REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s focus on “People First” continues to be successful as the command maintained its rank as the second best Army command to work.

USASMDC again had the second highest employee engagement index for the U.S. Army on the Office of Personal Management’s 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey with 80.2%. The command also kept the title for top participating Army organization on Redstone Arsenal.

“I truly appreciate our SMDC team’s contributions and feedback that have helped the command improve over the past three years,” Lt. Gen. Daniel L. Karbler, commanding general, USASMDC, said. “None of what we do could be done without the pride each and every team member takes in their work.”

The EEI used questions from the survey to gauge conditions that can potentially lead to the state of engagement, defined as an employee’s sense of purpose portrayed through their dedication, persistence and effort in their work or attachment to their organization and its mission.

The EEI is comprised of three sub-indices, Intrinsic Work Experience, Supervisors and Leaders Lead, each containing five equally weighted questions. USASMDC saw a 0.2 percent increase in the Leaders Lead sub-index with 75.8%. The command saw a 0.2% and 2.5% decrease in the sub-indices Intrinsic Work Experiences and Supervisors, respectively.

Two of three lowest-scoring questions for USASMDC included recognition for performance and achievements.

Karbler acknowledged that although the command maintained its top position, there’s still room for improvement.

“I have to do a better job to ensure that SMDC team members are recognized, at all levels, for the work they do,” Karbler said. “While we’ve emphasized the importance of recognition, it’s apparent we have more work to do. I look forward to hearing the SMDC team’s ideas for helping increase recognition across the board.”

As the command looks towards improvement, Karbler said the SMDC team must always remember that they are the command’s greatest strength.

“I thank all of you for what do you every day,” Karbler said. “It’s absolutely certain that we contribute to the common good of our ultimate customers – the Nation’s citizens and its warfighters. ‘Placing “People First’ as we continue our work helps us to continue improving and producing the best work we can to complete our mission.”