Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering
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Value Engineering Leader Jeffrey Hooghouse Wins OSW Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service
Mr. Jeffrey T. Hooghouse has been awarded the Office of the Secretary of War Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, the highest honor for a civilian employee.
The award recognizes Mr. Hooghouse’s distinguished 35-year career and his decade of service, from 2015 to 2025, as the Chief Value Officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and its Senior Accountable Official for Value Engineering.
The award was presented by Mr. Thomas Simms, Executive Director, Systems Engineering and Architecture, on behalf of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering and the DoW Senior Accountable Official for Value Engineering.
Mr. Hooghouse’s visionary leadership has fundamentally transformed the DoW decision-making culture. His focus on fiscal responsibility and innovation led the USACE Value Engineering program to generate more than $5.4 billion in validated cost avoidance. This represents an unprecedented 262-to-1 return on investment—the highest of any Value Engineering program within the Department during this period.
Among his achievements, Mr. Hooghouse revitalized the USACE’s Enterprise Value program, established the Office of Value Expertise, and created robust development programs to cultivate future value leaders. His expertise was instrumental in modernizing the Department's own Value Engineering program, solidifying his legacy as a leader in business process optimization. His work ensures smarter, more effective decisions that benefit taxpayers, empower warfighters, and strengthen the nation.
The distinctive accomplishments of Mr. Hooghouse reflect great credit upon himself and the DoW. Please join us in congratulating him on this well-deserved honor.
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OUSW(R&E)
The Pentagon
Office of the Under Secretary of War,
Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E))
3030 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-3030