Outpost Outspoken U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground

Host Mark Schauer talks with Combat Systems Branch Chief Marco Nixen about the importance of testing military vehicles in a natural environment. Plus, Host Ana Henderson chats with Durred Francher, YPG Explosive Safety Manager, about how his hobby of sewing opened up a world of opportunities.

Host Mark Schauer talks with Combat Automotive Systems Division Team Lead Erick Hurtado about his decade of testing the Army’s most cutting-edge vehicles, and how his example inspired others in his family to also serve the Warfighter. Plus, Schauer chats with Munitions and Weapons Division Test Officer Kevin Irr about his service as president of the Yuma Community Theater’s Board of Directors in his spare time.

Host Ana Henderson talks with engineers Daniela and Maria Villegas, sisters who grew up in Yuma County, Arizona and obtained the entirety of their engineering educations locally prior to working in YPG’s Instrumentation Division. Plus, Host Mark Schauer chats with YPG Airfield Operations Manager Jim Walk about the cross-country bicycle trip he made in his youth.

Host Mark Schauer talks with Jason Swain, Chief of YPG’s Instrumentation Division, about the staggering array of high tech equipment used to record, quantify, and verify performance of the Army’s most cutting edge weapons systems. Plus, Schauer chats with YPG Police Chief Donnie Lucas about the importance of community policing and his time working a security detail for Generals Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf in the early 1990s.

Host Ana Henderson chats with Jonathan Olbert, who served in the U.S. Army, then pulled double duty as an Army reservist while working at YPG. Hear about his time in the Army rebuilding warzones and how it ties into what he does now for YPG's Technology and Investments Directorate. Plus, Henderson talks with Chaplain (Capt.) Ryan Pearse on what YPG's chapel offers for the community-- and how you can get involved.

On the first episode of season three, Host Ana Henderson talks with aviation test officer Charlie Saltz about how her experience as a Navy veteran influences her work on behalf of the warfighter. Plus, Host Mark Schauer visits with Jose Dorame, an award-winning artist who teaches art at YPG's Price Elementary School.