Operation Rough Rider

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan R. Sankey is the Director of Operations of the 170th Operations Support Squadron (OSS), 170th Group, at Offutt AFB, Nebraska.  The 170 OSS is a Total Force Integrated Air National Guard unit partnered with the 55th Operations Support Squadron and the 55th Intelligence Support Squadron.  36 ANG members seamlessly provide first class intelligence, weather, aviation resource, flight equipment, and airfield management capabilities to 55^th Wing Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance missions and serve as a ready reserve for Nebraska domestic operations.

Lieutenant Colonel Sankey received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Iowa State University in 2008.  He then attended Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for Joint Combat Systems Officer Training, and specialized as an Electronic Warfare Officer, graduating in 2010.  He received his number one choice in aircraft, and his first assignment was to the 338^th Combat Training Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska to begin his qualification at the formal training unit on the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft.  In 2016, he received his Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership from the University of Oklahoma.  Lieutenant Colonel Sankey’s professional military education includes Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and is a current student in Air War College.

After receiving his qualification as an Electronic Warfare Officer on the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, Lieutenant Colonel Sankey’s first operational assignment was to the 343d Reconnaissance Squadron, Offutt AFB, Nebraska where he served as an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO).  In 2012, he qualified as an Instructor EWO and subsequently upgraded to the Tactical Coordinator/Mission Crew Commander position on the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint.  After becoming an Evaluator, he culminated his tour at the 343d Reconnaissance Squadron as the Chief of Standards and Evaluations.  He then became a full-time instructor at the 338^th Combat Training Squadron, Air Combat Command’s largest Formal Training Unit and served as the Executive Officer to the Commander. In 2017, Lt Col Sankey joined the Nebraska Air National Guard as a Drill Status Guardsman serving in the 238^th Combat Training Squadron.  After serving 2.5 years as a DSG, he accepted a full-time position in the Air National Guard in 2020.  Over the course of his career, he served as a Flight Commander three times, Executive Officer at the Squadron and Group level three times, Assistant Director of Operations and Director of Operations.  He has eight deployments for contingency operations including Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, INHERANT RESOLVE, AND PROSPERITY GUARDIAN, as well as to the INDOPACIFIC and EUROPEAN theaters.  He is a Master Combat Systems Officer with over 4,200 flight hours, including 1,300 combat hours.

Lt Col Sankey resides in Council Bluffs, Iowa with his wife, Rachel and their children, Jacob, Maximus, Avery and Charlotte.