YPG names new technical director

Col. Thomas Payne, Yuma Proving Ground commander, recently named Julio Dominguez as YPG's new technical director and deputy commander.

As senior YPG civilian, Dominguez will work closely with Payne in directing the activities of more than 2,400 government civilian, military and contractor personnel engaged in testing military equipment including munitions, weapon systems, combat vehicles, aircraft armament, air delivery, and electronic warfare systems at all three YPG test centers - the Cold Regions Test Center at Fort Greely, Alaska, the Tropic Regions Test Center that tests in a number of tropic locations and the Yuma Test Center located at YPG.

Dominguez said that he has considered it a privilege to lead members of the YPG workforce in his past assignments and that his selection for the top YPG civilian position is especially rewarding.

"YPG is a vibrant, mission-driven team of professionals in the midst of the most important time in its 57-year existence as an Army test organization,” he said.  “What we do here directly benefits America's warfighters. I am proud to be part of this effort.”

He pointed to a number of examples of how the proving ground supports combat operations both currently and in the future.

YPG counter-improvised explosive device (IED) testers deliver test products overseas on a daily basis to increase soldier survivability in combat theaters, explained Dominguez.

Automotive testers are testing improvements to MRAP vehicles, which also protect soldiers.

Artillery testers play a very relevant role in perfecting projectiles that allow American artillerymen to strike the enemy with precision that was unheard of a few years ago.

Air armaments experts test improvements to Apache helicopters that enhance their lethality and air delivery experts work to improve parachute systems that deliver supplies precisely to troops that need them and not where they may wind up in enemy hands. YPG extreme environment testers in Alaska and numerous tropic locations test equipment in climates where Americans may fight in the future.  

Asked about the many challenges he faces, Dominguez says his most important concern is the same as it was in his first leadership position, though much broader in scope.

“The most important job all YPG leaders must do is to keep the workforce focused on safety,” he said. “Explosives and some of the other items our people work with are unforgiving when a person does not follow approved safety procedures. There are seldom second chances with these types of items, so no excuse is acceptable for carelessness or failure to do things the right way.”  

Dominguez intends to continue fostering a culture of continuous improvement at YPG.  “Any organization that aspires to excellence must continuously be introspective, looking for ways to fix shortfalls and improve capabilities,” he said.  He said he will challenge employees to improve themselves and their work processes, to make their products better.  

Dominguez's appointment caps 25 years of experience at YPG in various positions of increasing responsibility and complexity, including test project engineer, chief of the proving ground's Munitions Branch, chief of the Munitions and Weapons Division, director of Ground Combat Systems and the Yuma Test Center's director of testing.  He also completed a developmental assignment as director of Test Management at the Army's Developmental Test Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.  

Dominguez immigrated to the United States from Mexico with his family at the age of four and grew up in southwest New Mexico.  He enlisted in the Marine Corps immediately after graduating high school and, as a Marine, attained the rank of sergeant, served in a variety of overseas assignments and earned paratrooper wings at the U.S. Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga. After his honorable discharge, he worked as an underground miner in New Mexico and Arizona for almost two years before beginning his engineering education.

Dominguez's academic credentials include a bachelor of science degree in mining engineering from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, a master of science degree in gun systems design from the Royal Military College of Science, Cranfield University (England) and a Master of Science degree in management from Northern Arizona University. He also completed senior leadership fellowships at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government and at the University of Texas Institute for Advanced Technology. He is certified at Level III in Test and Evaluation in the Army Acquisition Corps.

His honorary awards include two awards of the Superior Civilian Service Award, the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service and the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command Professional Award. The U.S. Field Artillery Association inducted him into the Honorable Order of St. Barbara for valuable and lasting contributions to Army and Marine Corps artillery.  

He and his wife, Cathy, a fourth-grade teacher in Yuma, have four daughters and four grandchildren.