Col. John McKaye is the Director of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. He provides guidance, direction, and oversight to 3,200 AFRC ISR Reservists to include traditional unit reservists as well as Individual Mobilization Augmentees (IMAs). Colonel McKaye is the command focal point for planning and execution of operational intelligence support to 4th, 10th, and 22nd Air Forces comprised of 62 flying units and over 1,400 aircrews. He leads the men and women of the A2 Directorate in planning, programming and standing-up of AFRC critical capabilities meeting priority service and joint mission requirements.
Colonel McKaye was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program and entered active duty in 1990. His initial assignments include serving as senior command and control action officer for the 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla., chief of wing scheduling for the 8th Special Operations Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Korea, and flight commander for the 16th Operations Support Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. He completed Air Force Intelligence School as a distinguished graduate in 1997 and later transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in 2000, serving as an intelligence flight and squadron commander, 919th OSS, Eglin AFB, Field 3, Fla, and the Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) to the Commander of Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Colonel McKaye supported several Overseas Contingency Operations including Operations Southern Watch, Desert Storm, Uphold Democracy, Joint Forge, Desert Fox I, Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. His J-2 intelligence directorate experience includes supporting Joint Special Operations Task Force during Operation Joint Forge, in the Bosnia and Kosovo areas of responsibility; deploying to Kuwait as the J-2 for the Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component in support of Operation Desert Fox I, air campaign against Iraq; deploying twice to Oman as the J-2 for the Joint Special Operations Air Component, supporting combat operations in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom; and deploying with Joint Special Operations Air Detachment-South, directing intelligence operations for more than 500 special operations aircraft sorties and 2,500 flight hours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
1996 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1999 Master of Public Administration, Troy State University, Troy, Ala.
2005 Joint Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2008 Air War College, by correspondence
2012 International Intelligence Fellows Program, National Intelligence University, Washington D.C.
2014 Advanced Joint Professional Military Education – JPME II, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1991 - November 1992, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
2. November 1992 - May 1994, senior command and control officer, 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla.
3. May 1994 - August 1995, squadron section commander, 60th Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
4. August 1995 - August 1996, chief of wing scheduling, 8th Operations Support Squadron, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
5. August 1996 - July 1997, student, Air Force Intelligence School, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
6. July 1997 - July 1999, MC-130H chief of intelligence, deputy flight commander, and flight commander, 16th Operations Support Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
7. April 1998 - June 1998, director of intelligence, Combat Special Operations Task Force Southwest Asia, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait
8. September 1998 - January 1999, director of intelligence, Joint Special Operations Task Force II, San Vito AB, Italy
9. July 1999 - July 2000, deliberate plans and operations officer, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.
10. July 2000 - February 2009, deputy flight commander and flight commander, 919th Operations Support Squadron, Eglin AFB Field 3 (Duke Field), Fla.
11. October 2001 - December 2001, director of intelligence, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Masirah, Oman
12. September 2002 - November 2002, director of intelligence, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Masirah, Oman
13. January 2003 - May 2003, director of intelligence, Joint Special Operations Air Detachment South, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Special Operations Command Central, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait
14. February 2009 - April 2010, senior intelligence officer, 919th Operations Group, Eglin AFB Field 3 (Duke Field), Fla.
15. April 2010 – April 2011, squadron commander, 919th Operations Support Squadron, Eglin AFB Field 3 (Duke Field), Fla.
16. April 2011 – August 2013, Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) to the Commander, Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
17. December 2011 – December 2012, Director, Joint Detachment Fort Worth, Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
18. December 2012 – August 2013, Director, Joint Detachment Denver, Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
19. August 2013 – January 2014, Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) to the Commander, 480th Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Wing, Langley AFB, Virginia.
20. January 2014 – March 2016, Commander, 16th Intelligence Squadron, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.
21. March 2016 – December 2018, Commander, 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Group, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
22. December 2018 – January 2020, Commander, 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit Medal
Bronze Star Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Reserve Officers Association (lifetime member)
PROMOTIONS
Second Lieutenant Sept. 8, 1990
First Lieutenant Sept. 8, 1992
Captain Sept. 8, 1994
Major April 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 18, 2005
Colonel Nov. 1, 2010
(Current as of May 2020)