A native of Laramie, Wyoming, Lieutenant Colonel Ryan McGonigle graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps on May 25, 2007.
Following graduation, he reported to The Basic School (TBS) in Quantico, Virginia, in July 2007, where he graduated on the Commanding General’s Honor Roll.
He then reported to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida, and subsequently NAS Whiting Field for primary and advanced flight training, earning his designation as a Naval Aviator on April 9, 2010. He completed initial replacement aircrew training in the CH-53E Super Stallion at HMHT-302 in November 2010.
Assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 (HMH-362) in April 2011 as the Adjutant and Administrative Officer, he later deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) 12.1. During this deployment, he accumulated over 180 combat flight hours in the CH-53D Sea Stallion. Upon his return, he participated in the sundown ceremony for the Marine Corps' final CH-53D squadron on November 30, 2012.
In January 2013, he reported to MAG-16 for duty with HMH-361. Over the next four years, he served in multiple key billets, including Assistant Operations Officer, Aviation Safety Officer, Assistant Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Director of Safety and Standardization, Quality Assurance Officer, Squadron Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI), and Pilot Training Officer. During this period, he also completed two deployments to Okinawa, Japan, in 2014 and 2016.
Selected as an Olmsted Scholar for the Class of 2018, and subsequently promoted to Major, he underwent Bulgarian language training at the Defense Language Institute in Washington, D.C, and then studied at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski in Bulgaria from 2018 to 2020.
In July 2020, Major McGonigle reported to HMH-463 as the Operations Officer. In 2021, he transferred to MAG-24 as the Operations Officer to support the sundown of the CH-53E and USMC rotary-wing operations in Hawaii.
After selection to attend the School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW) for Academic Year 2023, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Following graduation, he reported to United States Marine Corps Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC), serving first as the Southeast Asia Regional Plans Officer and subsequently as the Chief of War Plans.
In November 2025, Lieutenant Colonel McGonigle reported to MAG-16 to assume duties as the Commanding Officer of HMH-466.
He is a graduate of the Expeditionary Warfare School, Air Command and Staff College, School of Advanced Warfighting, Air War College, Aviation Safety Officer School, Weapons and Tactics Instructor School, and the Integrated Joint Special Technical Operations course. He holds master’s degrees in International Relations and Security Studies from Sofia University, and Operational Studies from Marine Corps University.
Lieutenant Colonel McGonigle has accumulated over 1,600 total flight hours, including over 340 hours in the CH-53D and over 1,050 hours in the CH-53E.