By MOAA Staff

MOAA’s new president and chief executive officer discussed the association’s goals and pending advocacy challenges in a recent podcast interview, stressing the importance of continued support from membership and the need to coordinate efforts with other military and veterans groups.

“We have such great grassroots members in MOAA – we’re lucky – who are active,” Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), told Bill Hodges, the host of Veterans Corner Radio, in an interview that went online Jan. 8. “They’re not just passive members. They’re calling their congressmen, they’re writing, they’re putting together information and making sure the right people hear the right things.

“When you’re able to do those kind of things, things like the PACT Act get to happen,” Kelly added. “Protecting COLA … for retirement pay gets to happen. All those things that MOAA has been successful with over the years happen because of the ability to bring folks together.”

[LISTEN TO THE PODCAST EPISODE]

Kelly, a 33-year Air Force veteran, took over MOAA’s top post Jan. 4. He spoke with Hodges, an enlisted veteran and honorary member of MOAA’s Sun City (Fla.) Chapter, about what drew him to the position at MOAA, his goals for increasing MOAA membership, and how he hopes to navigate a challenging federal budget landscape in the coming years.

“We’re going to have to be steadfast, we’re going to have to be consistent, and we’re going to be united [with fellow advocacy groups] in trying to make sure that … our congressional members, our representatives, understand what military members and veterans have done, and why it’s so important to maintain those benefits,” Kelly said. “It’s hard to imagine that if you have an all-volunteer force, which we do, how that would go in the future if you don’t take care of those who served before.”

Learn more about MOAA’s ongoing advocacy efforts, including how you can take part, at our Legislative Action Center.

About the Podcast

Veterans Corner Radio is available through multiple podcast services. Hodges also can be heard on local radio stations, including WSCQ-FM in Sun City Center, Fla. More information is available at the show’s Facebook page.