WESTGATE@CRANE Technology Park, (Odon) Indiana — The White River Military
Coordination Alliance welcomed the new commander of Crane Army Ammunition Activity
(CAAA) during the Alliance’s third-quarter meeting August 6.
Col. Santee Vasquez became the 20th commander of Crane Army in a change of command
ceremony on July 13. In her address to Alliance members, she expressed her excitement to
work with CAAA’s civilian workforce and eagerness to contribute to projects on the horizon
aimed at modernizing and improving the activity.
Vasquez also recognized the Alliance’s achievements in increasing communication with the
surrounding communities and creating new regional economic growth opportunities.
Additionally, she noted her appreciation for the region’s collaboration and sense of place,
specifically how these initiatives provide advantages to the base and its workforce. Vasquez will
represent Crane Army in the Alliance’s efforts to strengthen the relationship between Crane and
the community.
“Without our friendships with organizations like the White River Military Coordination Alliance, or
Radius, or Regional Opportunities Initiatives, we would have no way to help the communities
our workforce resides in, to grow and evolve alongside us,” said Vasquez. “The future at Crane
Army Ammunition Activity is bright and full of ways that we can strengthen not only the
Department of Defense as a whole, but also South-Central Indiana and all of its hard working
Hoosiers.”
In addition to welcoming Col. Vasquez, Alliance members were briefed on the progress made
thus far on the 87 opportunities for cooperative planning efforts between the community and
NSA Crane as identified in the 2017 Joint Land Use Study. The overall summary status on
these recommendations is 66% complete, with some issues continuing to be ongoing by nature.
With this information, Alliance members were then asked to perform an exercise ranking the
opportunities yet to be launched in order of priority to provide guidance and direction for the next
year.
The next Alliance meeting will be held Friday, November 6 and will feature NSA Crane’s annual
State of the Installation address.
About Col. Santee Vasquez, Commander at Crane Army Ammunition Activity
Col. Vasquez received a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from the
University of California, Davis, and was commissioned through the Army
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in 1998. She received a Master of Arts in
statecraft and national security affairs from the Institute of World Politics,
Washington, D.C., in 2009, and a Master of Science in strategic studies from the U.S. Army Senior Service College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 2019.
Since joining the Army, Col. Vasquez has held a number of leadership
roles, ranging from Platoon Leader, and Battalion S4 Officer; Brigade
Adjutant, Company Commander; Assistant Support Operations Officer;
Small Group Instructor; Supply and Services Officer; Brigade S4 Logistics
Operations Officer and Brigade Support Battalion Commander; and, Chief
of Staff for the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command.
About the White River Military Coordination Alliance
The Alliance is a community organization that was formed in 2018 to promote positive
development and growth in the communities that surround Naval Support Activity Crane and
Lake Glendora Test Facility (Daviess, Greene, Lawrence, Martin and Sullivan counties) by
facilitating two-way communication between the communities, counties, state agencies, and
NSA Crane. The focus of our 24-member alliance is to create opportunities for economic
prosperity and land conservation in the region, safeguard Crane’s military mission, and protect
community health and safety. We would encourage the community to take our survey about
Crane at WRMCAlliance.com. Follow the Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.