Biography
Lieutenant Colonel Kelly B. Allen
HMH-463 Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Colonel Kelly B. Allen graduated from Eastern Washington University and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in December of 2001. After completing The Basic School he reported to NAS Pensacola and was designated a Naval Aviator in January 2004.

After earning his wings, Lieutenant Colonel Allen reported to HMHT-302 at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, for initial CH-53E training.    In August 2004, Lieutenant Colonel Allen reported to HMH-462 aboard MCAS Miramar. He immediately attached to HMM-163(REIN) and deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and participated in multi-national exercise BRIGHT STAR in Egypt, and follow on combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF 05.2). In January 2007, Lieutenant Colonel Allen again deployed, this time to HMM-265 (REIN) in Okinawa, Japan as part of 31st MEU, where he served as the future operations officer.  Upon return in January 2008, Lieutenant Colonel Allen was selected to attend the Weapons and Tactics Instructor course (WTI), in Yuma, AZ.

Upon graduation from WTI in May 2008, Lieutenant Colonel Allen again deployed with the 31st MEU, this time attaching to HMM-262 (REIN).  During this period Lieutenant Colonel Allen worked as the Weapons and Tactics officer and was the lead planner for multiple large scale exercises in the Philippines, Korea, and Australia.

Leaving the operational forces in 2009, Lieutenant Colonel Allen reported to Yuma, AZ where he served as a Weapons and Tactics Instructor at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron (MAWTS-1).  There he coordinated numerus large scale training events and was the Marine Corps Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Air Defense Artillery (ADA).

Returning to MCAS Miramar in May 2012, Lieutenant Colonel Allen rejoined HMH-462.  During this period he served as the Operations Officer for the deployment in support Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF13.2) in Afghanistan. Upon returning Lieutenant Colonel Allen served as the Aircraft Maintenance Officer (AMO). Following his time as AMO, he served and deployed as the Executive Officer to Okinawa, Japan as part of the Unit Deployment Program (UDP, 15.2).

In June 2016, Lieutenant Colonel Allen reported to Newport, RI to attend the Naval War College. In June 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Allen graduated with his Master of Arts Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.

In July 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Allen reported to Headquarters Marine Corps Aviation, Washington D.C. where he served as both the Aviation Training Systems Officer (APW-71) and the Heavy Lift Requirements Officer (APW-51), overseeing the requirements and budget for all Marine Corps simulator and training devices, the CH-53E, and its heavy lift replacement the CH-53K.

Lieutenant Colonel Allen’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with numeral 6, the Navy Commendation Medal with 2 gold stars, the Navy Achievement Medal with gold star.