HONORING COLONEL CHRISTOPHER JOHN HICKEY

On 2026-07-21, Representative Scott Perry (R-PA-10) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING COLONEL CHRISTOPHER JOHN HICKEY" in the House.

HONORING COLONEL CHRISTOPHER JOHN HICKEY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E715] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING COLONEL CHRISTOPHER JOHN HICKEY ______ HON. SCOTT PERRY of pennsylvania in the house of representatives Tuesday, July 21, 2026 Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Colonel (Col.) Christopher John Hickey upon the auspicious occasion of his retirement from the United States Army after 33 years of selfless service. Col. Hickey retired as Professor of the U.S. Army War College (USAWC), Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania on May 31, 2026. He entered the Army in 1989, upon earning a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from The Johns Hopkins University as the Distinguished Military Graduate. He served as Rifle Platoon leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Liaison and Training Officer in the 1st Cavalry Division from 1994 to 1997, and as Brigade and Battalion Assistant Operations Officer and Rifle Company Commander in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1997 to 2000, including deployment to Haiti as commander of a 151-man Parachute Rifle Company Team. He served as an Instructor/Assistant Professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from 2002 to 2005. In 2003, he served as Assistant Battalion Operations Officer with Task Force China, 3-15 Infantry, 2 Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of Iraq and the Battle of Baghdad, earning the Combat Infantryman Badge. Col. Hickey returned to Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and served as the campaign planner for Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, and advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense J5. From 2007 to 2010, he was a contingency plans officer in the U.S. European Command, serving as lead planner for all NATO and Russian plans, planner for the Regional War of Terror, lead planner for Georgia and the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and played a key role in a major counterintelligence operation. In 2011, he served as Chief of Plans and Strategy for the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan's Deputy Commander for Regional Support and led a lessons-learned exchange in Iraq. He served from 2011 to 2014 at the NATO Joint Warfare Center in Stavanger, Norway, as Exercise Officer for ISAF strategy plans and assessment training and deployed four times to Kabul. He also served as the Scenario Officer for NATO's first post-Cold War large-scale combat scenario. Until his retirement, Col. Hickey served as Director of Joint Operations Planning, Associate Professor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Professor of Military Studies Chair, and finally as a Functional Area 47 Professor of the Army War College. He was senior strategic advisor to Joint, Army, and multinational leaders, and taught in all four of the schools' resident and distance learning departments, to include serving on the resident program's most prestigious seminar, the Carlisle Scholars Program. Col. Hickey's military education includes the: Infantry Officers Basic and Advanced Courses; Airborne School; Ranger Course; Combined Arms Staff Service School; Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Familiarization Course; Command and General Staff College; Basic Strategic Arts Program; Joint and Combined Warfighting Course; NATO Defense College; and the U.S. Army War College. He earned a master's in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, Master of Strategic Studies from the USAWC, and Ph.D. in Policy Studies from the University Maryland School of Public Policy. Col. Hickey's awards and decorations include the: Presidential Unit Citation; Joint Meritorious Unit Award (w/6 OLC); Legion of Merit; Bronze Star; Defense Meritorious Service Medal (w/1 OLC); Meritorious Service Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal (w/2 OLC); Army Commendation Medal (w/2 OLC); Joint Service Achievement Medal (w/1 OLC); Army Achievement Medal (w/3 OLC); National Defense Service Medal (w/1 BSS); Iraq Campaign Medal (w/5 CS); Afghan Campaign Medal (w/2 CS); GWOT Service Medal; Armed Forces Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon (4); NATO Medal--ISAF AFG; Master Combat Infantryman Badge; Senior Parachutist Badge; and Ranger Tab. Mr. Speaker, I am honored and privileged to commend and congratulate Col. Christopher Hickey upon the occasion of his retirement after more than 33 years of selfless and distinguished uniformed service to our Nation. His dedication, professionalism, and tireless devotion to duty, the U.S. Army, and the United States of America set the standard by which all should be judged. ____________________