Gov. Jay Nixon has nominated Joe Driskill, of Jefferson City, as the state's first military advocate.
The position was established by a bill the governor signed in 2015, establishing the Office of Military Advocate to advocate for military services and the preservation of military installations and agencies, as well as defense industries, in Missouri.
The state is home to Whiteman Air Force Base, Knob Noster, and the Army's Fort Leonard Wood, St. Robert-Waynesville, as well as facilities such as Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, St. Joseph and the Missouri National Guard's Ike Skelton Training Center, Jefferson City.
"Missouri has long given strong and non-partisan support for the mission of the U.S. military and its facilities here, and there is no person more qualified to spearhead our ongoing efforts than Joe Driskill," Nixon said. "His extensive experience in economic development and specifically in working with the military and the greater Fort Leonard Wood community is invaluable."
Nixon has nominated Driskill for a term ending March 3, 2022. His nomination will be subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate.
The military advocate will serve as the liaison between state and federal branches of government. The office also will provide enhanced communication to Missouri government leaders and base communities in order to increase early awareness on base realignment actions and potential downsizing.
Driskill is the executive director of the nonprofit Leonard Wood Institute, which has done some $70 million in research for the Army over the past nine years, as well as the Sustainable Ozarks Partnership at Fort Leonard Wood.
The appointment would be a full-time job and require Driskill to leave his current position, he said.
The institute develops, promotes and manages partnerships among governments, companies, universities and nonprofits on a statewide and national basis through technology and training projects connected with the U.S. Army missions at Fort Leonard Wood. The partnership is a subsidiary of the institute and focuses on implementing sustainability strategies.
Driskill, who has been with the institute for nine years, holds a top-secret level personnel security clearance with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sen. Dan Brown, whose district includes Fort Leonard Wood, said Driskill is well-respected at the Pentagon and as an authority on military bases.
"Joe's a very gifted individual, and I think he's the right man for this position," said Brown, R-Rolla.
Driskill said he's honored Nixon tabbed him for the position.
"The state is making new commitment to making sure we are best military state we can be," he said.
That, he said, includes taking care of military members and improving the factors the Pentagon will use to determine whether bases such as Fort Leonard Wood remain there in the future. Factors considered include housing, the environment and the quality of schools in the area, Driskill said.
"Fort Leonard Wood can be anywhere in country, and the Army wants it to be in a location that is the least cost and most effective," he said.
In addition to his work with the Institute and the Partnership, Driskill also serves on the board of directors of the Association of Defense Communities (ADC). The ADC is a national organization that unites the diverse interests of communities, state governments, the private sector and all services of the military on issues of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), community-military partnerships, mission growth and sustainment, and support for military families and veterans.
Driskill was director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development from 1993 to 2003 and executive director of the Missouri Technology Corp. from 2003 to 2005. He also served as a state representative from southern Missouri for 10 years.
Driskill has never served in the military. He said he tried to get an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at the end of the draft but couldn't because of his eyesight. Still, he said, "A good working knowledge of military is absolutely necessary, and I do have that in spades."
Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, will be Driskill's sponsor for the Senate confirmation, since Driskill is a Jefferson City resident. Kehoe said he's known Driskill and his family for a long time and echoes Brown's praise of him.
"He's not a military veteran," Brown said, "and it's been told to me many times that (military representatives have) never seen anyone gain more respect from the military community quicker on the national level than what Joe Driskill's been able to do."