Lieutenant General (Retd.) Kenneth E. Tovo

Former Commander, US Army Special Operations Command United States Army

Lieutenant General Ken Tovo culminated his 35-year military career in 2018, serving as the commander of the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). He was responsible for manning, training, equipping, and providing strategic direction to all the Army’s Special Operations forces (Green Berets, Rangers, Special Ops Aviation, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations), a combined organization of over 34,000 people.

He began his service in the Infantry upon graduation from the US Military Academy in 1983. After serving his initial tour with the 82nd Airborne Division, Tovo completed the Special Forces Qualification Course and transferred to the Special Forces branch. He served as a Special Forces detachment, company, battalion, and group commander in the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

Tovo’s additional assignments included serving as a plans and operations officer with 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta and Joint Headquarters Center (NATO); aide de-camp to the commander, Stabilization Force, Bosnia; Chief of Staff, USASOC; Deputy Commanding General, Special Operations Command Europe; Director, Special Operations Division-Iraq; Deputy Commanding General, 1^st Armored Division/U.S. Division Center, Iraq; Commanding General, Special Operations Command Central; Commanding General, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan and NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan; and Deputy Commander, US Southern Command in Miami, Fla.

LTG Tovo’s operational assignments include the first Gulf War, refugee relief operations in Northern Iraq, noncombatant evacuation operations in Sierra Leone, peacekeeping operations in Bosnia on two occasions, five tours in Iraq, and one tour in Afghanistan.

            He earned a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the US Military Academy at West Point, an MS in Advanced Military Studies from the US Army Command & General Staff College, and a MS in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College.

He is the President & CEO of DOL Enterprises, Inc., a consulting firm focused on providing advice on strategic planning, risk management, and organizational effectiveness and serves on the board of several companies.

            Ken and his wife, Suzanne, have been married for 34 years. They raised two sons who both serve the Nation – one as a Special Forces officer and the other as a high school English teacher.