Biography

Kevin Root is a native of Binghamton, NY and enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 1989. He was honorably discharged as an infantryman and scout sniper in 1993. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1997 and was commissioned in the Marine Corps in April of 1998.
He attended Officer Candidate School, The Basic School, Infantry Officer Course, Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course, Airborne, Military Free-Fall, Multi-Mission Parachute Course, Marine Combatant Dive School, US Army Command and General Staff College, Johns Hopkins University-School of Advanced International Studies, and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School - National Defense University.
His service in the Operating Forces included: Battalion S-2 and HQ Battery Commander, 2d Bn, 11th Marines (June 1998-1999); Platoon Commander, 1st Recon Bn (June 1999-April 2002); G-2 Operations Officer, 1st Marine Division (January 2004 – June 2004); Company Commander, 3rd Recon Bn (June 2005-June 2008); Regimental Combat Team S-2, RCT 7 (June 2012-June 2014); Battalion Commander, 1st Recon Bn (June 2016-June 2018); and Commanding Officer, I MEF Information Group (July 2021-August 2023).
His service outside the Operating Forces included: Director, Enlisted Training, Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (April 2002-June 2005); Chief, Collections Operation Division and J-2 Aide, USSOUTHCOM (June 2008-June 2011); G-2 Operations Officer, I MEF (June 2014-June 2016); Director, Commandant’s Staff Group (June 2019-June 2020); and AC/S G-5, TECOM (June 2020-2021).
His operational experience included OPERATION DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM; OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 04, 05-07.2 and 06-08.1 (Counter-insurgency operations- Ramadi, Fallujah and Karmah, Iraq); and OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM 12.1 through 13.1 (Counter insurgency operations – Helmand Province, Afghanistan).
Colonel Root retired from the Marine Corps in December 2023. In 2024, Mr. Root served as a contractor and trained Army Security Force Assistance Brigades and Marine Corps Intelligence Officers. Mr. Root holds a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs from Georgia Tech, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Troy University, and a Master of International Public Policy (MIPP) from Johns Hopkins University - School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He assumed his current position as Deputy Commander, Marine Corps Intelligence Schools in Dec 2024. Mr. Root has been married for over 30 years and has two adult children.