Kevin Ryan Named Civilian Aide to Secretary of Army for Massachusetts

Brigadier General Kevin Ryan (U.S. Army retired), has been appointed the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for the State of Massachusetts.  Ryan is taking on the volunteer Civilian Aide role in addition to his full-time position as director of the Defense and Intelligence Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

In his work as Civilian Aide, Ryan will provide individual advice to the Secretary of the Army, the Chief of Staff of the Army, and commanders at all levels on public sentiments toward the Army. Aides maintain close relations with Army commanders in their state to disseminate information about the Army and provide insight into the public's concerns and perceptions.  Upon his selection, Ryan said, “This is an Army position, but from the moment I spoke with MG Rice [The Adjutant General of Massachusetts] about this duty I realized that it’s not possible, or right, to approach this work from a purely Army perspective.  I look forward to working with all the military branches in the state and hope that I can be of help to the whole military community here.”

Prior to joining the Belfer Center, Ryan served for over 29 years in the Army in air and missile defense and as a specialist on the Soviet Union and Russia.  His last assignment was on the Army Staff responsible for International Relations and Strategic Plans.  He has been a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy and was Vice President for Government Business Development at iRobot Corporation. Previously Ryan was executive director for research in the Belfer Center.

The civilian aide program has its origins in the post World War I era and is a volunteer position.  Each state, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories have a CASA.