SOUTHCOM Commander Testifies
SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Laura Richardson testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee March 23 as part of the command's annual Posture Statement to Congress.
Beyond Firsts: Gen. Richardson Joins Women's History Month Discussion
Gen. Laura Richardson joined a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial March 6 with fellow female 4-stars Adm. Linda Fagan, Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost.
WATCH: Womens History Month discussion | DoD Spotlight: Womens History Month
Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC) 2023
Gen. Laura Richardson joined defense and public-security leaders from the U.S. and Central America for CENTSEC to discuss ways to strengthen regional security cooperation.
U.S. Embassy Costa Rica release

LATEST NEWS AND RELEASES

Paraguay President Mario Abdo Benitez meets with U.S. military commanders in Tampa
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida -- Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez, Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, and Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command, arrive at SOCOM headquarters March 30, 2023. During the president’s visit, the leaders discussed strengthening the U.S.-Paraguay security partnership. (U.S. Special Operations Command photo)
March 31, 2023 - Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez visited U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) March 30, where he met with U.S. Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, SOCOM commander, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), as well as other senior command and Department of Defense officials.
Coast Guard crew offloads $166 million worth of narcotics in San Diego
March 31, 2023 - The Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) crew offloaded more than 6,325 pounds of cocaine and more than 13,220 pounds of marijuana worth more than $166 million, Wednesday, in San Diego.
Generals Discuss Hemispheric Challenges, Solutions
Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas Endres performs a site survey along the border between Honduras and Guatemala, July 20, 2022. U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Task Force Bravo led a visit to the border in an integrated effort between the U.S. and its Honduran partners to speak with community representatives about regional security concerns.
March 23, 2023 - The two combatant commanders of the Western Hemisphere discussed threats posed by Russia and China during testimony on national and regional security at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill.
IAAFA leaders attend Paraguayan Air Force centennial celebration
Mario Abdo Benitez, President of Paraguay, pins Col. José Jiménez, Jr., Commandant of the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, with the Medal of Honor for the Centennial Commemoration of the Paraguayan Air Force in Asunción, Paraguay, Feb. 22, 2023. Benitez greeted senior members of visiting delegations and pinned each of them with the medal of honor to commemorate the anniversary. (Courtesy Photo)
March 23, 2023 - Inter-American Air Forces Academy leaders joined Paraguay’s top military officials to commemorate the Paraguayan Air Force’s Centennial Anniversary Feb. 21-24.
CENTAM Guardian 23 kicks off with an opening ceremony
March 19, 2023 - Soldiers and interagency partners conducting the exercise will employ specific occupational skills such as special operations, naval warfare, military intelligence, K-9 handlers, cyber warfare, medics, civil affairs, aviation and support personnel, to employ real world based scenarios for partner nation militaries to exercise, assess, and update tactics and procedures.
DOD Integral to Combating Climate Change in Western Hemisphere
A young polar bear investigates a piece of ice Sept. 13, 2016 in the Chukchi Sea. Underway for its second mission, Cutter Healy embarked a team of researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC-San Diego, and the Office of Naval Research who are deploying an array of acoustic bottom moorings to collect data on how climate change and decreased ice coverage is affecting the Arctic Ocean. U.S.
March 16, 2023 - While the Western Hemisphere is a vast area with many different peoples, environments, cultures, resources and concerns, all have one overarching concern: climate change, Daniel P. Erikson, the Defense Department's point man for the region, said.
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PHOTOS

