On 3 February 2025, the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) hosted the former commander of U.S. Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, USMC, Retired, to discuss his book The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century. Joined by Tom Spahr on stage they discussed his experience as a combatant commander and the challenges of leadership in wartime. Their conversation emphasized the importance of history and its influence on senior leader decision-making. The presentation examined the drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Quds Force commander, the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the challenges faced during the evacuation from Kabul.
We left Afghanistan because two American presidents, as unalike as any two presidents in American history, both shared a desire that was to leave, and to leave completely.
The audio for this episode is provided by our friends at USAHEC and the video presentation can be found in its entirety on their YouTube channel.
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Kenneth Franklin McKenzie Jr. is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 14th commander of the United States Central Command from March 28, 2019 to April 1, 2022. He is the author of The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century.
Thomas W. Spahr is the DeSerio Chair of Theater and Strategic Intelligence at the U.S. Army War College. He is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army and holds a Ph.D. in History from The Ohio State University. He teaches courses at the Army War College on Military Campaigning and Intelligence.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps or Department of Defense.
Photo Credit: U.S. Army War College and U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center