Photo By Brandon Mejia | Lt. Col. Shane Dering assumed command of Yuma Test Center (YTC) on June 2 from...... read more read more
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Lt. Col. Shane Dering assumed command of Yuma Test Center (YTC) on June 2 from outgoing commander Lt. Col. Alicia Johnson in a ceremony held in front of Yuma Proving Ground’s Heritage Center Museum.
Hailing from the Army Futures Command’s Electronic Warfare Spectrum Superiority Division at White Sands Missile Range, Dering knew of YTC’s reputation prior to choosing the billet.
“It’s not an ATEC organization, but the test and experimentation events are similar, and sometimes co-supported,” he said. “Yuma is not foreign to me. If you’re in this business, you’ve either been here TDY or sent people here TDY.”
Dering supported Project Convergence 20 and 21 in his prior position, and as he took command here, he pledged to continue the work that has made YTC the Army’s top test center.
“It’s the premier place for the test environment. At my level, it’s seen as the largest, most complex test command.”
A native of Oklahoma, Dering was commissioned in 2004 through the Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning.
“When I was in college, I was in the enlisted reserves. When I graduated, I was an accountant and realized I missed the Army side of things. I was going to do one active duty tour and then go back to the civilian world—16 years later, I’m still here.”
He deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan prior to joining the Acquisition Corps in 2012.
“In Afghanistan, a lot of the MRAPs [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles] and MATVs [MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle] we used went through ground testing in Yuma, as were a lot of our counter-IED [improvised explosive device] countermeasures. I’ve been a beneficiary of what the test centers do, but I may not have truly realized it at that time.”
Dering appreciates YTC’s longstanding reputation for excellence and feels promoting a good work-life balance is critical to maintain it.
“My priority is always morale within the organization: I’ve always felt that a lot of problems get solved when a majority of the people in an organization want to be there. Yuma Test Center’s reputation is that the folks are dedicated professionals working in their chosen professions. Their dedication is a good thing, but you have to ensure people have a good work-life balance.”
Though he spent a week at the proving ground visiting personnel earlier this spring, Dering said he looks forward to seeing much more during his command.
“There’s a large workforce to get to know, and I’m excited to see everything they do. Being out in the field is better than looking at slides.”
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2022 10:58 |
| Story ID: | 423147 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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