Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
Incumbent CMSAF James A. Cody since January 24, 2013
Formation	April 3, 1967
First holder	Paul W. Airey
Website	Official Website

The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF) is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Air Force. The holder of this rank and position of office, represents the highest enlisted level of leadership in the Air Force, and as such, provides direction for the enlisted corps and represents their interests, as appropriate, to the American public, and to those in all levels of government. The one exception to the status of the CMSAF as the highest-ranking enlisted member of the Air Force, which has yet to occur, is when an Air Force sergeant is serving as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this instance, the SEAC would outrank the CMSAF. The CMSAF is appointed by the Air Force Chief of Staff (AF/CC) and serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and progress of the enlisted force. While the CMSAF is a non-commissioned officer, the billet is protocol equivalent to a lieutenant general.^[1]

The current Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is Chief James A. Cody. On November 16, 2016, the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Goldfein, announced that Chief Kaleth O. Wright would succeed Chief Cody to become the 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.^[2]

Rank Insignia and Positional Colors

On November 1, 2004,^[3] the CMSAF's rank insignia was updated to include the Great Seal of the United States of America and two stars in the upper field. This puts the insignia in line with those of the Army and Marine Corps who have similar insignia to denote their senior enlisted servicemen. The laurel wreath around the star in the lower field remained unchanged to retain the legacy of the Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force.

The CMSAF wears distinctive collar insignia. Traditionally, enlisted airmen's collar insignia was silver-colored "U.S." within a ring. The CMSAF's collar brass replaced the standard ring with a silver laurel wreath. The CMSAF also wears a distinctive cap device. Enlisted airmen's cap device is the Coat of Arms of the United States, surrounded by a ring, all struck from silver-colored metal. Much as with the position's distinctive collar brass, the ring is replaced with a laurel wreath for the CMSAF. The Sergeant Major of the Army wears an identical cap device, albeit of gold-colored metal.^[4]

The Sergeant Major of the Army, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman are the only members of the United States armed forces below the rank of brigadier general/rear admiral, lower half to be authorized a positional color (flag). First considered in 1992,^[5] the SMA's color has been authorized since 22 March 1999.^[6] The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force colors were authorized in January 2013.^[7]

The official term of address for the CMSAF is "Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force" or "Chief."^[8]

• CMSAF insignia timeline
• 
  1967–1991
• 
  1991–2004
• 
  2004-present

Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force

#	Picture	Name	Tenure from	Tenure to
1		Paul W. Airey	April 3, 1967	July 31, 1969
2		Donald L. Harlow	August 1, 1969	September 30, 1971
3		Richard D. Kisling	October 1, 1971	September 30, 1973
4		Thomas N. Barnes	October 1, 1973	July 31, 1977
5		Robert D. Gaylor	August 1, 1977	July 31, 1979
6		James M. McCoy	August 1, 1979	July 31, 1981
7		Arthur L. Andrews	August 1, 1981	July 31, 1983
8		Sam E. Parish	August 1, 1983	June 30, 1986
9		James C. Binnicker	July 1, 1986	July 31, 1990
10		Gary R. Pfingston	August 1, 1990	October 25, 1994
11		David J. Campanale	October 26, 1994	November 1, 1996
12		Eric W. Benken	November 5, 1996	July 30, 1999
13		Frederick J. Finch	July 31, 1999	June 28, 2002
14		Gerald R. Murray	July 1, 2002	June 30, 2006
15		Rodney J. McKinley	June 30, 2006	June 30, 2009
16		James A. Roy	July 1, 2009	January 24, 2013
17		James A. Cody	January 24, 2013	February 2017
18		Kaleth O. Wright	February 2017	Present

See also

• Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Sergeant Major of the Army
• Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
• Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
• Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
• Senior Enlisted Advisor for the National Guard Bureau

References

1. Department of the Air Force Protocol Precedence List
2. "CSAF Announces CMSAF #18". Retrieved November 16, 2016.
3. Jablonski, Tech. Sgt. David A. "New CMSAF insignia debuts Nov. 1". Retrieved January 23, 2013.
4. "AFI-36-2903" (PDF). United States Air Force. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
5. Elder, p. 40.
6. U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry .
7. CMSAF Transition Ceremony Archived February 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
8. "AFI-36-2618 Enlisted Force Structure" (PDF). United States Air Force. 27 February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2013.

External links