VAN HIPP: Why the Army should restore its grassroots link to America's communities
I first wrote about the "Forgotten Americans" in early 2016 in an opinion piece for Fox News. The phrase was actually coined by Pat Buchanan when he served as a presidential speechwriter for President Nixon. Nixon used it in at least one speech, but then started using the phrase "Silent Majority."
In my piece, I talked about who the "Forgotten Americans" really are. They love their families and want a better life for their kids. They believe in American exceptionalism. They work hard, worship their God, and go to church. They pay their taxes and obey the law.
When America's security is threatened, the Forgotten Americans are always the first to volunteer to defend it. They want to see America's border secured, and they're concerned about "political correctness" being taught to their children in schools that they fund. A few months after my op-ed, the Trump campaign started using the phrase "Forgotten Americans," and it was a central part of President Trump's acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
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For over 100 years, there's been no better link between the U.S. military and grassroots Americans than the Army's Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) Program. Historically, the Secretary of the Army has appointed at least one individual in each state to serve as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army. That person has usually been a business or civic leader who serves in a purely voluntary capacity, but has served as the link for telling the "Army story" and building support for the U.S. military in local communities. In fact, on the U.S. Army’s own website, it’s referred to as "The Army’s Link to the People."
Over the years, the CASAs have gone into schools in rural America to tell the Army story and instill patriotism among our nation's youth. They've also been a big asset in working with Army recruiters to address recruiting challenges at the local level.
Fortunately, today, we have a Secretary of the Army who has gotten personally involved to help ensure we meet our active-duty recruiting goals, but that hasn’t always been the case. Meeting a recruiting goal does not end the need to earn the trust of the next generation of soldiers and families.
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CASAs have also offered tremendous support for our "Soldier for Life" program. The Soldier for Life program supports our soldiers as they transition out of uniform and into civilian life. CASAs have connected transitioning soldiers with local employers and guided them through other decisions they must make during the transition to civilian life. Over the years, I've been impressed, too, with the volunteer work of CASAs in helping military families facing a particular need.
Unfortunately, in June 2025, the decision was made to terminate the entire Corps of Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army. In making the move, Army leadership said they wanted to focus more on technology than community engagement.
I certainly understand the role of technology on today's modern battlefield. In fact, I had the honor last year of giving one of the keynote addresses at Taiwan's annual National Security Summit. In my remarks, I specifically focused on artificial intelligence, quantum, and spectrum as the equalizers of the battlefield of the future.
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I believe we can have a laser focus on the technology America needs to protect our national security interests and keep the American people safe while still engaging with the grassroots and telling the Army story at the local level.
The Army needs the innovation of Silicon Valley. It also needs the commitment of Main Street and the regular people who answer the call to serve — our Forgotten Americans.
It’s time to restore the CASA program’s traditional, community-based role. Building the Army of the future should not mean losing its link to the people.