Former USCENTCOM Commander Gen. Frank McKenzie Discusses the Melting Point
President Gordon Martin and Rotarian Tom Robertshaw with Gen. McKenzie
This week the Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) welcomed Gen. Frank McKenzie, who was the 14th Commander of U.S. Central Command prior to his retirement and now serves as Executive Director of the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute and the Florida Center for Cybersecurity.
Gen. McKenzie’s talk, entitled “The Melting Point: High Command & War in the 21st Century” after his book of the same name, centered on experiences from his 42-year career in military service and leadership.
“The thing about being a combatant commander in the United States system is, you only work for two people in the world—you work for the Secretary of Defense and you work for the President of the United States,” Gen. McKenzie said. “A lot of people give advice. A lot of people execute tasks that come out of that advice. But only the combatant commander gives advice…then has to walk out of the room and execute the tasks that come out of it. So, it’s a unique perspective.”
Gen. McKenzie provided insights on the current state of geopolitical affairs, including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine as well as analysis of the history that has precipitated conflicts around the world. He shared perspective on the potential paths to resolve tensions and the role of the U.S. and other nations in moving forward.
“I believe in the Middle East today, this is the most dangerous period of time that I can remember. We’re on a knife edge. The potential for large-scale war in the theater is as high as it’s ever been.”
Bio for Gen. Frank McKenzie
General (Ret) Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie, Jr. became the Executive Director of the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute in May 2022. In July 2022, he also became the Executive Director of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida.
He is the former Commander, United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), which is one of two combatant commands in Tampa, the only city in the United States with two. CENTCOM’s Area of Responsibility is the Central Region, which encompasses 21 countries, including the Greater Middle East. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, upon graduation from The Citadel in 1979, General McKenzie was commissioned into the Marine Corps and trained as an infantry officer.
He has commanded at the platoon, company, battalion, Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and component levels. In June 2014, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and assumed command of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command
In July 2017, he was named the Director, Joint Staff. General McKenzie was promoted to the grade of General and assumed command of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in March 2019. He relinquished command of CENTCOM and retired from the Marine Corps on 1 April 2022, completing over 42 years of service.
General McKenzie is an honors graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the School of Advanced Warfighting. He was selected as a CMC Fellow in 1999 and served as a Senior Military Fellow within the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. He has a master’s degree in teaching with a concentration in history. He is currently the President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Applied Engineering at the University of South Florida, a Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security at the Middle East Institute, a Member of the International Advisory Committee of the National Council on U.S. Arab relations, and a Member of the National Security Advisory Council, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.