Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army presents CGSC brownbag program

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan.--Michael D. Hockley, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Eastern Kansas, spoke with Army University staff and faculty members at this month's Interagency Brownbag Lecture, Dec. 12. Hockley, who was appointed to the CASA position earlier this year, said his primary purpose is telling the Army story and in particular telling the story of the Army in his region.

One of Hockley's goals is to reinvigorate the Kansas City Military Affairs Counsel. "We have to educate the community about what the Army is and what its impact is on our area," he said.

Each CASA can facilitate up to four Army ROTC scholarships for National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers in their area, said Hockley.

CASA's are business and community leaders who help bridge the gap between their local communities and the U.S. Army. They promote good relations between the Army and the public and advise the secretary about regional issues. Each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories have one or more CASAs appointed. They serve a two-year term without compensation and their terms may be extended to a total of 10 years.

The secretary may recognize a civilian aide as a CASA Emeritus after 10 years of distinguished service. When Hockley took office as the CASA for Eastern Kansas his predecessor, Lt. Gen. (U.S. Army, Retired) Robert Arter, became a CASA Emeritus.

Hockley said that the program has its roots in the World War I era Military Training Camps Association and the civilian aide concept was adopted in 1922. Although there are currently 118 CASA positions, recently expanded by 25 percent, and 26 CASA emeritus, fewer than 500 people have served as CASAs.

A law partner with Spencer Fane, LLP, in Kansas City, Hockley is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served as a Judge Advocate General Corps officer until he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He has served in leadership roles in a variety of civic, professional, and business organizations to include founding trustee and chair, of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Foundation; past chair, United Way of Greater Kansas City; treasurer, board of regents, American College of Environmental Lawyers; and member, board of directors, Armed Forces Bank.

The Interagency Brown-Bag Lecture Series is co-hosted by the Command and General Staff School and the Simons Center for Interagency Cooperation. All lectures are free and open to the public. They are designed to enhance the CGSC academic curriculum and to educate and inform the greater Kansas City area community. This lecture series is made possible by support to the CGSC Foundation.

The next scheduled lecture in the Interagency series is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is scheduled for Jan. 30 at 12:30, in the Arnold Conference Room, Lewis and Clark Center.