Army Gen. Laura Richardson, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, briefs Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez at SOCOM headquarters.
Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, briefs Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez at SOCOM headquarters.
Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, briefs Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez at SOCOM headquarters.
Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez, Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, and Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command, arrive at SOCOM headquarters March 30, 2023.
Guatemala Soldiers from the Third Infantry Brigade conduct weapons training in Jutiapa, Guatemala.
Arkansas Army National Guard Soldiers pose in a picture with Brig. Gen. Leland Shepherd during CENTAM Guardian 23 in Jutiapa, Guatemala, March 19, 2023.
Multinational military personnel attend an opening ceremony for CENTAM Guardian 23 in Guatemala City.
Guatemalan soldiers strengthen their cyber defense capabilities through immersive training during CENTAM Guardian 23 in Guatemala City, Guatemala, March 18, 2023.
Mario Abdo Benitez, President of Paraguay, holds a token from the Inter-American Air Forces Academy. President Benitez is flanked by Chief Master Sgt. Yusef Saad, IAAFA Senior Enlisted Leader, Gen. Arturo González Ocampo, Commander of the Paraguayan Air Force, and Col. José Jiménez, Jr., IAAFA commandant, in Asunción, Paraguay, Feb. 22, 2023. The senior leaders attended the Paraguayan Air Force’s Centennial Anniversary in Asunción, Paraguay. (Courtesy photo)
Mario Abdo Benitez, President of Paraguay, holds a token from the Inter-American Air Forces Academy. President Benitez is flanked by Chief Master Sgt. Yusef Saad, IAAFA Senior Enlisted Leader, Gen. Arturo González Ocampo, Commander of the Paraguayan Air Force, and Col. José Jiménez, Jr., IAAFA commandant, in Asunción, Paraguay, Feb. 22, 2023. The senior leaders attended the Paraguayan Air Force’s Centennial Anniversary in Asunción, Paraguay. (Courtesy photo)
Military members parachute into the Central Ceremony of the Centennial Paraguayan Military Aviation while military members stand at attention in Asunción, Paraguay, Feb. 22, 2023. Senior leaders from 10 countries attended the event to honor Paraguayan Air Force’s Centennial Anniversary. (Courtesy photo)
Military members parachute into the Central Ceremony of the Centennial Paraguayan Military Aviation while military members stand at attention in Asunción, Paraguay, Feb. 22, 2023. Senior leaders from 10 countries attended the event to honor Paraguayan Air Force’s Centennial Anniversary. (Courtesy photo)
U.S. Air Force leaders Brig. Gen. Sean Choquette, 12th Air Force, Col. José Jiménez, Jr., Inter-American Air Forces Academy commandant, and Brig. Gen. Virginia Gaglio, Massachusetts Air National Guard, stand at attention beside other senior leaders at the Centennial Commemoration of the Paraguayan Air Force in Asunción, Paraguay, Feb. 22, 2023. Senior leaders from 10 countries attended the event to honor Paraguayan Air Force’s Centennial Anniversary. (Courtesy photo)
U.S. Air Force leaders Brig. Gen. Sean Choquette, 12th Air Force, Col. José Jiménez, Jr., Inter-American Air Forces Academy commandant, and Brig. Gen. Virginia Gaglio, Massachusetts Air National Guard, stand at attention beside other senior leaders at the Centennial Commemoration of the Paraguayan Air Force in Asunción, Paraguay, Feb. 22, 2023. Senior leaders from 10 countries attended the event to honor Paraguayan Air Force’s Centennial Anniversary. (Courtesy photo)
Mario Abdo Benitez, President of Paraguay, pins Col. José Jiménez, Jr., Commandant of the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, with the Medal of Honor for the Centennial Commemoration of the Paraguayan Air Force in Asunción, Paraguay, Feb. 22, 2023. Benitez greeted senior members of visiting delegations and pinned each of them with the medal of honor to commemorate the anniversary. (Courtesy Photo)
Mario Abdo Benitez, President of Paraguay, pins Col. José Jiménez, Jr., Commandant of the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, with the Medal of Honor for the Centennial Commemoration of the Paraguayan Air Force in Asunción, Paraguay, Feb. 22, 2023. Benitez greeted senior members of visiting delegations and pinned each of them with the medal of honor to commemorate the anniversary. (Courtesy Photo)
U.S. and Canadian soldiers wearing snow gear and carrying weapons walk in formation with an aircraft in the background.
U.S. Army South hosts inaugural Women, Peace, and Security Symposium
U.S. Army South hosts inaugural Women, Peace, and Security Symposium
U.S. Army South hosts inaugural Women, Peace, and Security Symposium
Brazil's Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, Adm. Renato Rodrigues de Aguiar Freire, speaks to U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson.
U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), introduces Brazil's Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, Adm. Renato Rodrigues de Aguiar Freire, to Vice Adm. Alvin Holsey, the command’s Military Deputy Commander.
U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Brazil's Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, Adm. Renato Rodrigues de Aguiar Freire, and the command’s senior enlisted advisor, U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Jones, walk to the entrance to the command's headquarters
MIAMI (March 13, 2023) U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and the command’s senior enlisted advisor, U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Jones, greet Brazil's Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, Adm. Renato Rodrigues de Aguiar Freire, at the entrance to the command's headquarters.
Broadcast screenshot of Gen. Laura Richardson, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee March 8, 2023.
Graphic. SOUTHCOM Commander, Gen. Laura Richardson Testifies before the House Armed Services Committee. Watch: March 8, at 10 am EST.
Left to right: U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, Coast Guard commandant, U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, U.S. Transportation Command commander, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, U.S. Southern Command commander, and U.S. Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, vice chief of Naval Operations, answer audience questions during a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 6, 2023.
