Major General Jeffrey (Jeff) Jones serves as the 29th Deputy Adjutant General of South Carolina. He is Second in Command of the SC Military Department, which includes the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, SC State Guard, and the SC Emergency Management Division. He also serves as the Deputy Joint Force Land Component Commander during defense support to civilian authorities (DSCA) missions. Maj. Gen. Jones enlisted in 1985 as a Field Artillery Cannon Crewman. He subsequently attended Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1987. A career Field Artilleryman, Maj. Gen. Jones has served in every key leadership position from Battery through Brigade levels. In July of 2004, he deployed as Battalion Operations Officer (S-3), 1-178th FA, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2007, Maj. Gen. Jones was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and served as Battalion Commander, 1-178th FA.
In May 2009, Maj. Gen. Jones was assigned as Brigade Executive Officer (XO), 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB). He served as Chief of Staff during the Brigade’s mission as Headquarters, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Explosive Consequence Management Response Force (CCMRF), an immediate response asset for U.S. Army Northern Command (NORTHCOM). In August of 2011, Maj. Gen. Jones was assigned as 218th MEB Deputy Commander (DCO) and, from 2012 to 2013, deployed to Kosovo as DCO, Multi-National Battle Group-East (NATO KFOR). From January 2014 to May of 2017, Maj. Gen. Jones served as Commander, 218th MEB. During his Command, the Brigade served as Joint Task Force Operations, Command and Control, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Response Element (C2CRE). He commanded Task Force Response operations along the entire South Carolina coast during the 2015 South Carolina Floods, and Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016. As a General Officer, Maj. Gen. Jones has led during response operations for Hurricanes Florence, Dorian, and Ian. Additionally, he assisted in overseeing the SC Military Department’s response operations during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Maj. Gen. Jones is a 1987 graduate of The Citadel and holds a master's degrees from the University of South Carolina and the U.S. Army War College. He is also a graduate of the NORTHCOM Dual Status Commander Qualification Program, the Harvard Kennedy School Homeland Security Program, The South Carolina Executive Institute, and Leadership South Carolina. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Jones served as a Supervising United States Probation Officer, overseeing the Court Services Unit for the Charleston Division of the U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina. Maj. Gen. Jones’ military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Iraq Campaign Medal, and the NATO Medal (KFOR). A native of Chesterfield, Maj. Gen. Jones resides in Lexington with his wife, Amanda. They have three children: Houston, Lydia, and Isobel.