BRIGADIER GENERAL JERRY B. BANCROFT, JR
Brig Gen Jerry B. Bancroft Jr. is the Assistant Adjutant General for Air at Kentucky Joint Force Headquarters in Frankfort, Ky. He provides command leadership to a diverse Air National Guard unit that includes tactical airlift, special operations and contingency response. Brig Gen Bancroft is responsible for all aspects of operations, personnel, equipment, training and funding to ensure forces are ready to perform their wartime mission and effectively respond to contingencies during domestic operations.
Brig Gen Bancroft graduated from the University of Louisville and entered the Air Force in 1996 through Officer Training School. He began his career as an Air Terminal Operations Center Flight Commander with the 3rd Aerial Port Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. Following this assignment, Brig Gen Bancroft served as a Logistics Operations Officer for Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., supporting special operations forces worldwide. After completion of pilot training, Brig Gen Bancroft served with the 50th Airlift Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. He then served as an Instructor Pilot and Director of Operations with Training Squadron 31 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. Brig Gen Bancroft transferred to the Kentucky Air National Guard in 2008 where he spent 13 years serving the contingency response enterprise including three command tours with the 123rd Contingency Response Group. His operational experience includes Operations Southern Watch, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Tomodachi/Pacific Passage, Unified Response, United Assistance, and Inherent Resolve. As a Command Pilot, Brig Gen Bancroft has accumulated over 3,600 flight hours with more than 500 combat and combat support hours flown. Prior to his current position, Brig Gen Bancroft served as the Wing Commander for the 123rd Airlift Wing in Louisville, Ky.
EDUCATION
1994 Bachelor of Arts, Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky.
2002 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2011 Air Advisor Course, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
2012 Defense Support of Civil Authorities Course, San Antonio, Texas
2012 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Air National Guard Intermediate Development Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2016 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2018 Director of Mobility Forces Course, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2019 Air National Guard Commander Development Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2022 Mobility Commanders Tactics Course, St Joseph, Mo.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1996 - March 1998, Flight Commander, Air Terminal Operations Center, 3rd Aerial Port Squadron (Air Mobility Command), Pope Air Force Base, N.C.
2. March 1998 - March 1999, Logistics Operations Officer, Joint Special Operations Command J-4 (U.S. Special Operations Command), Fort Bragg, N.C.
3. March 1999 - February 2000, Student, Primary Undergraduate Pilot Training, Training Squadron 3 (U.S. Navy), Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla.
4. February 2000 - October 2000, Student, Advanced Multi-Engine Undergraduate Pilot Training, Training Squadron 35 (U.S. Navy), Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.
5. October 2000 - May 2004, Flight Commander, C-130H3 Aircraft Commander, 50th Airlift Squadron (AMC), Little Rock AFB, Ark.
6. May 2004 - November 2008, Director of Operations, Chief of Standardization & Evaluations, T-44A/C Instructor & Evaluator Pilot, Functional Check Pilot, Training Squadron 31 (U.S. Navy), Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas
7. November 2008 - April 2012, Operations Officer, Chief of Standardization & Evaluations, 123rd Contingency Response Group (AMC), Kentucky Air National Guard (KYANG), Louisville, Ky.
8. April 2012 - September 2014, Commander, 123rd Global Mobility Readiness Squadron (AMC), 123rd Contingency Response Group, KYANG, Louisville, Ky.
9. September 2014 - November 2016, Commander, 123rd Global Mobility Squadron (AMC), 123rd Contingency Response Group, KYANG, Louisville, Ky.
10. November 2016 - August 2021, Commander, 123rd Contingency Response Group (AMC), KYANG, Louisville, Ky.
11. August 2021 - October 2024, Commander, 123rd Airlift Wing (AMC), KYANG, Louisville, Ky.
12. October 2024 - December 2024, Director of Operations, Plans & Programs, Kentucky Joint Force Headquarters, Frankfort, Ky.
13. March 2025 - Present, Assistant Adjutant General, JFHQ, Frankfort, Ky.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,600
Aircraft flown: C-130E/H1/H2/H3/J, TC-12B, T-44A/C, T-34C, T-37B
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & AFFLIATIONS
Life Member, National Guard Association of the United States
Life Member, National Guard Association of Kentucky
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Jan. 26, 1996
First Lieutenant Jan. 26, 1998
Captain Jan. 26, 2000
Major March 1, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel March 15, 2012
Colonel May 25, 2017
Brigadier General Dec. 31, 2024
(Current as of June 2025)
