West Desert Test Center
The West Desert Test Center (WDTC) is one of the United States Army's eight Major Range and Test Facility Bases (MRTFBs), located at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah and operated by the US Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC). As one of 23 designated MRTFBs forming the "critical core" of DOD test and evaluation infrastructure, WDTC is responsible for chemical and biological defense testing, NBC survivability evaluation, and aerospace systems testing across over 1,250 square miles of restricted Utah range. According to a 2013 GAO report, approximately 77% of acknowledged WDTC work is conducted for the Joint Services Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP), with the remaining 23% comprising other classified acquisition test and training programs. WDTC is alleged by UAP researchers to serve as the Army component of a joint Army-Air Force UAP legacy program, with operations centered at Avery Technical Center for materiel exploitation and underground storage/study in the alleged DUMB beneath Granite Peak.
| Type | military/MRTFB |
|---|
Structure and Organization
WDTC operates under Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), with operations spearheaded by a Test Director position currently held by Ryan W. Harris (a former Battelle Memorial Institute project manager). The organizational structure places WDTC independent from conventional Army research and development test and evaluation (RDT&E) chains—a separation mandated by the Office of Management and Budget and Office of the Secretary of Defense ostensibly to ensure unbiased evaluation and warfighter safety. However, this independence also creates potential for reduced oversight of WDTC programs.
ATEC's reporting structure places it under the Secretary of the Army, Chief of Staff, and Vice Chief of Staff, with direct lines to the US Secretary of Defense through the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation—bypassing traditional RDT&E oversight mechanisms.
Major Facilities
WDTC encompasses several critical installations at Dugway Proving Ground:
Ditto Technical Center: The operational heart of WDTC, housing range operations, contractor facilities (including Jacobs Solutions), material test facilities, defensive test chambers, and the Garrison building where witness MS was interrogated for six hours following his 2009 encounter at Avery.
Avery Technical Center: A 40-acre restricted facility bordering Michael Army Airfield, historically used for radiobiological warfare studies and radioactive materials handling for the Atomic Energy Commission. Avery features an internal rail system, clean room facilities, classified storage (Building 1016), test operations (Building 1010), and a tunnel entrance (Building 102) potentially connecting to the alleged DUMB. Conspicuously absent from DPG visitor guides despite being a major installation.
Michael Army Airfield: Shared Army-Air Force airfield used for aerospace testing, including historical support for the Lockheed Martin X-33 hypersonic program. Jointly operated with Hill Air Force Base's 388th Range Squadron.
Mission and Acknowledged Programs
WDTC's primary acknowledged mission centers on chemical and biological defense testing for the Joint Services Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP), accounting for approximately 77% of operations per a 2013 GAO report. This includes:
- Testing chemical and biological defense equipment and systems
- Nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) survivability evaluation
- Development and validation of defense materiel and protective systems
- Training operations for Special Forces and other military units
- Use of chemical and biological agents and simulants under controlled conditions
The remaining 23% of acknowledged operations comprise other "acquisition test and training programs"—phrasing that leaves substantial ambiguity for classified aerospace, materials science, or compartmented programs beyond standard biochem defense work.
Major Range and Test Facility Base Designation
As one of eight Army MRTFBs (out of 23 total DOD MRTFBs), WDTC is designated as part of the "critical core" of DOD test and evaluation infrastructure that must be preserved as a national asset. The MRTFB network comprises:
- Over 10 million acres of land in the United States
- Over 25,000 employees annually
- Over $4 billion in acknowledged annual funding
- 23 installations across Army (8), Navy (6), Air Force (7), and Defense Agency (2) facilities
Many MRTFB installations—including Edwards AFB, Naval Air Warfare Center China Lake, White Sands Missile Range, Nevada Test and Training Range—are extensively associated with UFO legacy program lore. WDTC shares this designation with installations where UAP operations have been alleged by multiple witnesses.
Joint Army-Air Force Operations
WDTC shares Dugway Proving Ground with the Air Force's Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) southern area, operated in part by Hill Air Force Base's 388th Range Squadron. This creates a joint Army-Air Force MRTFB structure at Dugway mirroring alleged joint-service UAP programs at other installations:
- Edwards 412th Test Wing (Air Force MRTFB) + Nevada Test and Training Range (Air Force MRTFB) = Alleged joint reverse engineering program per witness "Ed"
- West Desert Test Center (Army MRTFB) + Utah Test and Training Range southern area (Air Force MRTFB) = Theorized joint UAP program per witness MS/GP testimony
The 388th Range Squadron operates infrastructure surrounding Granite Peak (threat emitter systems, radar stations) and shares Michael Army Airfield with WDTC, enabling seamless coordination for aerospace testing operations.
Leadership and Battelle Connections
Current and former WDTC leadership demonstrates extensive personnel connections to Battelle Memorial Institute:
Ryan W. Harris (Current WDTC Director): Former Battelle project manager at Dugway (2000-2004) before transitioning to direct DPG employment, rising to WDTC Test Director by 2012. Holds bachelor's in chemical engineering, served as Army chemical officer.
Greg Frank (Former WDTC Chemist): Served as chemist for Dugway's Chemical Laboratory Division (1984-85) before joining Battelle as project manager and principal investigator, eventually becoming Executive VP for Battelle Science and Technology International overseeing 5,000+ scientists and engineers.
Anders Woborg (Former WDTC Special Programs Division Director): Former Battelle test director for chemical/biological defense equipment before serving as director of WDTC's special programs division, now working for DOE.
This bidirectional personnel pipeline between WDTC and Battelle—particularly in chemistry-intensive roles—suggests deep operational integration between Dugway's chemical testing infrastructure and Battelle's broader defense programs.
Alleged UAP Legacy Program Role
Based on witness testimony and structural analysis, UAP researchers theorize WDTC serves as the Army component of a joint service UAP legacy program operating at Dugway:
Materiel Exploitation: Clean room operations, laboratory analysis, and study of extraterrestrial craft and materials, centered at Avery Technical Center. Witness MS's 2009 encounter with a hovering disc craft in an Avery building (believed to be Building 1010) allegedly showed ATCH and Battelle scientists studying a seamless metallic disc with advanced propulsion.
Chemical/Materials Analysis: WDTC's specialization in chemical and biological defense testing provides cover and infrastructure for analyzing exotic materials, propulsion chemistry, and potentially non-human biologics. The presence of senior DOD chemists like "GP" working in "legacy operations" supports claims of chemistry-intensive UAP materiel analysis.
Underground Operations: The alleged 1,300-square-mile DUMB beneath Granite Peak, accessible via Building 102 (Avery Tunnel Entrance) and supplied via underground maglev rail connections, provides secure storage, study, and operations space free from overhead observation.
Internal Transport: Avery's documented internal rail system for transporting radioactive materials potentially doubles as infrastructure for covertly moving craft and materials between surface facilities and underground locations.
Approximately 77% of WDTC's acknowledged work being CBDP-funded means 23% remains unaccounted—potentially including classified aerospace, materials exploitation, or compartmented programs beyond standard biochem defense missions.