Col. Charles Seaberry assumed command of U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) from Col. Johnathon Nelson on June 11, accepting the guidon from Maj. Gen. Patrick Gaydon, Commanding General of Army Test and Evaluation Command.
The son of Non-Commissioned Officers, Seaberry pledged to continue YPG’s reputation for excellence at the forefront of Army transformation efforts.
“My command philosophy will be to rely hugely and heavily on the workforce,” he said. “I give minimal direction. I like that what I see of the workforce that surrounds me is people who come in motivated and bringing innovation.”
Prior to his recent tenure as Director of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Forward Element-Atlantic, Seaberry served as Product Manager for the Common Synthetic Environment. Commissioned in 2001, he joined the Army Acquisition Corps in 2007. YPG was his top choice for command prior to being selected, and he is already impressed by the post’s vast institutional knowledge.
“The longevity in these positions strikes me,” he said. “15 years plus is probably the mean value of the tenure of people talking to me about how long they have been part of the YPG mission.”
During his command, Seaberry wants to ensure that YPG’s culture for safety and excellence is sustained. He also stressed he wants the installation to continue its over 80 years of outstanding rapport with the local Yuma community.
“The warm gestures and respect given to the military community here are extremely impressive,” he said. “It’s about not taking for granted what the service members do to protect our nation, and I’m thoroughly impressed by it.”
In recent years, YPG has achieved an unprecedented prominence within the Department of War and ambitious Army transformation efforts will continue apace for the foreseeable future. Seaberry is eager to promote all that YPG has to offer the Army and Department of War.
“The folks who know what we do here utilize it to verify and validate their capability to put it in the hands of Soldiers. I want to keep those relationships strong, but I want to reach out and touch the folks who don’t know about us, in industry, in academia, and in commercial industry.”
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