DUGWAY PROVING GROUND, Utah - On September 2, 2026, Lieutenant Colonel Nathan K. Player became Dugway Proving Ground's new Commander of the West Desert Test Center at Dugway Proving Ground during an Assumption of Command ceremony.
The West Desert Test Center and Dugway Proving Ground share a distinguished legacy of service to the Nation. Officially activated by the U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Service on March 1, 1942, Dugway commenced chemical weapons defense testing that same year.
Operations initially centered on the "Dog Area"—established on March 5, 1942, and later renamed the Ditto Area in honor of Brigadier General Rollo C. Ditto, a World War I veteran and foundational Chemical Warfare Service leader. Dugway rapidly expanded its mission envelope, initiating biological defense testing in 1944 and conducting radiological testing between 1949 and 1953, leading to its designation as a permanent Army installation in 1954.
Today, the West Desert Test Center stands as a national treasure designated as a Major Range and Test Facility Base Operating within this vast AND secure environment. The dedicated and exceptionally talented soldiers, Department of Army civilians, and contracted mission-support professionals of the West Desert Test Center and Dugway Proving Ground continue to deliver decisive testing and readiness support to the Joint Force and our national security partners.
For nearly fifteen years, the West Desert Test Center has been led by a civilian director. Mr. Ryan Harris, who has served as Director of the West Desert Test Center and will continue his service to Team Dugway as Chief of Staff. Before Mr. Harris, its military test center commanders were acquisition officers. Today's ceremony is not an activation or reactivation; the center has remained active throughout. It marks the return of a lieutenant colonel command at a consequential moment for the Army and the Chemical Corps.
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