Farewell Col. Ross Poppenberger
On July 8, YPG will usher in a new commanding officer
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A change of command in the army is a time-honored ceremony symbolic of the passing of responsibility and authority from one leader to another.
In a few weeks, Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) will usher in a new commanding officer.
Since 2017, Colonel Ross Poppenberger has served as the commanding officer of YPG.
As the leader of the Army’s busiest test center, Col. Poppenberger placed an emphasis on telling the story of YPG, bringing the community in as neighbors.
Col. Poppenberger said, “We’ve done the 75th celebration, then YPG 2020. We tried getting people up there and kind of showcasing all of the great work that our engineers and test officers do across our range. I think that’s important to tell that story.”
Under his leadership, YPG successfully executed more than 450 tests, prioritizing long-range precision firing weapons, and establishing the Army Futures Command.
Col. Poppenberger also actively fostered the future of Yuma's youth with YPG’s STEM GEMS program.
“[Students] can come out here and see some of the infant stages of some of the things they’re going to be working on in the next 10 years, which is when these guys are going to be coming out of college. We’re kind of priming the pump right now to get these guys interested and involved and understand a little bit about what we’re doing here to lead the nation well into the future.”
When no one anticipated a global pandemic to shift the nation in the way that COVID-19 has, Col. Poppenberger stepped up as a leader and faced the crisis in the best way he knew how.
“We really just educated and informed. We’ve gone above and beyond. We put videos out talking about how to deal with it,” he said.
On July 8th, he relinquishes his command to Col. Patrick McFall.
While Col. Poppenberger closes out his career in the U.S. Army, this isn’t a final farewell to Yuma.
“I really love the Yuma community. I want to get involved with some of the groups and organizations in the Yuma community, interested in looking into some board memberships. I’m looking at taking a position here in Yuma, so it’ll keep me here in Yuma. I also want to go play a little bit. I enjoy the river and I enjoy all of the activities that Yuma has to offer."
