VAN HIPP: Why the Army should restore its grassroots link to America's communities, tell me about this news in (https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/van-hipp-why-army-should-restore-grassroots-link-americas-communities)

(The article is an opinion piece written by Van Hipp, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army between 1989 and 1992. He argues that the U.S. Army made a mistake by terminating the Corps of Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) program in June 2025, and calls for its restoration.

For over a century, the CASA program has served as the Army’s link to local communities, appointing civic and business leaders in each state on a voluntary basis to help tell the Army story, foster patriotism among youth, assist with local recruiting challenges, support the “Soldier for Life” transition program, and aid military families. Army leadership terminated the corps to focus more on technology and modern battlefield capabilities. However, Hipp argues that the Army can maintain a strong focus on crucial technologiessuch as artificial intelligence, quantum, and spectrumwhile still engaging with grassroots communities. He concludes that while the Army needs the innovation of Silicon Valley, it also needs the enduring commitment of Main Street and everyday Americans who answer the call to serve.)