Colonel John Nelson briefs Arizona senators on Yuma Proving Ground testing, workforce and local impact

Colonel John Nelson, commander of Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), described YPG’s mission, testing operations and local economic role at a special Arizona State Senate meeting (date not specified). He told senators YPG is “the Army’s extreme natural environment test organization,” operating three test centers — Arctic, tropic and desert — and supporting airborne and ground weapons systems, parachute drops, unmanned systems and sensor testing.

The briefing matters because YPG’s testing informs Army procurement decisions and supports local jobs. “When they leave they leave YPG, they’re functional,” Nelson said, explaining that developmental testing finds failures early so equipment can be fixed before production. He also stressed YPG’s growing role in counter‑drone testing: “We’re a Department of Defense center of excellence for testing counter drones,” and the installation runs a joint counter‑UAS demonstration twice a year where vendors show detection and defeat systems.

Nelson told senators YPG supports both developmental and acceptance testing. He said acceptance testing has increased recently as ammunition is shipped overseas, requiring the industrial base and testing capacity to ramp up. He described the Yuma Test Center’s range infrastructure, including distinct north/south (Cibola) and east/west (Kofa) ranges, and noted the installation’s airspace management and low radio‑frequency encroachment make it suited to electronic‑warfare and sensor tests. Nelson said the range footprint is “a little larger than the state of Rhode Island.”

On local employment and economic effects, Nelson said the installation directly and indirectly supports thousands of people. He cited a figure of $1,140,000,000 in economic impact “according to the McGuire study.” He described roughly 2,500 people commuting from Yuma daily, roughly 800 contractors on the test‑mission side, and about 524 Department of the Army civilians on site. Senators and attendees emphasized the commute’s safety and the importance of Highway 95; Nelson and others credited Arizona Department of Transportation work to widen portions of Highway 95 and said further widening and roundabouts would improve safety and relieve congestion tied to both workforce commutes and heavy test traffic, including 18‑wheelers delivering munitions.

Senators invited YPG leaders to provide future briefings and accepted Nelson’s offer to arrange base visits and a point of contact for field trips. Committee members praised YPG as a local economic and technical asset and expressed interest in further engagements to better understand military testing and installation needs.

No formal votes or motions were recorded during the briefing. The session concluded after the presentation and questions.