Major General Kevin P. Byrnes

Commander Multinational Division North

Major General Kevin P. Byrnes (centre) prepares to receive the Divisional Flag during the change of command ceremony held Wednesday October 8 in Headquarters Multinational Division North (MND-N). Command was assumed by Maj. Gen. Byrnes as Maj. Gen. Larry R. Ellis and the outgoing soldiers of the 1^st Armoured Division transferred authority and also handed over the new MND-N flag which represents all the nations present in the Division, as well as the flag of Bosnia and Hercegovina.

Major General Kevin P. Byrnes

Major General Kevin P. Byrnes was born in New York, New York in 1950. He entered active duty in 1968 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant through the Officer Candidate School program in 1969. From 1969 to 1970, he served as a Forward Observer and Fire Direction Officer for the 2d Battalion, 94th Field Artillery in South Vietnam. He was next assigned to the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, serving as a Platoon Leader and Battalion S-4. From 1971 to 1974, he was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as an Artillery Intelligence Officer and later as a Battery Commander in the 1st Battalion, 39th Field Artillery.

Following the Officer Advanced Course, he attended Park College in Kansas City, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He was later assigned to the 3d Armored Division in Germany, where he served as a Fire Support Officer, Battalion Fire Direction Officer, S-3, and Executive Officer for the 2d Battalion, 3d Field Artillery. He then served as Assistant G-4, for I Corps, Fort Lewis, Washington. In 1985, Major General Byrnes earned a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University while attending Command and General Staff College. Returning to Germany, he served as Operations Officer and Team Chief of the Inspector General, HQ USAREUR, until assuming command of the 4th Battalion, 3d Field Artillery in the 2d Armored Division (Forward). Following attendance at the Army War College in 1990, he served as Director of Political and Economic Studies and Director of the Strategic Outreach Initiative for the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

From June 1991 until May 1993, he commanded the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, Fort Hood, Texas. From May to December 1993, he was the Chief of Staff of the 1st Cavalry Division. He went on to command Joint Task Force Six, Fort Bliss, Texas, from January 1994 until July 1995. From August 1995 until May 1996, he served as the Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver in the 1st Cavalry Division. His following assignment was in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Headquarters, Department of the Army, as the Director, Force Programs, from June 1996 until July 1997. Major General Byrnes currently serves as the Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas and the Commanding General of the Multinational Division (North) in Tulza, Bosnia.

Major General Byrnes is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. His decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with fourth oak leaf cluster, and the Army Commendation Medal with second oak leaf cluster. 

Previous Commanders

• Major General Larry R. Ellis