The Department of Defense (DoD) announced the Biden Administration’s nomination of Maj. Gen. Kevin B. Kennedy to lead the 16th Air Force, which is based in Texas and is responsible for information warfare operations including cyber operations.
Kennedy is no stranger to the cyber operations aspect of the new job, as he now serves as director, Operations, J-3, at U.S. Cyber Command headquarters.
At Fort Meade, Kennedy “plans, coordinates, integrates and conducts mission command of full-spectrum Department of Defense Information Networks, defensive, offensive, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations,” DoD said.
Kennedy has been in the military for more than 30 years, and has worked on a myriad of missions and operations. Prior to his current post, he was Assistant Deputy Chief Information Officer, Digital Transformation and Assistant Chief of Staff for Cyber Effects Operations.
The 16th Air Force that Kennedy has been tapped to lead was created in 2019 with a high focus on “multisource intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and information operations capabilities.”
Kennedy received a bachelor’s degree in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Academy, and a master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California.
