What was the inspiration for the Southwest Defense Complex?

The idea for a Southwest Defense Complex came from a proposal by General Colin Powell to focus joint service testing and training in the southwest. General Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated in February 1993 the following, “in the southwestern US all four services have training, test and evaluation ranges that provide a land, airspace, sea area, and offshore supersonic operating domain that could accommodate a major portion of our joint test and evaluation needs.”

<b>What was the inspiration for the Southwest Defense Complex?</b>

Southwest Defense Alliance | Profile

The Southwest Defense Alliance is governed by an 18-member board of directors: three directors from each of the six member states. It is managed by a retained executive director. See the Leadership page of this website for a listing of board members and staff.

The hundreds of civilian participants and volunteers of the SWDA live and work in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.

SWDA Profile meetingThey have diverse backgrounds and interests. But they all share one vision:To sustain a vibrant and supportive environment where the critical defense missions of research, test and training can be conducted far into the future. To help ensure this vision, the SWDA engages in education and advocacy.

It is important to all Americans that our ability to test and train in the Southwest Defense Complex endures. Therefore, our education and advocacy efforts focus on these missions. Our goal is to have all elected and appointed officials, all business and community leaders, and all other stakeholders aware, informed and active in supporting our national defense missions.

Funding for the SWDA operations comes from state and local organizations, businesses, individuals and coalition partners.

CLICK HERE to learn how you can help, contribute and participate.