Lt. Col. Jarod M. Ward is the Commander, 368th Recruiting Squadron, headquartered at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. He directs the recruiting activities of six enlisted accession flights with 86 active duty and 11 civilian personnel, spanning seven states and 467,000 square miles, including Nevada, Utah, Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and western Wyoming. The unit’s mission is to inspire, engage, and recruit the next generation of Airmen and Guardians.
Lt. Col. Ward graduated from the University of West Florida and earned his commission through Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps in December of 2007. As a career Intelligence Officer, he has extensive experience supporting flying operations, as well as broad joint and international staff experience. Prior to this assignment, he served as Deputy Chief, Target Support Section, Intelligence Division (J2), Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Italy (NATO) and as the Chief of Wing Intelligence and Senior Intelligence Officer, Travis Air Force Base, California.
While assigned to operational flying units, Lt. Col. Ward delivered intelligence support to airborne electronic attack, airlift, air refueling, and aeromedical evacuation mission sets. As a Staff Officer assigned to U.S. Central Command’s Joint Intelligence Operations Center (JIOC), he fulfilled various positions within the headquarters, to include Intelligence Watch Officer, Analysis Fusion Chief, and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Analyst with an emphasis on Iranian nuclear threats. While assigned to Headquarters, Air Mobility Command, he excelled in various leadership positions, to include Deputy Chief of the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Operations Division, Chief of Unit Support, and Chief of the ISR Force Management Division, ultimately ensuring total-force integrated mobility units were trained, financed, and equipped to fulfill assigned missions around the world, and serving as a critical linchpin between tactical units and higher headquarters. Lastly, Lt Col Ward has deployed on numerous occasions throughout his career in support of Operation(s) IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, and INHERENT RESOLVE, supporting ground maneuver, resupply, deliberate targeting, and counterterrorism operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and other locations across Southwest Asia and North Africa.
EDUCATION
2006 Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida
2008 Air & Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
2009 Air Force Intelligence Officer Course, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
2012 Squadron Officer School, by Correspondence
2014 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
2015 Master of Global Security & Intelligence Studies, American Military University, Charles Town, West Virginia
2019 Air Command and Staff College, by Correspondence
2024 Air War College, by Correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
- January 2009 – October 2009, Student, Intelligence Officer Training, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
- October 2009 – April 2010, Deputy Chief, Intelligence Readiness, 55th Electronic Combat Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
(January 2010 – June 2010, Chief of Intelligence Operations, 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron, Ali Al Salem Airbase, Kuwait)
- April 2010 – October 2011, Chief, Intelligence Operations, 55th Electronic Combat Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
(March 2011 – July 2011, Chief of Intelligence Operations, 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron, Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan)
- October 2011 – October 2012, Chief of Intelligence, 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
(March 2012 – July 2012, Chief of Intelligence Operations, 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron, Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan)
- October 2012 – August 2013, Intelligence Watch Officer, Headquarters United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida
- August 2013 – August 2014, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Intelligence Analyst, Headquarters United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida
- August 2014 – October 2015, Intelligence Fusion Chief, Headquarters United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida
(March 2015 – August 2015, Deputy J2, Joint Task Force, Operation INHERENT RESOLVE)
- October 2015 – April 2016, Chief, CENTCOM Analysis Branch, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
- April 2016 – October 2017, Deputy Chief, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) Ops Division, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
(April 2017 – October 2017, Deputy J2, Joint Task Force, Operation INHERENT RESOLVE)
- October 2017 – June 2018, Chief, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) Forces Division, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
- June 2018 – August 2020, Chief of Wing Intelligence & Senior Intelligence Officer, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base, California
- August 2020 – October 2023, Knowledge Development & Policy Section Head, Allied Joint Force Command, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Naples, Italy
- October 2023 – June 2025, Deputy Chief, J2 Target Support Section, Allied Joint Force Command, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Naples, Italy
- June 2025 – Present, Commander, 368th Recruiting Squadron, U.S. Air Force Recruiting Service, Hill Air Force Base, Utah
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal with ‘C’ device
Joint Service Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Distinguished / Presidential Unit Citation
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two campaign stars
Operation INHERENT RESOLVE Campaign Medal with one campaign star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
NATO Medal
Dutch Nijmegen Vierdaagse Cross
German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant January 8, 2008
First Lieutenant January 8, 2010
Captain January 8, 2012
Major October 1, 2017
Lieutenant Colonel February 1, 2023
(Current as of JUNE 2025)