TW5 Leadership

Deputy Commodore

Capt. Kenneth Kerr is a native of North Wales, Pennsylvania. He was commissioned via the United States Naval Academy in 1998 with a degree in economics. He also has a graduate degree in strategic studies from the Air War College.

He was designated an Unrestricted Naval Aviator in October of 2000. He completed H-46D fleet replacement pilot training and was assigned to the "Gunbearers" of Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 11, where he deployed on USS Belleau Wood (LHA3) as detachment training officer. Additionally, he served as maintenance division officer and the squadron Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) officer.

Kerr's first shore assignment was with the "Eightballers" of Helicopter Training Squadron (HT) Eight in Milton, Florida, as an instructor pilot. He also served as schedule writer, HURREVAC Officer, NATOPS instructor and contact standardization officer.

From June 2007 to July 2009, he was assigned as aircraft handling officer onboard USS Peleliu (LHA5). During this time, Peleliu deployed twice, once in support of Peleliu Pacific Partnership 2007, and again in 2008 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

Kerr then transitioned to the MH-60S and joined the "Golden Falcons" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 in January of 2010 for his department head tour. He deployed as the squadron admin officer and training officer with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) Two onboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in September of 2010 in support of OEF. He also completed a second float on CVN 72 with in December of 2011 as the squadron operations officer.

Following his department head tour, he reported to United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) in Tampa, Florida, in July 2012 where he served in the J-9 Futures Directorate as a member of the Wargames and Experimentation Branch. He later served as the Branch Chief for Future Concepts and guided the development of future SOF capabilities.

Upon detaching from USSOCOM, Kerr reported to Manama, Bahrain, in June 2015 as the helicopter liaison officer to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT). He provided oversight and guidance to two forward-deployed helicopter detachments consisting of 200 personnel and eight aircraft.

Kerr then transitioned back to Milton where he served as the executive officer and commanding officer of the HT-18 "Vigilant Eagles" at Naval Air Station Whiting Field from June 2017 until December 2019. During his tour, HT-18 earned the Theodore Ellyson Production Excellence Award and John Towers Safety Award for 2018 as well as the CNO Safety "S" for 2018 and 2019.

After successful completion of his command tour, Kerr served as the Air Boss onboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) from January 2020 to June 2021. After a catastrophic fire onboard, Kerr also served as the decommissioning officer as well as officer-in-charge of the remaining crew.

Kerr most recently served as the director of Aviation Commanding Officer Training (AVCOT) at Naval Aviation Schools Command prior to reporting to Training Wing Five (TW5) for flight training in the TH-73A. Kerr currently serves as the deputy commodore of TW5.

Kerr has accumulated over 3800 mishap-free flight hours across four airframes. He also holds a Masters in Military Studies-Joint Warfare from American Military University.