[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 7, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS OF MS. CHRISTINA L. RICHARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON BACON

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 7, 2025

  Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the exceptional career 
achievements of Ms. Christina L. Richards, a committed civil servant, 
decorated veteran, and a constituent of the 2nd Congressional District 
of our great state of Nebraska. Today she works as Executive Director 
of the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Strategic 
Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. In this role she is 
responsible for overseeing the Inspector General's staff which includes 
conducting Inspector General inquiries, analysis, investigations and 
inspections, as well as providing technical advice for the command.
  She previously served in the U.S. Air Force for over 21 years, where 
her hard work and dedication enabled her to work her way to the top. 
Ms. Richards started her military service as an Air Force loadmaster 
where she worked on over twenty campaigns and operations. She then 
served as adjutant for a KC-135 training squadron and later as Chief of 
Protocol at Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma. As she advanced in rank 
and experience, Ms. Richards was given more authority and 
responsibility, ultimately becoming a Detachment Commander with the Air 
Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). In this position she 
performed critical work in Colorado, California, Hawaii, the Republic 
of Korea, and Qatar. As an AFOSI Detachment Commander she directed 
felony-level criminal investigations, counterterrorism operations, 
protection of the President, and defensive and offensive 
counterintelligence and counterespionage operations.
  After retiring from the Air Force, Ms. Richards continued to serve 
her country. Among her many positions, she served for more than six 
years in United States Strategic Command's Missile Defense and 
Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction Division, where she led the 
command's Missile Defense Issue Team, several Deputy Secretary of 
Defense-directed Strategic Portfolio Reviews, the Secretary of Defense 
Combatant Command Review 1.0 and 2.0 for missile defense matters, and 
the President of the United States-directed 2019 Missile Defense 
Review. She co-authored a proposal for transfer of the missile defense 
mission from USSTRATCOM that was ultimately accepted and included in 
the 2022 Unified Command Plan.
  Ms. Richards' major awards include the Omaha-Lincoln Federal 
Executive Association Team of the Year and Supervisory Employee of the 
Year; DoD's Best Force Protection Program Team Award; the FBI 
Director's Award for Exceptional Service in the Public Trust; and 
multiple awards of the Meritorious Service Medal; the Air Medal; the 
Aerial Achievement Medal; the Meritorious Unit Award; the USAF 
Outstanding Unit Award; the Combat Readiness Medal; and other military 
medals and decorations.
  Ms. Christina Richards' dedication, service, and leadership stands as 
a testament to the hard work and loyalty of the service men and women 
of our country and is an inspiration for future civil servants and 
members of the United States Armed Forces.

                          ____________________