SEMBACH, Germany - The Medical Readiness Command, Europe G6 (Information Technology) team was recently selected as the 2026 US Army Medical Command Mercury Award winner for Health Information Technology Team (HIT) of the year. The winners were announced at the 2026 Defense Health Information Technology Symposium (DHITS) Aug. 10 in New Orleans.
The U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Mercury Awards recognize military and civilian personnel/teams who demonstrate outstanding excellence, innovation, and significant contributions in health information technology (HIT) and informatics.
The eligibility for the award is AMEDD military and civilian personnel that have served in HIT positions (including informatics) or made significant achievements in information management and informatics that support the advancement of Army Medicine’s readiness mission.
The team led by Army Lt. Col. Justin Lilly, Chief Information Officer for Medical Readiness Command, Europe, earned top honors for their technical agility and reputation as pioneers within Army Health Systems, proving their unmatched responsiveness during real-world surge operations.
“Lt. Col. Lilly and his team exceeded all expectations over the last year. They enabled Medical Readiness Command, Europe to operate at a level we had never achieved before,” said U.S. Army Col. Jeremy Johnson, Chief of Staff for Medical Readiness Command, Europe.
The Medical Readiness Command, Europe team included Army Lt. Col. Justin Lilly, Chief Information Officer for Medical Readiness Command, Europe; Bryan Gilbrech, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Craig McDowell, Justin Michaels and Lazaro Smith.
“I am extremely proud of this team for their hard work and dedication that allowed us to support medical readiness, training exercises and real-world events," said Lilly. ““In Europe, medical readiness hinges on secure, rapid information. This recognition is a testament to the team’s dedication. It has been a pleasure to work with a dedicated and hard-working team.”
According to senior Army medical officials, the Medical Readiness Command, Europe G6 team operated as a vital node in a joint, multi-national environment, ensuring that technology served as a force multiplier for clinical and logistical teams.
“By completely revamping our unit’s ability to communicate with secure technologies, Lt. Col. Lilly and his team significantly bolstered our unit’s combat readiness during several US Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) exercises,” added Johnson. “This preparation enabled our headquarters to function at the highest level during the real-world crisis response of Operation Epic Fury. Lt. Col. Lilly and his team’s combination of pioneering innovation and tireless responsiveness during Operation Epic Fury makes them truly deserving of this award.”
As a result of the team’s forward thinking and abilities, Medical Readiness Command, Europe was the first Medical Readiness Command in US Army Medical Command to utilize SecureView computer systems – allowing for concurrent Mission Partner Environment (MPE) network and SIPR capabilities.
“Our team shared the knowledge we gained from the implementation of SecureView with MEDCOM and three other MRCs to help drive enterprise-wide modernization,” added Lilly.