Col. Laura Richardson became the new leader of the U.S. Army Operational Test Command on Thursday.

Richardson's husband is Brig. Gen. Jim Richardson, the 1st Cavalry Division's deputy commander for support.

He is serving in Afghanistan with the division and "attended" last week's change of command ceremony via video teleconference.

Richardson comes to Fort Hood from Washington, D.C., where she served as chief of the Office of the Secretary of the Army's Senate Liaison Division. She served as a company commander in Fort Hood's 6th Cavalry Brigade in the 1990s; military aide to Vice President Al Gore from 1999 to 2001; and as garrison commander of Fort Myer, Va., from 2007 to 2009.

MacWillie, a Killeen native, will serve as the next deputy commander of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, Kan. He has commanded the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment and the 4th Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade. He took command of the Operational Test Command on June 15, 2009.