As the Commander of U.S. Central Command, General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., USMC (Ret.), oversaw some of the most important — and controversial operations in modern U.S. military history. He had direct operational responsibility for the strikes on Qassem Soleimani and two successive leaders of ISIS, the many months of deterrence operations against Iran and its proxies, and the methodical drawdown in Iraq. He directed the noncombatant evacuation operation in Afghanistan, and our final withdrawal from that tortured country.

His book, The Melting Point has three themes which are as follows.

The first one is the importance of the primacy of civilian control of the military. The second theme is the uniqueness of being a combatant commander. Combatant commanders participate in the development of policy, although as junior partners. Finally, the third theme that McKenzie argues is that leaders matter, and the decisions they make have a profound effect on what happens on the battlefield. McKenzie provides a vivid portrait of leadership in action in one of the most volatile regions of the world.

Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, General Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr. graduated from The Citadel in 1979 and was commissioned as a Marine Corps officer, beginning his notable military career as an infantry officer, which would ultimately lead to his appointment as Commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM).