Lt Col. Paul Needham is the 188th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group Commander at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Fort Smith, Ark. The 188th ISRG is comprised of three intelligence squadrons and an intelligence support squadron, The 188th ISRG's missions include near-real time processing, exploitation, analysis and dissemination of information and data from multiple sources. The unit creates decision-quality actionable intelligence that is disseminated to air, ground and naval force component commanders around the world for use in the planning and execution of military operations across the spectrum of conflict.
Lt Col Needham is a career ISRG professional who has supported contingency operations worldwide. He entered the Arkansas Air National Guard (ANG) as an enlisted member in January 1994 after serving a two-year tour in the United States Army as an M1A1 Armor Crewman with A Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. He served in a variety of roles from a photographic interpretation analyst to a flight superintendent supporting target development, air operations center, and DCGS missions. Lt Col Needham was commissioned in 2004 at the Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson ANGB, Tenn. He led the conversion of the 123 Intelligence Squadrons from a target development mission to DCGS in 2005-2006 and then lead DCGS operations in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom from 2006 to 2013. As the operations officer he coordinated the development and acquisition of a first of its kind domestic emergency response trailer which provided incident, awareness and assessment to first responders in the event of natural disasters or domestic incidents. Later he would lead the conversion and movement of DGS-AR to the 188th Wing at Ebbing ANGB, Fort Smith, Arkansas. He stood up and commanded the 288th Operations Support Squadron from 2013-2017 establishing the operations support to DGS-AR. He then commanded the 153rd IS transitioning it from a newly established unit to a full spectrum targeting squadron. He has been mobilized six times with three of those being deployed to other locations around the world. Col. Needham was qualified in the SENTINEL weapon system for more than 15 years and accrued more than 4,500 hours of mission time both as an enlisted crew member and mission operations commander. Prior to his current position, the Lt Col was the Inspector General, 188th Wing, Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas.
EDUCATION
2001 Associates of Applied Science Communication Applications Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2002 Bachelors of Science Management/Computer Information Systems, Park University, Parkville, Mo.
2004 Air National Guard—Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson ANGB, Tenn.
2005 Modular Intelligence Officer Correspondence Training Course
2008 Squadron Officers School – by correspondence
2015 Air Command and Staff College—online master’s program, Master’s in Military Operational Art and Science Degree, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala
2020 Air War College—by correspondence
2023 Reserve Component National Security Course, Fort McNair, Washington D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1991 - October 1993, M1A1 Armor Crewman, A Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, U.S. Army, Downs Barracks, Fulda, Germany
2. January 1994 – January 2004, Imagery Analyst, 123rd Intelligence Squadron, Arkansas ANG, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.
3. March – June 1999 (Deployed), Non-commissioned Officer in Charge, National Imagery and Targeting, 32nsd Air Intelligence Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany (Operation ALLIED FORCE)
4. January 2002 – September 2003 (Deployed), Processing Exploitation and Dissemination Team Chief, 30th Intelligence Squadron, Langley AFB, Va. (Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom
5. February 2004 – March 2005, Officer-in-Charge, Imagery Intelligence Branch, 123rd Intelligence Squadron, Arkansas ANG, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
6. March 2005 – October 2006, Operations Flight Commander, 123rd IS, Arkansas ANG, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
7. February -April 2006 (Deployed), Senior Intelligence Officer, 250th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Apiay Air Base, Columbia (Operation Enduring Freedom)
8. October 2006 – February 2009, Assistant Director of Operations, 123rd IS, Arkansas ANG, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
9. February 2009 – March 2013, Director of Operations, 123rd IS, Arkansas ANG, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
10. March 2008 – September 2009, Detachment Commander, Detachment 123rd IS (T10), Air National Guard of the United States, Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.
11. April 2013 – March 2014, Chief, Standardizations and Evaluations, 123rd IS Arkansas ANG, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
12. April 2014 – March 2017, Commander, 288th Operations Support Squadron, Ebbing ANGB, Fort Smith, Ark.
13. March 2017—January 2024, Commander, 153rd Intelligence Squadron, Ebbing ANGB, Fort Smith, Ark.
14. January 2024 – June 2025, Wing Inspector General, 188th Wing, Ebbing ANGB, Fort Smith, Ark.
15. June 2025 – Present, Commander, 188th ISRG, Ebbing ANGB, Fort Smith, Ark.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
National Guard of the United States (Lifetime Member)
National Guard Association of Arkansas (Lifetime Member)
Enlisted Association of the National Guard of Arkansas (Lifetime Associate Member)
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant, Feb. 21, 2004
First Lieutenant, Feb. 21, 2006
Captain, Feb. 21, 2008
Major, Sept. 15, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel, Nov. 5, 2016
Colonel, July 16, 2025
(Current as of July 2025)