FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — The Congressional Liaison to the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (USAICoE) and Fort Huachuca, Matt Walsh, held his retirement ceremony at Alvarado Hall Dec. 16.
The ceremony, hosted by Jeffrey Jennings, USAICoE and Fort Huachuca deputy to the commanding general, said Walsh’s contributions to Fort Huachuca were numerous and would continue to have an impact on the installation for years to come.
Walsh’s first assignment was to create a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) strategy for Fort Huachuca that aligned with the missions of all the partner organizations. He also served as the point person for the installation providing coordinated response to the Army and DoD scenarios during the BRAC deliberative process.
As a result of this coordinated effort, Fort Huachuca was listed in the top 25 percent of Army installations in terms of military value, which established a solid foundation for the installation during the deliberative process that followed.
Jennings said that during the 2005 BRAC timeline, Walsh coordinated with the Fort Huachuca 50 and with state legislators to understand what military value meant to keep the installation from being vulnerable to closure.
“They were able to then establish with the Army in the top 99 installations that were considered for BRAC, we ended up at number 21, way above the cut line,” Jennings said. “It sounds like a simple thing but from that came the Buffalo Soldier Electronic Test Range; 2,500 square miles of space that encompasses a big portion of Cochise County and our valley. That test range is now recognized within [Arizona Statutes].”
Walsh said what set him up for success was being able to look at things and see possibilities instead of obstacles.
“I think I read early on that vision, opportunity and tenacity — if you are going to change things those are the three key components,” he said. “We are not going to stay standing; we are not going to stay sitting, we have to be progressing because the Army is progressing, our adversaries are progressing and the things we need to do are different than what we did 10, 20 years ago.”
Walsh thanked everyone he had served with over his career for their belief and support. He said it was because of the autonomy he was afforded to do his job that contributed to his successes over the years.
“I’m so blessed to have worked with great teammates, great leaders, over these 20 years to get great things done on behalf of our community, so thank you for that,” he said.
Walsh became the Congressional Liaison to the Commanding General on public policy concerns for Fort Huachuca at the federal level with Congress, as well as the state level for the Office of the Arizona Governor and the Arizona State Legislature in 2003, and since that time he has witnessed seven pieces of major state legislation passed to support mission capabilities in the electronic ranges, and the special use restricted airspace in southeast Arizona.
Maj. Gen. Anthony R. Hale, USAICoE and Fort Huachuca commanding general, presented Walsh with a Buffalo Soldier statue during the ceremony, and thanked him for his service.
“Matt, thank you for everything that you have done for me, thank you for what you have done for our country and our nation, and I wish you all the best in your retirement,” Hale said.
Walsh was awarded the Superior Civilian Service Award, a retirement flag flown in Walsh’s honor on Brown Parade Field Nov. 28, and special presentations from Hale and Jennings.
Walsh will officially retire from Civil Service Dec. 31.
More photos can be found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/us_army_fort_huachuca/albums/72177720304513084
Social Sharing