YPG Profile Overview

CYPG dedicates more direct labor hours to testing than any other U.S. Army installation to ensure weapons systems and equipment are proven safe and effective for U.S. service members. YPG tests artillery systems and ammunition, aircraft armament and targeting systems, mobility equipment, and air delivery systems in support of U.S. defense operations around the world.

The land space, restricted airspace, and facilities at YPG, paired with the arid climate and the installation’s remote setting position YPG as a premier T&E installation for the U.S. Army, DoD, the federal government, more broadly, and domestic and international partners and customers. The most recent endeavors include testing and evaluating extended range cannons and counter-unmanned aircraft technology.

YPG supports three of the four extreme weather testing centers. While the desert testing takes place at YPG through the Yuma Test Center, the YPG Commander is also responsible for testing activities at the Cold Regions Test Center in Alaska and at Tropic Regions Test Center in Hawaii, Panama, Suriname, and other tropical areas. These centers provide extreme natural environments for testing and evaluating military systems and equipment in realistic wartime environments.

Yuma Proving Ground covers 837,969 acres, or approximately 1,309 square miles, making it the DoD’s fourth largest installation in terms of land area. In addition to the vast land that is part of YPG, there are also 11 different components of restricted airspace, which includes 1,981 square miles above YPG and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, which sits within the “U” shape of the installation’s borders. Of the total land area comprising YPG, 1,299 square miles (roughly 99%) can be used for testing evaluation and maneuvers.

Yuma Proving Ground’s vast area is divided into three regions for operations and management purposes: the Cibola Firing Range, Kofa Firing Range, and the Laguna Test Area. The Cibola Firing Range encompasses most of the northwest portion of YPG and includes 443,365 acres. The Kofa Firing Range encompasses most of the area east of U.S. 95, or 340,800 acres. Laguna Test Area straddles U.S. 95 in the lower southwest portion of YPG and includes 53,720 acres.

Yuma Proving Ground employs a total of 3,066 people. Nearly 80% of the workforce is composed of civilians, and the remaining military personnel, most of whom are transient. Compared to other Army bases with larger populations of soldiers who change their permanent duty stations on a more routine basis, YPG has a larger ratio of employees who will spend their entire careers and lives in the region. The effects of a permanent population for YPG and the region are mutually beneficial. YPG is able to maintain skilled employment to complete its mission and also provide stable employment.

There are 606 residents who live on YPG in the two residential areas in the Col. George W. Howard Gate and Cantonment Area. Living on the installation is not limited to active duty military personnel. On base housing also is available to military retirees, DoD workers, and DoD Contractors working on YPG. In addition to the on base residents, there are over 10,000 veterans and military dependents who live within 40 miles of the installation. Many of these veterans and military dependents have a connection to YPG and the military in the region.

In 2017, the Maguire Company estimated a total of 8,089 jobs (direct, indirect, and induced) created $385.1 million in wages and, in turn, $1.1 billion in total local economic impact. In the fiscal year 2018, YPG’s operating budget was just under $48 million, and the installation’s direct economic impact on the community was roughly $450 million. Every year, approximately 35,000 visitors come to YPG to observe facilities and celebrations and to acquire goods and service