As an infantry officer, McKenzie's assignments have included command of the
1st Battalion, 6th Marines, and of the
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which he led on deployments to both
Iraq and
Afghanistan. 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. 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. He returned to Afghanistan serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Stability under the
International Security Assistance Force, 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. Chief of General Staff
Aviv Kochavi attend a briefing at CENTCOM headquarters, June 2021 during the
2021 Fall of Kabul 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, 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 10 civilians, 7 of whom were children. He later acknowledged the strike was a "mistake" and stated, “I offer my sincere apology” during a press briefing. McKenzie retired from active duty on 1 April 2022, after relinquishing command of CENTCOM to General
Michael Kurilla. On 23 March 2026, it was announced that McKenzie would become the 21st President of his alma mater,
The Citadel. ==Awards and decorations==