USN Admiral (Retired) Charles A. (Chas) Richard is a Miller Center’s James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. Having completed a distinguished career of more than 41 years in service to the nation, his final assignment was as commander of U.S. Strategic Command from November 2019 to December 2022, responsible for one of 11 unified commands under the Department of Defense.

At STRATCOM, Richard oversaw the global command and control of all the nation’s nuclear forces to achieve the national security objective of strategic deterrence. He was responsible for more than 150,000 people conducting strategic deterrence and nuclear operations, nuclear command and control, global strike, missile defense, electromagnetic spectrum operations, and analysis and targeting.

Richard’s staff assignments included service as the executive assistant and naval aide to the under secretary of the Navy; chief of staff, Submarine Force Atlantic; and command of Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 17, Bangor, Washington. Other staff assignments included director of resources on the staff of the under secretary of defense for policy; squadron engineer on the staff of SUBRON-8; and duty on the staff of the deputy chief of naval operations (submarine warfare). He has also served as a member of the Chief of Naval Operations’ Strategic Studies Group XXVIII, studying the integration of unmanned systems into naval force structure.