Colonel COLONEL RYAN SKAGGS Col Skaggs is the Commander, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. He directs the worldwide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations of six Groups providing world-class ISR to Combatant Commanders, Combined/Joint Forces Air Component Commanders, Numbered Air Force Commanders, and coalition forces. He is responsible for approximately 6,000 military, civilian, and contractor personnel, and oversees a $5 billion global enterprise. Col Skaggs commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of California at Los Angeles in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He is a career intelligence officer that has held a variety of military assignments and government appointments within the Air Force, Department of War, Intelligence Community, and the National Security Council. He is a joint-qualified officer that has deployed multiple times in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to his current assignment, Col Skaggs commanded the Networked Weapons and Modeling Intelligence Group at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center responsible for producing critical scientific and technical intelligence and modeling and simulation on advanced foreign weapon systems. Additionally, he served as the Deputy Director for Special Programs in the Office of the Undersecretary of War for Intelligence and Security, commanded the 566th Intelligence Squadron at Buckley Space Force Base, served as a Director for Defense Policy and Strategy at the National Security Council at the White House, and worked as an Airpower Strategist for the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at the Pentagon. Additionally, Col Skaggs holds a Doctoral degree in Military Strategy from the Air University where he focused on Chinese Communist Party influence operations. EDUCATION 2004 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 2005 Intelligence Officer Course, Goodfellow AFB, TX 2007 Outstanding Contributor, Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, AL 2009 Distinguished Graduate, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV 2011 Outstanding Contributor, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL 2012 Master of Arts, Strategic Intelligence, American Military University, Manassas, VA 2014 Air Command and Staff College, Correspondence 2016 Top 20% Graduate, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS 2016 Master of Military Art and Science, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS 2017 Top Graduate, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, AL 2017 Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, AL 2022 International Security Program Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Cambridge, MA 2022 Doctorate of Philosophy in Military Strategy, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL 2023 Dean’s Writing Award, Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Norfolk, VA ASSIGNMENTS 1. June 2004 – March 2005, Student, Intelligence Officer Course, Goodfellow AFB, TX 2. April 2005 – November 2007, Intelligence Flight Commander, 30th Operations Support Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, CA 3. December 2007 – June 2009, Senior Intelligence Duty Officer and Chief of Intelligence Operations, 614th Air and Space Operations Center, Vandenberg AFB, CA 4. July 2009 – December 2009, Student, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV 5. January 2010 – March 2011, Weapons and Tactics Flight Commander, 13th Intelligence Squadron, Beale AFB, CA 6. April 2011 – June 2012, Assistant Director of Operations, 13th Intelligence Squadron, Beale AFB, CA 7. July 2012 – July 2013, Assistant Executive Officer to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, The Pentagon, Washington, DC 8. August 2013 – June 2015, Wing Weapons Officer, 70th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing, Fort Meade, MD 9. July 2015 – June 2016, Student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS 10. July 2016 – June 2017, Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, AL 11. July 2017 – September 2018, Airpower Strategist, USAF Checkmate, The Pentagon, Washington, DC 12. Oct 2018 – June 2019, Director for Defense Policy & Strategy, National Security Council, Washington, DC 13. July 2019 – July 2021, Commander, 566th Intelligence Squadron, Buckley SFB, CO 14. July 2021 – June 2022, International Security Program Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Cambridge, MA 15. June 2022 – July 2023, Chief USINDOPACOM Warfighter Support, Office of the Undersecretary of War for Intelligence and Security, The Pentagon, Washington, DC 16. July 2023 – June 2024, Deputy Director of the Special Programs Division, Office of the Undersecretary of War for Intelligence and Security, The Pentagon, Washington, DC 17. June 2024 – June 2026, Commander, Networked Weapons and Modeling Intelligence Group, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 18. July 2026 – Present, Commander, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 1. October 2018 – June 2019, Director for Defense Policy & Strategy, National Security Council, Washington, DC, as a lieutenant colonel 2. June 2022 – July 2023, Chief USINDOPACOM Warfighter Support, Office of the Undersecretary of War for Intelligence and Security, The Pentagon, Washington, DC, as a colonel 3. July 2023 – June 2024, Deputy Director of the Special Programs Division, Office of the Undersecretary of War for Intelligence and Security, The Pentagon, Washington, DC, as a colonel MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit Medal Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters Air Force Organizational Excellence Award PUBLICATIONS Competing with China Today, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, 2021. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Information Warfare: Ideology, Influence, and Coercion in the Indo-Pacific, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, PhD dissertation, 2022. Characterizing Chinese Influence in Thailand, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, 2024. The USAF Needs a China Intelligence Specialist Program, White Paper, 2026. EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant – June 30, 2004 First Lieutenant – June 30, 2006 Captain – June 30, 2008 Major – January 1, 2014 Lieutenant Colonel – November 1, 2017 Colonel – April,1 2023 (Current as of July 15, 2026)