General George W. Casey, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; Former Commander, Multi-National Force in Iraq

SPEAKER: GENERAL GEORGE W. CASEY, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; Former Commander, Multi-National Force in Iraq

TITLE: AN ARMY THE NATION NEEDS

General George W. Casey, former commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq and current Army Chief of Staff, will present his vision for the future of the U.S. Army and share his first-hand experience of the war in Iraq. He will argue that uncertainty and persistent conflict in the 21st century demand an Army that is adaptive, properly sized and balanced. Casey raised some eyebrows last winter with critical comments about the troop surge in Iraq, telling the New York Times, “it’s always been my view that a heavy and sustained American military presence was not going to solve the problems in Iraq over the long term."

Casey was confirmed by the Senate as Army Chief of Staff in February 2007, concluding a three year tenure as commander of the coalition in Iraq. He will be replaced by General David H. Petraeus. During his time in Iraq, Casey pushed for Iraqis to take ownership and responsibility for the security of their country, focusing on training Iraqi forces and limiting the role of American forces.

When Casey began as commander of the Multi-National Force, he replaced Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez. Casey, who served in senior staff positions at The Pentagon beginning in 2001, left his position as Director of The Joint Staff to head the coalition in Iraq. Deployed in 1996 to Bosnia Herzegovina, he also served as commander of the 1st Armored Division in 1999 during Operation Joint Endeavor there. Born in Japan, Casey is the son of George W. Casey, Sr., a Major General who served in World War II, Korea, and in Vietnam where he was killed on duty. Casey received his B.S. in International Relations from Georgetown University and his M.A. in International Studies from the University of Denver.