From a very young age,
Laura Jane Richardson
dreamed of flying. In fact, when she was barely 15 years old she obtained her helicopter pilot's license, a passion that led her to become a member of the US Armed Forces, fight from the air in Iraq and Afghanistan and develop an unusual military career for a woman of that time until he managed today, with the rank of general, at the age of 60,
the Southern Command of the United States.
Richardson arrives in Argentina to meet with the Chief of Staff Nicolás Posse and the Minister of Defense Luis Petri and it is possible that he will also have a meeting with President Javier Milei. He has already said that one of his main concerns is China's influence in the region, especially the possible military use of the Chinese space base in Neuquén.
Richardson is the daughter of a doctor and a teacher from Northglenn, Colorado.
She studied psychology at the state Metropolitan University and there she excelled in swimming,
another of her passions that led her to become a state champion. “I'm fiercely competitive,” Richardson says, and that's why, she said, she pursued the military career she enlisted in in 1986 to become a four-star general, the highest peacetime rank.
"I was very happy to follow my passion for flying and become an Army helicopter pilot. I
had already obtained my private pilot's license when I was 15. My first assignment after flight school was in the Republic of Korea and since then "I have been stationed throughout the United States, as well as on two combat tours, one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. I have had an incredible career with some unique opportunities," she said in an interview, one of the few in which she spoke about her life. staff.
In the field, aboard a Black Hawk, he commanded the Combat Assault Helicopter Battalion in the 101st Airborne Division on a mission in Iraq between 2003 and 2004 and also served missions in Afghanistan. He has a political wrist because he worked in Washington in sensitive positions.
She was a military assistant to Vice President Al Gore in the White House
and was in charge of carrying the briefcase with the nuclear launch codes. Additionally, she served as the Army's Legislative Liaison to Congress and in the Pentagon as an Army Campaign Planner.
Meanwhile, he continued studying: a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School of National Security and another in Resource Strategy from the National Defense University.
In aviator training she met her husband, Jim Richardson, also a pilot, and fate led them to fight together in Iraq. "We were the first married couple in the Army to command two aviation battalions. We were in Iraq in 2003 when our daughter was 14 years old," she said. At that time, she appeared on the cover of Time magazine, wearing a helmet and combat goggles. With the title “When Mom Goes to War,” Richardson said that her greatest fear was an attack with chemical weapons and no longer seeing her daughter Lauren, who had been left in the care of her parents. That girl is now over 30 and he already made her a grandmother.
Cristina Kirchner was with the commander of the United States Southern Command, Laura Richardson and Ambassador Marc Stanley when she was vice president.
Shortly after taking office,
President Joe Biden chose her as head of the Southern Command (the first woman to hold that position),
a joint organization with more than 1,201 military and civilian personnel representing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Agency, the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard and various other federal agencies of the United States and which is responsible for providing contingency planning, operations and security cooperation for Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
“Richardson has impressed me as a capable and charismatic leader,”
Evan Ellis, professor of Latin American Studies at the Institute of Strategic Studies of the US Army War College, told Clarín. “She is a great professional, but with great human quality that is glimpsed in her interactions,” added this expert who knows her personally.
Ellis highlights the timing of the tour. “My impression is that she perfectly understands the importance of Argentina as a partner. She understands the importance of this “moment”, with this government, to collaborate more and better in various areas. I think there is a lot to talk about, and there is great will on both sides. Of course it is possible that the topic of conversation is China.” She added that “it is inspiring to have a head of the Southern Command always willing to show her knowledge and attention to issues such as the Chinese presence in the dual infrastructure of ports, spaces, and digital sectors that could impact the security of the hemisphere.”