Capt. Kenneth Pickard
MSC Europe/Africa Commander
23 September 2020
Capt. Pickard, a native of Pensacola, Florida, enlisted in the Navy in September 1989. Following boot camp, he was trained as an Electronic Warfare Technician. In 1998, he graduated Officer Candidate School after being selected for the Seaman to Admiral Program, and he later earned Bachelor of Art degrees in Accounting, Finance, and Management and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Jacksonville University in 2005.
As a career surface warrior, Capt. Pickard’s shipboard assignments include USS
Belknap (CG 26) and USS
LaSalle (AGF 3) as an enlisted Electronic Warfare Technician. Following his commissioning, he was USS
McInerney (FFG 8) First Lieutenant, USS
O'Bannon (DD 987) Auxiliaries Officer, USS
Robert G Bradley (FFG 49) and USS
Donald Cook (DDG 75) Combat Systems Officer, USS
Wasp (LHD 1) Navigator, and Deputy ACOS for Operations and Plans (N3A) for Carrier Strike Group 2 embarked on USS
George H. W. Bush (CVN 77). Also, he was the Executive Officer, and subsequently Commanding Officer, of USS
Carney (DDG 64).
Ashore, he served as Planning, Programming, Budget, and Execution (PPBE) coordinator for Navy Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance platforms and Unmanned Systems in OPNAV N2/N6F2 at the Pentagon; Joint Exercises Division Chief at United States Central Command; Director, Future Operations at U.S. Sixth Fleet; and now as Commodore, Task Force 63/Military Sealift Command Europe and Africa.
His personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medals, Navy Commendation Medals, Navy Achievement Medals, and various unit, campaign, and service awards