

Receiving the awards was a long time coming -- beginning with the submission of the recommendation during December 2015, articulating over 50 accident-free test events, the unit's overall safety program, a detailed safety brief policy, and the inclusion of Composite Risk Management into every aspect of the unit's operations.

OTC led all of ATEC with its Motorcycle Mentorship Program, first-rate results from safety audits, and great safety risk countermeasures put into play during large test events, like the Network Integration Exercise.

Maj. Gen. Daniel L. Karbler, commander of ATEC, said, "Their uncompromising actions to protect Soldiers and Civilians are exemplary and are well-deserving of this award."

"We've got Soldiers and a lot of moving pieces all over our test centers," said Col. Ronald W. McNamara, OTC's deputy commander and chief of staff. "So we place an awful lot of emphasis on safety while we're out there."

McNamara said he is proud of OTC's ability to focus on testing events, with everyone on the team emphasizing safety and putting redundant control and mitigation measures in place.

But he said he is most proud of Soldier and Civilian conduct while off duty.

"Safety briefs are not just a 'check-the-block' thing," said McNamara. "You have to continue making great decisions off duty, because that's where the real money is -- individual decisions when no one is looking.

"The deliberate stuff we do out on tests, that's very in-your-face and obvious," he said. "But it's the individual decisions that every individual makes each weekend that results in a fantastic safety record."

MS2TD went 365 days with zero safety incidents -- accident-free for one year of operational testing from November 3, 2014, through November 3, 2015, with no Class A, B, or C accidents due to human error.

OTC is the Army's only independent operational tester, testing and assessing Army, Joint, and Multi-service war fighting systems in realistic operational environments. OTC uses typical Soldiers to determine whether the systems are effective, suitable, and survivable, and is required by public law to test major systems before they are fielded to its ultimate customer -- the American Soldier.