Pence taps South Dakota grad as security adviser

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence recently appointed Col. Andrea Thompson as his national security adviser.

Thompson, a 1988 graduate of the University of South Dakota (USD), will also serve as a deputy assistant to President Donald Trump. She has served in the Army for 28 years and was the highest-ranking military intelligence officer with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

During two tours of duty in Iraq, Thompson acted as the military taskforce commander of the 25th Infantry Division and senior intelligence officer of the 101st Airborne Division. She also has served as national security adviser for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, senior military adviser to the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, and executive officer to the undersecretary of the Army.

“Colonel Thompson brings a wealth of knowledge as a career military intelligence officer and combat veteran to her role as my national security adviser,” Pence said. “She has a deep understanding of the complex challenges that face the United States at this juncture in history and is uniquely qualified to serve in this important role.”

USD President James Abbott called Thompson a shining example of a graduate with a liberal arts education who continues to serve her country at the highest levels.

“[The University of South Dakota] is proud of Col. Thompson and her stellar military career,” he said.