Major General John B. Richardson IV grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1991. He is an Armored Cavalryman.
His first assignment was with 1st Armored Division serving as a tank platoon leader, tank company executive officer, and battalion maintenance officer in 4th Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment in Friedberg, Germany. He was next assigned to the 1st Infantry Division serving as a battalion adjutant, tank company commander, and headquarters and headquarters company commander with the 1st Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas. While assigned to 1st Infantry Division he deployed to Bosnia (IFOR) as the command liaison officer to the Nordic-Polish Brigade. He then served as a Company Tactical Officer at West Point.
As a major he was assigned to the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment. In the 2d ACR he served as the squadron operations officer for 2d Squadron in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq 2003-2004. Upon re-deployment he served as the regimental operations officer for the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Polk, Louisiana. In 2005, he deployed a second time to Iraq as the Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq. He then served as a Career Manager in Armor Branch at U.S. Army Human Resources Command.
As a lieutenant colonel from 2007-2009, he returned to the 1st Infantry Division, serving as the squadron commander of 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment. During this command the squadron deployed to northwest Baghdad from 2008-2009. In 2011 he assumed command as the 74th Colonel of the 3d Cavalry Regiment (Brave Rifles) at Fort Hood, Texas. Following regimental command, he served in the Pentagon on the Joint Staff.
After the tour in the Pentagon he deployed to Iraq in the fight against ISIS, serving as the Deputy Commanding General for 1st Infantry Division/CJFLCC-Operation Inherent Resolve. Returning from Iraq he served as the Deputy Commanding General-Operations for the 3rd Infantry Division where he deployed to Afghanistan and commanded Train, Advise, Assist Command-East (TAAC-East). In June 2018 he returned to the Pentagon and served on the Army Staff as the Director for Readiness, Operations, and Mobilization in the G3/5/7 in Washington, DC. In June 2019 he was assigned as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G3/5/7 for U.S. Forces Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In his last assignment, he served as the Deputy Commanding General for III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas.
His professional education includes the Armor Officer Basic and Advance Courses, Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School in Norfolk, Virginia. For Senior Service College, MG Richardson attended Harvard University, Kennedy School for Government as a National Security Fellow with a concentration in Leadership and Management. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in Military History from West Point, he also holds a master’s degree in Leader Development and Counseling from Long Island University.
MG Richardson has served in units awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the Joint Meritorious Unit Citation, the Army Meritorious Unit Citation, and the Army Superior Unit Citation.
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