Left to right: U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, Coast Guard commandant, U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, U.S. Transportation Command commander, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, U.S. Southern Command commander, and U.S. Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, vice chief of Naval Operations, answer audience questions during a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 6, 2023.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, U.S. Transportation Command commander, left, and U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, U.S. Southern Command commander, answer questions during a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 6, 2023.
Left to right: Norah O'Donnell, CBS evening news anchor and moderator, U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, Coast Guard commandant, U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, U.S. Transportation Command commander, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, U.S. Southern Command commander, and U.S. Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, vice chief of Naval Operations, hold a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 6, 2023.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, U.S. Transportation Command commander, left, and U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, U.S. Southern Command commander, greet attendees before a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 6, 2023.
U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, U.S. Southern Command commander, left, and U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, U.S. Transportation Command commander, sign an event poster before a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 6, 2023.
Left to right: U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, Coast Guard commandant, U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, U.S. Transportation Command commander, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, U.S. Southern Command commander, and U.S. Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, vice chief of Naval Operations, meet for the first time before a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 6, 2023.
Left to right: U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, Coast Guard commandant, U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, U.S. Transportation Command commander, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, U.S. Southern Command commander, and U.S. Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, vice chief of Naval Operations, meet for the first time before a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 6, 2023.
Left to right: U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, Coast Guard commandant, U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, U.S. Transportation Command commander, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, U.S. Southern Command commander, and U.S. Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, vice chief of Naval Operations, answer audience questions during a Women's History Month panel discussion at the Military Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 6, 2023
Tenecia Harris, center, stands next to a portrait of her mother, Air Force Maj. Gen. Marcelite Harris, along with the Defense Department’s top female military leaders March 6, 2023, at the Military Women’s Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. Maj. Gen. Harris was the first African American woman to become a general officer in the U.S. Air Force. As part of Women’s History Month, Maj. Gen. Harris’ photo was added to the memorial’s Color of Freedom exhibit
The Defense Department’s top female leaders, gathered for the first time, to meet Norah O’Donnell, CBS evening news anchor, and participate in a historic panel discussion March 6, 2023, at the Military Women’s Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. The top female leaders include: the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, Commander of U.S. Transportation Command Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, Commander of U.S. Southern Command Army Gen. Laura Richardson, and Vice Chief of Naval Operations Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
U.S. Airmen assigned to the 23rd Air Expeditionary Wing assist pilots before departure from the 156th Wing airfield during the Forward Tiger exercise at Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Carolina, Puerto Rico, Feb. 22, 2023. The Puerto Rico Air National Guard provided logistical support, command and control, airfield operations support and hangar space.
U.S. Army advisors assigned to 4th Battalion, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, and members of Colombia’s Comando de Apoyo de Fuegos pose alongside members of Colombia’s Batallón de Artillería de Campaña 1.
USAF Photo
USAF Photo
USAF Photo
USAF Photo
USAF Photo
The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) and Dutch Caribbean coast guard vessel Poema (P812) conduct a bilateral exercise off the coast of Sint Maarten, Netherlands Feb. 22.
Army South Women, Peace, and Security Symposium
Army South Women, Peace, and Security Symposium
Army South Women, Peace, and Security Symposium
Army South Women, Peace, and Security Symposium
Army South Women, Peace, and Security Symposium

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SOUTHCOM COMMANDER

Gen. Laura J. Richardson bio photo

Army Gen. Laura J. Richardson is the 25th commander of SOUTHCOM. She assumed command Oct. 29, 2021.

Gen. Richardson's Bio

 

Coronavirus Info

Graphic with text: COVID-19 Info for SOUTHCOM, USAG-Miami and assigned personnel

TEAM SOUTHCOM button. Links to Team SOUTHCOM page.

A Network of Mutual Support: Total Engagement for All Members of U.S. Southern Command, or TEAM SOUTHCOM, is a command-sponsored organization that aims to support command service members, civilians and family members -- in South Florida and assigned throughout the region.

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