Major General Richard J. Heitkamp

Director and Commandant

Major General Richard Heitkamp serves as the 27th Director and Commandant of the Inter-American Defense College (IADC) at Ft. Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C. The IADC is an international war college accredited to award Master of Science degrees in Inter-American Defense and Security to uniformed and civilian officials from the 34 member nations of the Organization of American States. These graduates return to their home countries to serve in military, security, and diplomatic positions advising strategic leaders within their governments. The IADC nurtures continued relationships between graduates to create a regional alumni network of highly capable security and defense professionals. 

Prior to this assignment, MG Heitkamp served as the Deputy Chief of Engineers & Deputy Commanding General U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). As USACE’s second in command, he was responsible for more than 36,000 civilian employees and 800 military personnel who provided project management and construction support to 250 Army and Air Force installations, and construction expertise to more than 110 countries. 

Other previous assignments include National Program Manager for the Southwest Border Infrastructure Program; deputy director J5 (Western Hemisphere), Chairman’s Joint Staff, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; deputy J5, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; commander, 420th Engineer Brigade, Bryan, Texas; G3, 416th Theater Engineer Command, Darien, Illinois; deputy commander, Transatlantic Division, Winchester, Virginia; Kabul Area OIC, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Afghanistan; commander, 12/104th Engineer Battalion and later 1/95th Engineer Battalion, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; assistant S3 and later company commander, 27th Engineer Battalion, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, NC. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. He holds degrees in civil engineering, environmental engineering, engineering management, military arts & sciences, and strategic studies.