Kenneth Franklin McKenzie Jr. (born 1956 or 1957) is a retired

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

who served as the 14th commander of the

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

from March 28, 2019 to April 1, 2022. He served as

Director of the Joint Staff The director of the Joint Staff (DJS) is a three-star officer who assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a cabinet of senior military officers within the United States Armed Forces who advise the secretary of defense and the president on military ...

from July 5, 2017 after having previously served for two years as Director of Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5) on the

Joint Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

Early life and education

A native of

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, McKenzie was commissioned in 1979 via the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at

The Citadel The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...

. McKenzie holds a Master's degree in History from the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

and has served as a Senior Military Fellow at the school's Institute for National Strategic Studies. He is an Honors Graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the

School of Advanced Warfighting The School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW) in the United States Marine Corps is an Advanced Intermediate Level School (A-ILS) that produces officers qualified to fill high-impact service and joint planning billets. The curriculum features nume ...

Military career

As an infantry officer McKenzie's assignments have included command of the

1st Battalion, 6th Marines The 1st Battalion, 6th Marines (1/6) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. It consists of approximately 1,100 marines and sailors. They fall under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment ...

as Commanding Officer of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which he led on deployments to both

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. He also served as Military Secretary to two Commandants of the Marine Corps. McKenzie's general officer posts have included Deputy Director of Operations for the National Military Command Center in

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...

. 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 transition of military forces under incoming President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

. He returned to Afghanistan serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Stability under the

International Security Assistance Force ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...

, followed by a tour as Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy at

. He then returned to the Pentagon to serve as the Marine Corps Representative to the

Quadrennial Defense Review The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) was a study by the United States Department of Defense that analyzes strategic objectives and potential military threats. The ''Quadrennial Defense Review Report'' was the main public document describing the Uni ...

and, after receiving his third star, was appointed Commanding General of

United States Marine Forces Central Command The United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command (COMUSMARCENT), is designated as the Marine Corps service component comm ...

CENTCOM commander hosts Israel Defense Forces senior leaders

CENTCOM arrives at Hamid Karzai International Airport Image 1 of 2

As CENTCOM commander, McKenzie oversaw the successful high-profile special forces raid in Syria to kill or capture then-

Islamic State An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

leader

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ( ar, أبو بكر البغدادي, ʾAbū Bakr al-Baḡdādī; born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali Muhammad al-Badri al-Samarrai ( ar, إبراهيم عواد إبراهيم علي محمد البدري السامرائي, ʾIb ...

in October 2019, and the 2020–2021 withdrawals and reductions of U.S. troops from Iraq. During the 2020–2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, McKenzie replaced General Austin "Scott" Miller as leader of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan upon the latter's resignation on July 12, 2021, with Miller's departure perceived by some as "the symbolic end of the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan." One month later, McKenzie was responsible for the August 2021 Kabul drone strike which targeted and killed civilians, 7 children and 3 adults. McKenzie retired from active duty on 1 April 2022, after relinquishing command of CENTCOM to General

Michael Kurilla Michael Erik Kurilla (born May 16, 1966) is a United States Army general who serves as the 15th commander of United States Central Command since April 1, 2022. He previously served as the commanding general of the XVIII Airborne Corps and before ...

Awards and decorations

*General McKenzie earned several awards of the Rifle Expert Badge as well as the Pistol Sharpshooter Badge. USMC Rifle Expert badge

Effective dates of promotion

References

External links

U.S. Central Command Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Kenneth F. 1950s births Living people United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War United States Marine Corps personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Military personnel from Birmingham, Alabama The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina alumni Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)