U.S. Army Developmental Test Command (December 2005): test director at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona plays key role in Army acquisition program.

Julio Dominguez, director of testing at the Army's Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in Arizona, has spent more than 20 years working on test programs for the Army, in part because his life in the Marine Corps helped to instill an appreciation for the needs of people in uniform. In December his efforts on behalf of the Army earned him an Army award for meritorious civilian service.

"When I was in the Marine Corps, I worked with munitions and artillery," he said during a recent interview. "I found out the Army needed artillery test engineers, so I jumped at the opportunity to work in that arena. I left the Marine Corps, but I have always felt a strong bond to Marines, and to soldiers too."

Dominguez, a native of New Mexico who began his testing career at Yuma in 1985, served the Marine Corps in locations as diverse as southern California, the Philippines, and Okinawa. While in service, he attained the rank of sergeant and earned the airborne patch.

His educational achievements include a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; a master of science degree in gun-system design from the Royal Military College of Science at Cranfield, Great Britain; and a master's degree in management from Northern Arizona University. He also completed the Senior Executive Fellowship program at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. As a member of the Army Acquisition Corps, he is certified in test and evaluation.

His keen interest in guns prompted him to spend a year in England getting one of his master's degrees, an effort that was all the more challenging because he had earned his bachelor's degree 14 years earlier. "That's a big time separation, especially for the subjects you don't use on a day-to-day basis in your life or on your job," he said. "It was challenging, but also a lot of fun to study guns, which I had been interested in since I was a kid."

He paid out-of-pocket expenses to bring his family to England and have them live with him while he earned his master's degree, but his studies kept him too busy to do much traveling or sightseeing with them.

Dominguez began his career as an artillery test-project engineer, then became the chief of the Munitions Branch, after which he became chief of the Munitions and Weapons Division before becoming director of Ground Combat Systems. He said he has worked on every major artillery test program at YPG over the past 20 years, including programs to field the Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzer, the Sense-and-Destroy Armor munitions, the Crusader Self-Propelled Howitzer, and the recent testing of the XM982 Excalibur, the Army's precision-guided, extended-range projectile.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The importance of his work to the welfare of soldiers is something that motivates him, he said, especially now that U.S. forces are fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. A career-enhancing assignment at the Developmental Test Command (DTC) as acting director of DTC's Directorate of Test Management made it clear to him that people in DTC headquarters and various other organizations headed by the Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) have the same level of commitment.

"There were times when I came into the office (at DTC) very early, and there were times when I left very late, and not a single time was I the only person in the place," he said. "I found that people were completely and absolutely dedicated to what they do. There is an innate knowledge that what we do is very important, and we know why's it's important."

When a military system is being considered for Army acquisition, the Army Test and Evaluation Command's evaluators must provide a thorough and objective System Evaluation Report to key decision makers--an appraisal free of lobbying by defense contractors, political figures, or other system proponents. ATEC System Teams--which include testers and evaluators, test managers, the managers of Army acquisition programs, and a variety of other Army organizations--collaborate to give evaluators the data they need to report system performance accurately and fairly. Dominguez said his work at DTC headquarters gave him a greater appreciation for the way in which ATEC System Teams work to ensure the Army acquires the systems that soldiers need. His assignment at DTC also helped him understand some of the issues that confront a headquarters staff.

"I learned more deeply than I already knew the role that test managers play in ATEC System Teams," he said. "Down at the test center, I certainly had a more limited view of what these people do. Having been at (DTC headquarters) and having worked with them, I now have a very good understanding of how they do what they do and the great value they add to the Army test process."

The learning process was not one sided. "I think I added a little perspective from the field," he said. "A lot of the test managers at the headquarters level come from working at test centers, but not all of them do, and I think I provided some education where possible." He said his assignment at DTC also gave him the personal satisfaction of working with test and evaluation professionals on programs crucial to the Army.

"I had the privilege of being involved in decisions concerning the Army's Future Combat Systems, which is the most important program in the Army's future," he explained. "I was also privileged to have involvement with the up-armored vehicle efforts and other things going into the war theater."

The fielding of technologies designed to combat the menace of "improvised explosive devices"--the Army's lingo for the home-made explosive devices that insurgents are using to kill and maim U.S. servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan--is a key focus for the Army's testers and evaluators as well as Army leadership. There has been an "absolute" commitment to that program at DTC and other ATEC organizations, Dominguez said.

Dominguez said his greatest reward has been the opportunity to work with dedicated professionals. He credited their efforts, more than his, for his recent award. "I've got a great bunch of people who work with me," he said. "They are dedicated crews who are willing to do whatever is needed for the soldier."

Cast is a Public Affairs Specialist with U.S. Army Developmental Test Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.