Commando News Magazine edition 8 2021

Introducing the Special Operations Commander Australia
Major General Paul Kenny, DSC, DSM
Major General Paul
(‘PK’) Kenny assumed
com mand of Special
Opera tions Command on 26
November 2020, following his
promotion in March 2020 to lead
Joint Task Force 629 (Operation
COVID-19 Assist) and sub -
sequent appoint ment as Deputy
Commander of the Defence
COVID-19 Task Force in July
2020.
Graduating from the Royal
Military College at Duntroon in
1989, Major General Kenny com -
missioned into the Royal Aust -
ralian Infantry Corps. In 1994, he
com pleted the Commando
Officer Selection Course. His first
posting within Special Opera -
tions Com mand was to 2nd
Commando Company as the
operations officer.
In addition to leading Joint Task Force 629, Major
General Kenny has commanded the Special Forces
Training Centre (2006–07), 2nd Commando Regiment
(2008–09), and the International Security and Advisory
Force—Special Operations Forces (ISAF SOF) in
Afghanistan in 2013.
Major General Kenny’s extra-regimental positions
have included an instructional appointment at the
Command, Staff and Operations Wing, and within
Army Headquarters in the operations and pre -
paredness staff areas. On promotion to colonel, he was
seconded to the Department of Prime Minister &
Cabinet as the Senior Adviser Defence Policy &
Operations in 2010.
Within Special Operations Command, Major
General Kenny has served as Director Special
Operations & Plans (2011–12) and, later, as Director-
General Special Operations & Counter-Terrorism
(2018–20). He also served as Deputy Director of
Operations at United States Special Operations
Command (US SOCOM) in Tampa, Florida, from 2015
to 2017.
Major General Kenny has deployed to Bougainville
(1998), Solomon Islands (1998), Sierra Leone (2002–03),
Iraq (2005) and Afghanistan (2008–09, 2012, 2013).
Major General Kenny is a graduate of the Australian
Command & Staff College and the Centre of Strategic
Studies. He holds a Bachelor of Professional Studies
(Disaster Management) degree, Graduate Diploma of
Defence Studies, and a Master of Arts (Strategic
Studies) degree.
Major General Kenny was
awarded a Distinguished Service
Cross for exceptionally meri -
torious command and leadership
in Afghanistan, and a Dis -
tinguished Service Medal for
distinguished command and
leadership of ISAF SOF. He has
been awarded the US Legion of
Merit twice: firstly, for his
meritorious service as the Chief
Plans Officer at the NATO
Special Operations Component
Com mand—Afghanistan in 2012
and, secondly, for his ex -
ceptional meritorious service as
Deputy Director of Operations at
US SOCOM.
Finally, Major General ‘PK’
Kenny is the first Special Opera -
tions Commander—Australia
from a commando background.
(Source – Dept of Defence website)
COMMANDO FOR LIFE
COMMANDO ~ The Magazine of the Australian Commando Association ~ Edition 8 I 2021 7