Colby Jenkins is an American official of the United States Department of Defense who served as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict from January to August 2025. He was a candidate in the Republican primary for in 2024, narrowly losing to incumbent Celeste Maloy.
Jenkins was born and raised in Roosevelt, Utah. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy.
While serving in the Army for 11 years, Jenkins became a Green Beret. He went on to lead special forces teams in Afghanistan and South America.
Upon leaving active service, Jenkins joined the National Guard and began teaching at George Washington University. He later worked in the tech industry for Google.
Jenkins challenged incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Celeste Maloy in the 2024 election for . 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.
In January 2025, President Donald Trump appointed Jenkins as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. He left office on August 25, 2025.