An Interview With Admiral Charles Richard

Q: For the sake of readers unfamiliar with your sphere of operations, could you say a bit about your command at STRATCOM? What is a day-in-the life like? What were the key responsibilities and risks you oversaw — and who “owned” those in an operational context?

A: U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) and the assigned component commands, involving 150,000 people total, is a remarkable organization. The fundamental responsibility is to lead Strategic Deterrence planning for the Department of Defense (DoD), and to conduct Nuclear Deterrence planning and operations as directed. STRATCOM is responsible for all strategic nuclear forces and their Command and Control in the DoD. It is one of 11 Combatant Commands responsible to the Secretary of Defense for the operation of the nation’s military forces. Every day, the men and women of STRATCOM are conducting complex operations, operating nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines, long range bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, missile defenses, and nuclear command and control to the highest standards in the DoD. It requires unrelenting attention to detail in execution.