Photo By Mark Schauer | U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) Commander Col. Charles Seaberry and Command Sgt....... read more read more
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Effective communication is a vital commodity, something of which one can never have too much.
With the purpose of sharing information and building relationships, military commanders and senior leaders from across Arizona gathered for a day of discussions at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) on Sep. 2.
The summit, the first hosted by YPG Commander Col. Charles Seaberry, was the first held on post since 2022.
“It gives me an opportunity to meet my fellow commanders in Arizona,” said Seaberry. “It is good to collaborate and learn about the creative things they are doing that I could potentially leverage with YPG. I think we are going to have a lot of opportunities to synergize our initiatives and be less duplicative in areas where we are resource constrained.”
The Arizona Commanders Summit is a semi-annual event in which commanders and senior leaders from YPG, Marine Corps Air Station-Yuma, Fort Huachuca, Luke Air Force Base, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the Arizona National Guard’s Papago Park Military Reservation, and other Arizona and California-based military units along with local and state government representatives to discuss mission and installation sustainment. Though not a decision-making body, the group hears presentations on key topics throughout the day.
“I like the ability to go to all of the installations and see what they are like,” said Chas Buchanan, Director of the 56th Range management Office at Luke Airforce Base. “Seeing the remoteness of some of the installations and the challenges they face that are different than those we face in Phoenix really helps get the broader picture.”
The forum was an opportunity to compare challenges and network to share assets to accomplish the mission. For example, although YPG’s primary mission is conducting developmental testing of military equipment, the post also supports military training exercises. YPG is also part of the recently announced Army Permissive Test Range Expansion Initiative, which prioritizes commercial access to specialized environments ideal for testing unmanned aerial systems (UAS), counter-UAS technologies, long-range fires and low-cost interceptors at several facilities, including West Cibola Range, a newly opened component of YPG within YPG’s existing boundaries.
“That has dramatic implications into the future,” said Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls, who attended the event. “As we bring the amazing capabilities of YPG to bear for private industry, I think it will be a gamechanger for us for years to come.”
Multiple attendees noted the support the proving ground enjoys from the greater Yuma community, as well as the important role YPG plays in ensuring our nation’s defense. Nicholls gave a comprehensive presentation about what the city of Yuma offers early in the event.
“The military is important to our community and as a representative of the city I want to let everyone in the state know that Yuma is a community committed to the defense of our nation and preparing our warfighters,” said Nicholls. “It’s part of what makes Yuma, Yuma.”
| Date Taken: | 09.02.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2026 16:31 |
| Story ID: | 573816 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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