YPG commander reflects on first two years in command

Two years into his command at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), it is clear that Col. Patrick McFall took the reins at a pivotal moment in the Army’s—and YPG’s—history.

Having steered a course through the peak of the COVID crisis while maintaining YPG’s position at the forefront of Army modernization efforts, McFall is now looking to the long term by going back to basics.

As he plans for the YPG of the year 2035, two phrases guide him: ‘People are our core capability’ and ‘our can-do culture.’

“Those two statements define YPG in my opinion,” he said. “The best idea in the world is only an idea if the people and culture don’t support it.”

In recent years, YPG has achieved an unprecedented prominence within the Department of Defense. The proving ground hosted Project Convergence 2020 and 2021, the latter being the largest capabilities demonstration in the Army in the preceding 15 years. The last three Secretaries of the Army have visited the test ranges, and ambitious Army modernization efforts will only expand in the years ahead. In light of this, McFall recently hosted the post’s senior civilians on a two-day planning retreat at a remote gun position on YPG’s range to actively ask about and plan for the next 13 years. What range infrastructure improvements will be necessary to accommodate testing of the most-cutting edge developments foreseeable?

“I know time doesn’t stop in 2035 and that what we think today may not be right next year, but most strategies stay on the same glide path,” McFall explained. “I don’t see workforce and range modernization efforts going away—it is evolution.”

A major component of this preparation is the Employee Modernization Effort for Relevant Growth and Enrichment (EMERGE) program, stood up earlier this year with an initial investment of $270,000. The program's efforts at preparing the workforce for the future test mission is wide-ranging and comprehensive, covering everything from developing new test methodologies for advanced technologies to leadership strategies and critical thinking.

“I wanted to start a program that modernizes our workforce,” McFall said. “It was important to me that this program be made by our workforce, for our workforce.”

Though it has already attracted positive attention from the Army’s senior leaders, McFall stresses that the program is not only designed to prepare the workforce for the long term, but to be implemented incrementally due to the continuous demands of YPG’s busy test schedule.

“You can’t take too many people out of testing: you have to rotate people in and out of training,” he said. “It will take years to build this program.”

Safety is always a vitally important factor in successfully conducting YPG’s mission, and it is front and center in McFall’s mind.

“Before I came here, I didn’t fully appreciate all that went into testing. In developmental test, we don’t have a full appreciation of an item’s failure rate or what will happen when an item under test fails. The inherent danger in this post’s mission takes a lot of effort to mitigate hazards and ensure nobody gets hurt.”

Aside from the obvious facets such as keeping surface danger zones free of people while tests are in progress, fortified bunkers and blast shields for personnel to take cover in while test firing artillery, and remote firing of weapons by test personnel, McFall also sees how other factors contribute to a good safety culture. Ensuring proper maintenance of equipment is one such element.

“Maintenance isn’t just about maintaining the fleet’s operational capabilities: it is also a critical safety issue,” he said. “We don’t want a vehicle’s brakes to stop working when our personnel are driving on the test range, or have it break down at an unimproved gun position far from any populated area when it is 120 degrees outside.”

He is also keenly interested in ensuring personnel don’t lose their ability to think and act safely from the fatigue of working burnout schedules.

“Rest and relaxation are part of safety,” he said. “I want everybody to have a good work-life balance.”

McFall also believes good community relations is vitally important in ensuring the proving ground’s long-term viability, and he has been an active presence in the community for the duration of his time in command. He is particularly impressed with organizations like the ‘Yuma 50’ military support group, made up of many of Yuma’s most prominent civic and cultural leaders.

“Being involved in the community is important because they are integral to YPG’s continued success,” McFall said. “The Yuma community embraces YPG because they understand how important this post is to the national defense.”