Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.

Kenneth Franklin "Frank" McKenzie Jr.[2] (born 1957) is a United States Marine Corps general who currently serves as the 14th commander of the United States Central Command.[3] He served as Director of the Joint Staff assuming the job on July 5, 2017 after having previously served for two years as Director of Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5) on the Joint Staff.[4] He assumed his current assignment on March 28, 2019.

Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.
Nickname(s)Frank[1]
Born1957 (age 62–63)
Birmingham, Alabama
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1979–present
RankGeneral
Commands heldUnited States Central Command
United States Marine Forces Central Command
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit
1st Battalion, 6th Marines
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
Iraq War
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal (3)
Legion of Merit (3)
Bronze Star Medal

Early life and education

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, McKenzie was commissioned in 1979 via the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at The Citadel, McKenzie holds a Master's degree in History from the National Defense University and has served as a Senior Military Fellow at the schools Institute for National Strategic Studies, he is an Honors Graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the School of Advanced Warfighting.[5]

Military career

As an infantry officer McKenzie's assignments have included command of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines and as commanding officer of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which he led on deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan.[6] He also served as Military Secretary to two Commandants of the Marine Corps.

McKenzie's flag officer posts have included Deputy Director of Operations for the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon. In 2008 he was selected by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to serve as Director of his new administration transition team, overseeing the smooth transition of military forces under incoming President Barack Obama. He returned to Afghanistan serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Stability under the International Security Assistance Force,[7] followed by a tour as Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy at United States Central Command. He then returned to the Pentagon to serve as the Marine Corps Representative to the Quadrennial Defense Review and after receiving his third star was appointed Commanding General of United States Marine Forces Central Command.[8]

As CENTCOM commander, McKenzie oversaw the successful high-profile special forces raid in Syria to kill or capture then-Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019[9] and the conditional withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan that began in 2020.[10]

Awards and decorations
1st row Defense Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters Legion of Merit with two gold award stars Bronze Star Medal
2nd row Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with two award stars Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Combat Action Ribbon
3rd row Joint Meritorious Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster Navy Unit Commendation National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star Kosovo Campaign Medal with service star
4th row Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two service stars Iraq Campaign Medal with service star Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Korea Defense Service Medal
5th row Humanitarian Service Medal Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four service stars Navy Arctic Service Ribbon NATO Medal for Kosovo with service star
Badge Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Badge United States Central Command Badge
  • General McKenzie earned several awards of the Rifle Expert Badge as well as the Pistol Sharpshooter Badge.
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References
  1. https://www.voanews.com/a/kenneth-mckenzie-us-central-command/4540082.html
  2. "Citadel Announces Graduation Speakers for the Class of 2019". The Citadel. March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  3. Copp, Tara (August 21, 2018). "New CENTCOM, SOCOM leadership named". Military Times. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  4. "Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. > Joint Chiefs of Staff > Article View". www.jcs.mil. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  5. http://the-atc.org/c16a/speakers/lieutenant-general-kenneth-f-mckenzie-jr/
  6. "McKenzie relinquishes 22nd MEU".
  7. "Three Citadel grads now on the front lines in Afghanistan – The Citadel – Charleston, SC". www.citadel.edu.
  8. "Marcent gets new commander in MacDill ceremony". 18 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  9. "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: US releases first images of raid on compound". BBC.
  10. "U.S. Troops in Afghanistan Reduced to 8,600, General Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 June 2020.

Appearances on C-SPAN

Military offices
Preceded by
Joseph Votel		 Commander of United States Central Command
2019–present		 Incumbent
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