Paul J. Kern
Senior Counselor
pkern@cohengroup.net

Commanding General, Army Materiel Command (2001-2004)
Senior Advisor for Army Research, Development, and Acquisition (1997-2001)
Commander, 4th Infantry Division (1996-1997)

General Paul Kern joined The Cohen Group as a Senior Counselor in January, 2005. In addition, he holds the Class of 1950 Chair for Advanced Technologies at West Point, is an Advisor to Battelle Memorial Institute and serves on the Board of Directors of iRobot Corporation, CoVant Technologies LLC and Agent Science Technologies, Inc.

In November 2004, General Paul Kern concluded his more than 40-year career in the United States Army when he retired as Commanding General, Army Materiel Command (AMC). In that capacity, and earlier as Commander of the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), General Kern left his impact on the Army's future as he led a drive to digitize and transform its warfighting capabilities. With a staff of over 50,000 civilians and active military members, he won wide respect for his efforts to direct supply chain improvements, maintain field readiness, and modernize weapons systems throughout the Army while still controlling costs. Some of his efforts included consolidating major munitions production operations, employing radio frequency identification, and managing the supply of rebuilt equipment for the front lines, a shift critical to our ongoing operations in Iraq.

In June 2004, General Kern undertook a vastly different responsibility when Secretary Rumsfeld tapped him to lead the military's internal investigation into the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, a tough assignment that he handled with skill. Prior to his command at AMC, he served as the military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology and was the senior military advisor to the Army Acquisition Executive and the Army Chief of Staff on all research, development, and acquisition programs and related issues. He supervised the Program Executive Officer system, and served as the director of the Army Acquisition Corps.

General Kern's career has also had stops in the Secretary of Defense office in Washington and several field units. As the Senior Military Assistant to Secretary of Defense William Perry, General Kern was instrumental in ensuring that the Secretary's guidance was implemented throughout the Department and in handling the most sensitive decisions for the Secretary. During that tenure he traveled with Secretary Perry to more than 70 countries, meeting numerous heads of state, foreign ministers and international defense leaders. He participated in U.S. operations in Haiti, Rwanda, Zaire and the Balkans, and helped to promote military relations in Central and Eastern Europe, South America, China, and the Middle East.

General Kern had three combat tours during his illustrious career with two tours in Vietnam as a platoon leader and troop commander, and he commanded the Second Brigade of the 24th Infantry in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. The Second Brigade played a pivotal role in the historic attack on the Jalibah Airfield, which allowed the Twenty-Fourth Infantry Division to secure key objectives deep inside of Iraq. He also served as the Assistant Division Commander of the division after its redeployment to Fort Stewart.

A native of West Orange, New Jersey, General Kern was commissioned as an Armor lieutenant following graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1967. He holds Masters Degrees in both Civil and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and he was a Senior Security Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University.

During his career, General Kern received the Defense and Army Distinguished Service Medals, Silver Star, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals for valor, three Bronze Star Medals for service in combat, and three Purple Hearts. He has been awarded the Society of Automotive Engineers Teeter Award, the Alumni Society Medal from the University of Michigan, and the German Cross of Honor of the Federal Armed Forces (Gold). In February, 2007, General Kern was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

General Kern has lectured in England as the Kermit Roosevelt Lecturer, and at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and the United States Military Academy, as well as in numerous public forums on technical and military matters.

General Kern has recently served on the Defense Acquisition Performance Assessment Board and the Military Advisory Board on Climate Change. He is a member of the Board of Visitors at the U.S. Army War College, the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board at the University of Michigan and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California.