[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 8, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ELECTRONIC PROVING GROUND

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                            HON. RON BARBER

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 8, 2014

  Mr. BARBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the sixtieth 
anniversary of the founding of the Electronic Proving Ground (EPG), 
located in my district at Fort Huachuca in Southern Arizona.
   The Electronic Proving Ground (EPG) is the Army's C5ISR (Command, 
Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and 
Reconnaissance) developmental tester under the Army Test and Evaluation 
Command (ATEC). C5ISR is one of the major components to Cyber Command 
and is absolutely essential to understanding and controlling the 
battlefield of the 21st Century.
   The mission of EPG is to plan, conduct, and analyze the results of 
technical tests for C5ISR systems and Electronic Combat (EC)/Electronic 
Warfare (EW) equipment for the Department of Defense, other federal 
agencies and private industry.
   Southern Arizona is home to an incredible array of national security 
assets and our community in Southern Arizona does all we can to support 
our defense industry, military installations and veterans. It is only 
fitting to mark and celebrate this important event.
   Situated within a bowl-like valley enclosed by mountains more than 
four thousand feet above sea level, the Electronic Proving Ground is an 
open-air testing range that offers more than nine thousand square miles 
of land protected and free from outside electromagnetic interference. 
The terrain and vegetation of EPG is varied, with mountains, desert, 
and woodlands providing a unique and unparalleled opportunity for 
testing technology in a multitude of environments. Fort Huachuca also 
possesses 970 square miles of restricted airspace that is used for 
airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and 
Electronic Warfare systems testing. Combined, these assets help to 
create the nation's premier testing environment and community.
   In 1954, the Army's Chief Signal Officer realized the incredibly 
unique environment located at Fort Huachuca for electronic and 
communications equipment testing and since then, EPG has been 
recognized as one of the best interference free environments in the 
nation, if not the world.
   I am proud to represent the soldiers, civilians, and contractors 
that support the Electronic Proving Ground. I wish them all the utmost 
success as they continue to support our warfighter with the best 
testing capabilities that come from sixty years of experience, 
intelligence, savvy, and skill. The Army, the Department of Defense, 
the United States and mankind have benefitted from the work performed 
at EPG, and we are forever grateful.

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