Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.

Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.
McKenzie in 2019
Nickname(s)Frank
Born1956 or 1957 (age 67–68)[1]
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1979–2022
RankGeneral
Unit1st Battalion, 6th Marines
CommandsUnited States Central Command
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit
1st Battalion, 6th Marines
Battles / warsWar in Afghanistan
Iraq War
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal (3)
Legion of Merit (3)
Bronze Star Medal

Kenneth Franklin McKenzie Jr.[2] (born 1956 or 1957) is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 14th commander of the United States Central Command from March 28, 2019 to April 1, 2022.[3][4] He served as Director of the Joint Staff from July 5, 2017 after having previously served for two years as Director of Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5) on the Joint Staff.[5]

In May 2022, he became the Executive Director of the Global and National Security Institute, University of South Florida, and in July 2022 he was appointed Executive Director for the Florida Center for Cybersecurity. He also serves as the President, Board of Directors, of the Institute for Applied Engineering, University of South Florida.[6]

  1. ^ "Meet CentCom's new boss: Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. Takes command".
  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. ^ "Webcast: CENTCOM Welcomes New Commander". DVIDS. April 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "Leadership".