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Colby C. Jenkins | |
|---|---|
| Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict | |
| In office January 20, 2025 –August 25, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Christopher Maier |
| Succeeded by | Derrick Anderson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Colby C. Jenkins Roosevelt,Utah,U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 2000-2011 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | United States Army Special Forces |
Colby Jenkins is an American official of the United States Department of Defense [1] who served as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict from January to August of 2025. [2] He was a candidate in the Republican primary for Utah's 2nd congressional district in 2024,narrowly losing to incumbent Celeste Maloy. [3]
Colby Jenkins was born and raised in Roosevelt,Utah. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy. [4]
While serving in the Army for eleven years,Jenkins became a Green Beret. He went on to lead special forces teams in Afghanistan and South America. [4]
Upon leaving active service,Jenkins joined the National Guard and began teaching at George Washington University. He later went on to work in the tech industry for Google. [5]
Jenkins challenged incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Celeste Maloy in the 2024 election for Utah's 2nd congressional district . [6] The race was so close that he requested a recount of the results. After the recount,it was confirmed that he lost to Maloy by 176 votes. [7]
In January 2025,President Donald Trump appointed Jenkins as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. [8] He left office on August 25,2025. [9]