The general received his commission through the ROTC program at Drake University and entered the Air Force in 1975 following graduate work in geography and remote sensing. He served as a squadron and wing intelligence officer for Reserve airlift and fighter units; human intelligence officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency; and senior intelligence staff officer with the National Reconnaissance Office. He also commanded a special Air Force Reserve element with a mission to sustain continuity during a national intelligence emergency. The general has previously served as mobilization assistant to the Commander of the Air Intelligence Agency and Joint Information Operations Center, and mobilization assistant to the Director, National Security Agency, and Chief, Central Security Service, Fort George G. Meade, Md.

General Senty is a veteran of operations Desert Storm and Allied Force, and he served on the Air Force Crisis Action Team in the Pentagon during Operation Enduring Freedom. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he served as Director, Information Operations Coordination Element, while supporting the Air Force Component Commander in Southwest Asia. He returned to Southwest Asia in 2004 to build the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance plan for Operation Mountain Storm, and in 2005 and 2006 he served on assignments with the Joint Special Operations Command.

In 1979, he began his civilian career with the Central Intelligence Agency, where he currently serves as a senior technical operations officer.