SUFFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Intelligence Officer (IO), Cmdr. (select) William D. Richmond will leave his current position as Officer in Charge, Fleet Intelligence Detachment Washington, D.C. (FID DC OIC) this November for Capitol Hill as one of 16 Fellows selected for the 2015 Navy Legislative Fellows program. The lone Information Dominance Corps (IDC) selectee, Richmond will learn which Congressional office he'll be assigned after a three-week orientation this winter.
A native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Richmond appreciates the magnitude of responsibility that goes with this opportunity. "I am representing not only the Navy and the Intel community," said Richmond, "I also represent the newest warfare community, the IDC. It's an honor on all accounts."
Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) places Fellows in the office that best fits their background and experience. As a 15-year career Navy IO with two degrees, a Bachelors in International Relations/Russian and a Masters with a focus on Economics, the range of congressional office assignments Richmond is qualified to support spans the gamut.
Duties as FID DC OIC required Richmond to be responsible for preparing 100 personnel for deployment with eight Carrier Strike Groups and six Amphibious Readiness Groups. With his background in Navy Intelligence, Richmond thinks he would be a good fit to work with any sitting Members of Congress serving on the Armed Services or Intelligence Committees.
"Maybe I will end up assisting the personal staff of a Member on one of the Select Committees on Intelligence," Richmond said. "Regardless of where I'm assigned, this is a great opportunity to experience a higher level decision-making process."
Richmond is the second IO and only the third IDC candidate to be selected in more than a decade. "The Fellows program has existed for many years," said Lt. Cmdr. Natalia Henriquez, the Navy Legislative Fellows program manager. "As it has grown over the years, we have found that Fellows bring a valuable perspective to Capitol Hill offices, but they also learn a tremendous amount, ultimately bringing that knowledge back to the Navy during their utilization assignment."
Expanding his knowledge of Congressional affairs was the motivation behind Richmond's application for this prestigious program. According to Richmond, "Being a Legislative Fellow will afford me the opportunity to duly represent the Navy in policy-making processes both during and after my time working in a Congressional office."
Richmond's options for an O-5 milestone follow-on tour are many as he anticipates taking his Navy career "as far as possible. Regardless of the tour, as a senior officer I will be in a position much closer to the national level," Richmond said. "The familiarity with Congressional affairs I glean from this program will prove invaluable in understanding and communicating the national decision-making processes that directly affect the future units to which I will be assigned."
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