Yuma Proving Ground welcomes new commander in formal change of command

Yuma Proving Ground's leadership change reaches far beyond the parade field. The installation is Yuma County's top civilian employer, with more than 2,000 civilian personnel, and the Army says its combined direct, indirect and induced economic impact exceeds $1.1 billion a year.

Colonel Charles Seaberry assumed command of YPG on June 11 from Colonel John Nelson in a formal change of command overseen by Major General Patrick Gaydon, commander of Army Test and Evaluation Command. The passing of the guidon marked the transfer of authority and responsibility at a post that the Army describes as its premier test center for extreme natural-environment testing.

For local officials, contractors and workers in Yuma, the command change matters because YPG is not just a remote proving ground. It runs test operations at Yuma Test Center in Arizona, Arctic Regions Test Center at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Tropic Regions Test Center at leased sites in Central and South America, making it part of a broader Army network that helps move equipment from development to field use. Seaberry said speeding military capability to soldiers is one of his top priorities, a mission that ties the base's data-gathering work directly to defense decisions, contract activity and the tempo of testing work that supports jobs on and off the installation.

Seaberry also cast his command as a partnership with the people around the post, saying he works for the workforce, industry partners, community leaders, soldiers and civilians on the installation. That message lands in a county where YPG has long been woven into civic life, from local hiring to coordination with city and county leaders on growth, services and the day-to-day demands of a major military employer.

Nelson, who led YPG for three years, called the transition bittersweet and said he was proud of the relationships built with the community. He also pointed to YPG's role in helping earn the designation of Great American Defense Community, a nod to the installation's influence well beyond its gates. Nelson's next assignment is commander of U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range, keeping him within the Army's test and evaluation enterprise.

YPG's own history helps explain why the post carries so much weight in Yuma County. The military first used the area in 1942 to train desert troops, then shifted the mission in 1943 to testing bridges, river-crossing equipment, boats, vehicles and well-drilling equipment under the Yuma Test Branch. The installation says that 80-year history of realistic natural-environment testing still defines its mission today, and the June 11 handoff signals another chapter in a relationship that continues to shape the region's economy and identity.