Photo By Adriane Elliot | Craig Hodge’s distinguished federal career had its beginnings in 1965 when he would...... read more read more
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A U.S. Army Security Assistance Command employee who helped shape protest legislation for the Department of War would ensure the U.S. Army would procure the critical Stryker vehicle has retired after more than 50 years of service. Craig Hodge, USASAC command counsel, was joined by family, friends and colleagues to celebrate a distinguished career during a retirement ceremony at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, Feb. 2. As command counsel, Hodge advanced USASAC’s security assistance and foreign military sales mission by providing strategic legal support for more than 600 FMS cases valued at over $350 billion across 133 partner nations. Hodge’s career had its beginnings in 1965 when he would join the Army ROTC Program at Murray State University in western Kentucky. In 1970, he received his Army commission and an educational delay to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
“But in1972 after receiving his master’s degree, the Army realized it had an untapped asset in Craig, first calling him to active duty as an infantry officer at Fort Benning (Georgia), then as a military intelligence officer,” explained Army Materiel Command Counsel Brian Toland, who hosted the ceremony.
Serving in the 165th Military Intelligence Battalion, Hodge was responsible for all U.S. Army counterintelligence investigations in the north central Federal Republic of Germany and routinely liaised with European allied nations’ police and security agencies on the security of special weapons and produced classified reports concerning local security problems.
“So basically, Capt. Craig Hodge was in the spy game at the height of the Cold War in Europe,” said Toland.
Hodge left active duty in 1975 and remained in the Army Reserve as a military intelligence officer. He enrolled at Ohio State University, excelling in its law school and would graduate in 1979 before passing the Ohio bar and returning to the military as an Air Force judge advocate from 1980-1984 at Montgomery, Alabama. There, he served as an instructor and editor of the Air Force Law Review, which Toland said, “speaks volumes about his legal abilities as I cannot think of any other first-term JAG officer that such significant responsibility would be entrusted to.” Hodge left Air Force active duty in 1984 but remained connected with the Air Force Reserves and National Guard, retiring as a colonel in 2000.
“Few make it to O6 in the Guard or Reserves without outstanding performance,” noted Toland.
He returned to the Army as a civilian in 1984, joining the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. In 1985 he joined AMC at the former Aviation Systems Command in St. Louis. During his remarks, Toland described Hodge as a man of outstanding character and integrity, hardworking and dedicated, a man with a keen analytical mind and conduct above reproach. At AMC, Hodge served for a decade with the protest litigation branch and, with his colleagues, handled over 300 protests per year. Toland said Hodge mentored many generations of government attorneys over the years. “His guidance was always on point, and he was always willing to train and educate young attorneys like me while operating under the real-world stress of litigation deadlines. Toland described the best day of Hodge’s career life when in 2000 he served as litigator during a three-day protest hearing against the Stryker procurement. Hodge, whose main witness was then Lt. Gen. Paul Kern, said if he had not won the protest, the Army might never have procured the Stryker. From accounts of those present, Toland described Hodge as “running circles” around the prestigious Washington lawyers to win the landmark case. Stryker revolutionized the way the U.S. Army fights and wins the nation’s wars, and has been used with great success in every major armed conflict since its introduction in 2002.
“Also, during this time of heavy litigation, he was team lead for the Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 33 Rewrite Effort in 1995, assisting DOD in drafting legislation in the protest area which repealed the Brooks Act and helped draft Executive Order 12979, establishing agency protest procedures,” said Toland.
For his contributions to government reform and efficiency, Hodge would twice receive Vice President Gore’s Hammer award. Hodge focused the last quarter-century of his career on international acquisition at AMC Headquarters and USASAC and Toland ended his remarks describing Hodge as the “leading attorney expert on foreign military sales in the DOD for many years.” During his retirement ceremony, Hodge was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal before speaking to an audience of family, friends and colleagues. Hodge noted that he has worked with “USASAC for over 26 years and with DOD for 50 years, but the first time I put on a uniform was 1965, and that’s 60 years ago.” He then offered attendees tips on how to be healthy, wealthy and wise. He said he started planning for his retirement in 1983 and was able to save over $6 million by being fiscally responsible and making smart investments. He said his “Get Rich Slowly Plan” is based on the Micawber Principle, as introduced by the fictional character Wilkins Micawber in Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield." This plan emphasizes the importance of spending less than one's income to achieve financial happiness. Hodge also shared his lighthearted take on staying healthy and using wisdom to live a successful life before dozens of attendees shared farewell messages with him in the ceremony receiving line. Hodge, an avid international traveler, has finished remodeling his 7,300 square foot home in Danville, Kentucky, just in time for his retirement and he said he plans to take his younger family members, affectionally called grand-rentals, “wherever in the world they want to go.” To view the full retirement ceremony online, visit https://usg01.safelinks.protection.office365.us/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dvidshub.net%2Fvideo%2F996765%2Fmr-craig-hodge-retirement-ceremony&data=05%7C02%7Cadriane.c.elliot.civ%40army.mil%7C4f6ea2c6bda748340fb508de70ba9988%7Cfae6d70f954b481192b60530d6f84c43%7C0%7C0%7C639072143894648164%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=E6yMr35%2F3ub%2BqmXIbaMiiEBgN1r7nqf%2BhKzXcBdORzM%3D&reserved=0.
| Date Taken: | 02.02.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2026 17:10 |
| Story ID: | 558637 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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