Frank McKenzie

General (ret.) Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie, Jr. is a former commander of CENTCOM. He has commanded at the platoon, company, battalion, Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and component levels. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded First Battalion, Sixth Marines. As the Commanding Officer of the 22d MEU (SOC), he led the MEU on combat deployments to Afghanistan in 2004 and Iraq in 2005-06. In 2006-07 he served as the Military Secretary to the 33rd and 34th Commandants of the Marine Corps. Upon promotion to Brigadier General in July 2007, he served on the Joint Staff as a Deputy Director of Operations within the National Military Command Center. Gen. McKenzie has had many military assignments throughout his career, culminating in his command of CENTCOM in March 2019. He relinquished that command and retired from the Marine Corps in April 2022, completing over 42 years of service. He is an honors graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the School of Advanced Warfighting. He has a master’s degree in teaching with a concentration in history.