MIAMI — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Florida, Southern), published as received.
MIAMI – United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones, for the Southern District of Florida, has been promoted to the rank of Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve, marking more than twenty-three years of military service spanning infantry, operational law, national security, and combat advising.
Colonel Reding Quiñones currently serves as the senior reserve legal advisor to the Staff Judge Advocate at United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), where he advises the 4-star Combatant Commander and senior military leadership on the legal authorities governing combat operations, maritime interdiction, intelligence activities, force protection, and national security operations.
Since the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel, Colonel Reding Quiñones has advised on kinetic military operations across the Central Command theater, helping provide legal oversight and operational guidance during some of the most consequential military actions in the region, including sustained regional defense operations, the twelve-day conflict between Iran and Israel, and current U.S. naval blockade and maritime interdiction operations targeting Iranian commercial and military vessels.
In this current military role, Colonel Reding Quiñones has served as a senior law advisor during combat operations, advising commanders on the lawful employment of force, rules of engagement, targeting authorities, maritime seizure operations, and escalation response.
His operational experience builds on a military career that began as an Army cavalry scout and infantry officer before transferring into the Air Force Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Over the course of his career, he has served in key legal billets supporting Air Force Special Operations Command, Pacific Air Forces, United States European Command, and now USCENTCOM.
His military decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, reflecting outstanding service across combat support, operational law, and joint military missions.
“Military service has shaped every part of my adult life,” said Colonel Reding Quiñones. “From leading soldiers as a young infantry officer, to advising commanders in combat, to serving as a federal prosecutor and Florida trial judge, the mission has always been the same: serve the country, protect Americans, and defend the rule of law.”
Colonel Reding Quiñones was promoted effective April 1, 2026. The rank of Colonel represents the senior field-grade rank in the United States Air Force and reflects sustained superior performance, leadership, and trust across more than two decades of military service.
A Miami native and the son of a Cuban political refugee, Colonel Reding Quiñones earned his undergraduate degree from University of Florida and his law degree from Florida International University before building parallel careers in military service, prosecution, and the judiciary over a lifetime of public service.
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