Col. Jared Nelson is the Commander, 90th Operations Group, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. The group is comprised of three missile squadrons and an operations support squadron providing on-alert nuclear combat capability to the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command in support of U.S. national objectives. He leads the group in safe, secure, and reliable operation of 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles operated from 15 remote missile alert facilities dispersed over a 9,600 square-mile area across Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado.
Colonel Nelson entered the Air Force in 1997 commissioning after graduating from Officer Training School. He is an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Officer and graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School and Air War College. He has served as missile combat crew commander, instructor, flight commander, assistant director of operations, weapons officer, weapons instructor, wing chief of safety, and squadron commander. He has served two tours in the Middle East in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM and has completed staff tours at the major command, combatant command, and Headquarters Air Force levels.
EDUCATION
1996 Bachelor of Arts, German, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
1998 Officer Training School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 U.S. Air Force Weapons School (Space), Nellis AFB, Nev.
2006 Air Command and Staff College (Distance Learning), Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Masters of Business Administration and Finance, Trident University, Cypress, Calif.
2010 U.S. Air Force Weapons School (ICBM), Nellis AFB, Nev.
2012 Air Force Strategic Policy Fellow, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
2019 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1998 – November 1998, Student, Undergraduate Space & Missile Training & ICBM Missile Initial Qualification Training, 392d Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
2. November 1998 – November 2001, Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander, Missile Combat Crew Commander, Squadron Instructor & Assistant Flight Commander, 740th Missile Squadron, Minot AFB, N.D.
3. December 2001 – June 2004, Simulator and Classroom Instructor, Curriculum Developer & Assistant Flight Commander, 392d Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
4. January 2005 – June 2005, Student, 328th Weapons Squadron, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
5. July 2005 – January 2006, Chief of Space Control, 32d Air Operations Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
6. January 2006 – May 2006, Chief, Space Cell, Combined Air & Space Operations Center, Al Udeid AB
7. May 2006 – January 2007, Executive Officer, 603rd Air & Space Operations Center, Ramstein AB, Germany
8. January 2007 – June 2008, Chief, Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century, U.S. Air Forces Europe, Ramstein AB, Germany
9. July 2008 – July 2011, Assistant Operations Officer, 328th Weapons Squadron, Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. July 2011 – June 2012, Air Force Strategic Policy Fellow, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
11. July 2012 – December 2013, Chief, ICBM and Nuclear Command and Control Operations Branch, Directorate of Programs, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
12. December 2013 – July 2014, Director of Staff, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, Ali Al Salem AB
13. September 2014 – June 2016, Chief of Safety, 91st Missile Wing, Minot AFB, N.D.
14. June 2016 – June 2018, Commander, 742nd Missile Squadron, 91st Missile Wing, Minot AFB, N.D.
15. July 2018 – June 2019, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
16. June 2019 – June 2021, Chief of Contingency Operations Division, Peterson AFB, Colo.
17. June 2021 – June 2022, Director of Operations and Communications, 20th Air Force, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
18. June 2022 – Present, Commander, 90th Operations Group, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Department of Defense Superior Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with one oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with “N” Device
Air and Space Overseas Ribbon (Long)
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
EFFECTIVE DATES OF RANK
Second Lieutenant February 1998
First Lieutenant February 2000
Captain February 2002
Major August 2007
Lieutenant Colonel January 2013
Colonel April 2019
(Current as of July 2022)