Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth recently announced that the 2023 Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army (CASAs) Annual Conference will be held at Fort Leonard Wood (FLW). The conference will be held in early May and will bring over 100 CASAs and their spouses, along with senior Army leaders to FLW and our communities.

CASAs are business and community leaders appointed by the Secretary to advise and support Army leaders across the country. CASAs come from many professions including business, education, finance, industry, law, the media, medicine, and public service. Each is proactively involved in the community and brings to the position an interest in the Army, a high degree of business and civic leadership, and an ability to influence the public.

CASAs are Special Government Employees who agree to serve as representatives of the Secretary of the Army without salary, wages or related benefits, and are afforded a 3-star protocol status. Each CASA is committed to supporting all Department of Army Civilians, Soldiers and their Families.

In particular, CASAs partner with the Soldier for Life program to assist Soldiers as they transition from the Army. You can read Secretary Wormuth’s proclamation recognizing the 100^th anniversary of the CASA program at: https://casacac.army.mil/Documents/Final100thAnniversaryProclamation.pdf

Missouri has two CASAs that serve in these unique positions: Mr. Keith W. Pritchard, Missouri-West and BG (retired) Tracy E. Beckette, Missouri-East.

The Sustainable Ozarks Partnership is building on the Fort Leonard Wood Region’s strong past and preparing the region for a healthy, resilient future. We are a nonprofit organization working to bring all of the region’s stakeholders to the table to drive regional development and advocate for new or expanded military and federal missions, all as part of our efforts to strengthen the Fort Leonard Wood region.

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