General John F. Kelly, Commander US Southern Command.
General John F. Kelly was born and raised in Boston, MA, and served as a sergeant before being commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps in 1976. He served in the 2nd Marine Division as a rifle and weapons platoon commander, company executive officer, assistant operations officer, and infantry company commander. He commanded the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA, and later was the Assistant Division Commander for the 1st Division. He served as Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), which deployed to Iraq in early 2008 for a year-long mission in Al Anbar and western Ninewa provinces. Gen Kelly commanded Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North from 2009 to 2011. General Kelly’s assignment prior to SOUTHCOM was as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense from March 2011 to October 2012. U.S. Southern Command is responsible for all Department of Defense security cooperation in the 45 nations and territories of Central and South America and the Caribbean Sea, an area of 16 million square miles.
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