Brig. Gen. John McKaye is the Director of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. He provides guidance, direction, and oversight to 3,300 AFRC ISR Reservists to include traditional unit reservists as well as Individual Mobilization Augmentees. He 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.
Brig. Gen. McKaye was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program and entered active duty in 1991. He had multiple assignments on active duty as a deputy flight commander, flight commander and a plans and operations officer. He completed Air Force Intelligence School as a distinguished graduate in 1997 and later transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in 2000, serving as a wing commander, group commander and twice as a squadron commander. He was also an IMA to the Commander of Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and IMA to the Commander, 480th Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Wing, Langley AFB, Va.
Prior to his current position, Brig. Gen. McKaye was the 655th ISR Wing Commander, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where he was responsible for providing command and control of two groups and 14 classic associate unit intelligence squadrons across seven states conducting 10 distinct missions. He 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
1996 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1999 Master of Public Administration, Troy State University, Troy, Ala.
2005 Joint Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., 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 Air Force Base, 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 Air Base, South 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. (April 1998–June 1998, Director of Intelligence, Combat Special Operations Task Force Southwest Asia, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait; September 1998–January 1999, Director of Intelligence, Joint Special Operations Task Force II, San Vito AB, Italy)
7. July 1999–July 2000, Deliberate Plans and Operations Officer, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.
8. July 2000–February 2009, Deputy Flight Commander and Flight Commander, 919th Operations Support Squadron, Eglin AFB Field 3 (Duke Field), Fla. (October 2001–December 2001, Director of Intelligence, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Masirah, Oman; September 2002–November 2002, Director of Intelligence, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Masirah, Oman; 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)
9. February 2009–April 2010, Senior Intelligence Officer, 919th Operations Group, Eglin AFB Field 3 (Duke Field), Fla.
10. April 2010–April 2011, Squadron Commander, 919th Operations Support Squadron, Eglin AFB Field 3 (Duke Field), Fla.
11. April 2011–August 2013, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Commander, Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (December 2011–December 2012, Director, Joint Detachment Fort Worth, Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; December 2012–August 2013, Director, Joint Detachment Denver, Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
12. August 2013–January 2014, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Commander, 480th Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Wing, Langley AFB, Va.
13. January 2014–March 2016, Commander, 16th Intelligence Squadron, Fort George G. Meade, Md.
14. March 2016–December 2018, Commander, 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
15. December 2018–January 2020, Commander, 655th ISR Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
16. January 2020–present, Director of ISR Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga.
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
Brigadier General Feb. 25, 2021
(Current as of April 2021)