The White Sands Missile Range workforce came out to support the Sept. 30 Commander’s Town Hall at the Post Theater where WSMR Commander Col. Johnathan Nelson talked about the future plans at WSMR.

Commander’s Town Hall

The White Sands Missile Range workforce came out to support the Sept. 30 Commander’s Town Hall at the Post Theater where WSMR Commander Col. Johnathan Nelson talked about the future plans at WSMR.

Nelson went over WSMR’s Campaign Plan, which targets near-term execution, and the Strategic Plan, which targets mid and long-term direction. He also went over WSMR’s four priorities.

“The Campaign Plan and the Strategic Plan puts those four priorities into actual actions, tangible things that we are going to do to drive action,” Nelson said.

The Campaign Plan covers Empowered Leadership, Workforce Expectations and Accountability.

Nelson went on to say that Mission Accomplishment is our main effort with the commander’s intent being to deliver decisive test capability with precision, discipline, safety, security, and technical excellence-ensuring WSMR can test emerging warfighter systems.

The commander’s intent for Workforce Development is to build a technically capable, adaptable, and mission-focused workforce with the depth, leadership capacity, and critical skills required to deliver world-class test capability. The major objective being to empower the workforce.

The initial focus under Workforce Development is establishing LAUNCH – Leadership Advancement & Unified New-Talent Career Hub ensuring every directorate identifies and validates mission-relevant workforce needs.

“You have to develop the workforce,” Nelson said.

The commander’s intent for Digital Transformation and Innovation is to deliver secure, authoritative data and modern processes that improve decisions, productivity, scheduling, and mission speed while returning time to the workforce.

“Right now, we are prioritizing the scheduling system. We are going to develop a digital scheduling system,” Nelson said.

The commander’s intent for Stakeholder Management is to build trust, advocacy, and durable partnerships that anticipate requirements, reduce friction, and secure the resources and support needed for WSMR’s mission.

Garrison Commander Col. Michael A. Lueckeman then took the stage to go over accomplishments over the past 90 days to include a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Narrow Band Test Facility in July and the 25^th anniversary commemorations of the 9/11.

Lueckeman recognized employees responsible for the idea behind the Narrow Band Test Facility to include Sandra Saldivar-Valles, an engineer who was present at the meeting.

“This project was championed by two of your ATEC teammates,” Lueckeman said. “It was their idea, their vision, their leadership that brought this facility to a reality at White Sands to increase our capabilities. Never underestimate the impact you are making on a daily basis here at ATEC for our national defense.”

He followed by talking about future endeavors to include infrastructure modernization, building a new school, the Trinity Site Open House scheduled for Oct. 17 and the Bataan Memorial Death March scheduled for March 20, 2027.

The day ended with the Commander’s Call at the Frontier Club, where Nelson and Command Sgt. Maj. Hermes Acevedo recognized several individuals for their contributions to the team.

Miriam U. Rodriguez

WSMR Public Affairs