Rear Admiral Sands is the Commander, Special Operations Command Africa, headquartered at Kelley Barracks near Stuttgart, Germany. In this role, Rear Admiral Sands is responsible for the full spectrum of Special Operations activities across the African continent and the more than 1,500 U.S. military, interagency and international military personnel operating in 27 countries throughout Africa and Europe. SOCAFRICA is designated as U.S. Africa Command’s lead counter-terror operations component. Prior to this assignment, Rear Admiral Sands served as the Commander of Naval Service Training Command.  

Rear Admiral Sands is a native of Farmington, Connecticut. He is a 1992 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Oceanography. He holds a Master’s degree in Military Strategy and Planning from the Joint Advanced Warfighting School in Norfolk, VA.  

Sands’ operational tours included Surface Warfare Officer assignments on Newport-class tank landing ship USS Saginaw (LST 1188) and Spruance-class destroyer USS John Rodgers (DD 983). After graduating Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL (BUD/S) training with class 203, he was assigned to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1. Additional assignments include two tours with SEAL Team 2, and assignment to a joint task force in Afghanistan. He commanded SEAL Team 8, was the Chief of Staff of Naval Special Warfare Group 2, and Chief Staff Officer at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group before returning to NSW Group 2 as Commodore.  

Ashore Sands was a joint planner at Special Operations Command, Europe; a Counter Terrorism and Public Policy Fellow at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy as part of the Navy’s Federal Executive Fellowship program; Director of Counter Terrorism and Operations for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict; and Deputy Operations Officer at the Joint Special Operations Command.  

Sands’ decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), Bronze Star Medal (2 awards), as well as various other personal, unit, and service awards.