Colonel (USA RETD) Mike Flanagan is a 27-year Veteran of the US Army, who transferred to Richmond VA in 2015 and now serves as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) for Virginia (South). During his military career, COL Flanagan served in numerous locations in the US and Germany, deploying to the Middle East for Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1991) and supporting combat operations in Iraq/Afghanistan w/Quick Reaction Equipment solutions (2008-2010). COL Flanagan also led two of the Army’s oldest project management offices: the Abrams Tank System (2004-6) and Training Devices (2010-2013). Upon retirement in 2013, COL Flanagan has worked in the defense industry for CACI-Federal, LMI, and now The Spectrum Group as a consultant.