The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) announced the winners of the 2022 James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement Award last week. 

Out of the 26 facilities selected for the award, Walsingham Group, Inc., which is based in Fayetteville, was a recipient. 

William Lietzau, director of DCSA, humorously shared during the ceremony, “This is as close as you’ll get to the Academy Awards for security professionals.”

DCSA selected the winners out of 12,500 cleared facilities.

“The award criterion focuses on principles of industrial security excellence. Factors include establishing and maintaining a security program that far exceeds the basic National Industrial Security Program requirements; and providing leadership to other cleared facilities in establishing best practices while maintaining the highest standards for security,” a DCSA press release said. 

Nominated facilities had to have a minimum of two consecutive superior industrial security review ratings and had to exhibit “a sustained degree of excellence and innovation in their overall security program management, implementation and oversight.”

The award originated in 1966 to honor the late Air Force Col. James S. Cogswell, the first chief of industrial security within the Department of Defense.

“Walsingham Group was honored to receive the prestigious James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement Award from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA),” said Kelly George, vice president and global security officer at Walsingham Group. “We are grateful that DCSA has the highest fidelity in our organization, recognizing our security enterprise as exceeding the standards of the National Industrial Security Program nationwide.”