WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson as the next commander of U.S. Southern Command on Wednesday, the first woman to lead the Doral, Florida-based joint military command responsible for South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Richardson is the second Army woman to reach the four-star general rank. The first was Gen. Ann Dunwoody, who attained the rank in 2008 and retired in 2012.
Richardson was confirmed early Wednesday morning at the end of a marathon U.S. Senate session, part of a flurry of moves before the Senate adjourned until September.
