As the head of the U.S. Southern Command, Army General Laura Richardson oversees U.S. military operations across Latin America and the Caribbean from its headquarter in Doral.
The first woman to hold the post in SOUTHCOM’s 60-year history, she came to the position in 2021, after a distinguished career spanning over three decades. She is only the second woman in the army’s 248-year history to reach the rank of four-star general.
One of the key areas of security that SOUTHCOM focuses on is aiding in stabilizing crises. It means that Gen. Richardson is at the frontline of the emergency in Haiti when it comes to operations from the U.S. Department of Defense.
“Violence in Haiti has increased and with commercial airlines canceling flights and things like that, it’s important to make sure that they [SOUTHCOM] help with the U.S. Embassy being postured correctly and working with our State Department Colleagues," she told WLRN.
READ MORE: A glimpse of the chaos in Haiti, a country reeling with effectively no leader
As the situation in the country continues to spiral, SOUTHCOM this week deployed a team of U.S. Marines to provide additional security at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, the capital city that has been widely taken over by armed gangs.
The move came after non-essential American personnel were evacuated from the embassy with the assistance of U.S. military helicopters at the weekend.
"The U.S. Embassy remains open, and limited operations continue, focused on assistance to US citizens and supporting Haitian led efforts to secure a peaceful transition of power," a SOUTHCOM statement read.
Other recent SOUTHCOM operations have included mobilizing support for the Haitian National Police. The Department of Defense doubled its funding for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, and they are working with Haitian, Kenyan, and other partners to expedite its deployment to support the Haitian National Police.
Tercer Simulacro Regional exercise in Panama July 13, 2023.
'National security rests on economic security'
The Department of Defense splits up the globe into six different geographic areas. SOUTHCOM oversees U.S. military operations across South and Central America and the Caribbean.
When she was nominated in 2021, Gen. Richardson wanted to steer the U.S. presence in Latin America and the Caribbean toward providing humanitarian disaster relief, stopping narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, and helping nations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three years later, she said SOUTHCOM was successful in reaching that goal. She’s worked to bolster the U.S.’s economic influence in South America and the Caribbean.
“I've been working hard to partner with the Department of Commerce, with the Department of Treasury, with NASA, and with the American Chamber of Commerce, because I really believe that national security rests on economic security,” she said.
Part of this economic advancement focus includes investing in critical infrastructure in this region. Infrastructure like deep water ports and 5G communications.
Richardson said focused investment like this brings more security to the region.
“What does U.S. quality investment bring? Well, I'll tell you, it brings transparency, anti-corruption measures, environmental standards, labor standards and the hiring of diversity in the workforce.”
Richardson said the region is full of resources, promise, and opportunities. Combatant commanders only have three years in their positions, so they must think and plan for the future.
“Generally, the heads of state for the countries [in this region] are only in this seat for one term… And so they're looking to make a difference in a matter of months, not a matter of years,” she said. “They’re absolutely working on a stopwatch, not a calendar.”
