The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

: CMSAF) is a unique non-commissioned rank in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

. The holder of this rank and position of office represents the highest enlisted level of leadership in the Air Force, unless an enlisted airman is serving as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman. The CMSAF 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 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. The current Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is Chief JoAnne S. Bass (/bæs/). On 14 August 2020, Chief Bass succeeded Chief

Kaleth O. Wright Kaleth O. Wright is a retired senior noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force who served as the 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from February 17, 2017, to August 14, 2020. In this post he served as the personal adviser t ...

, to become the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. Although the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is a non-commissioned officer, protocol states that the CMSAF has precedence over all lieutenant generals at joint events, and over all lieutenant generals except the Air Force Director of Staff at Air Force exclusive events.

Rank insignia and positional colors

On 1 November 2004, the CMSAF's rank insignia was updated to include the

Great Seal of the United States of America Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great ...

and two stars in the upper field. This puts the insignia in line with those of the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and Marine Corps which 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 A coat typically is an outer garment for the upper body as worn by either gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, a ...

, 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, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Chief Master Sergeant of the Space 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 Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

/ rear admiral (lower half) to be authorized a positional color (flag). The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force colors were authorized in January 2013. The official term of address for the CMSAF is "Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force" or "Chief." File:E9 USAF CMSAF 1967-1991.svg, 1967–1991 File:E9d USAF CMSAF old.svg, 1991–2004 File:E9d USAF CMSAF.svg, 2004–present

Rank insignia and positional colors

Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force

Timeline

See also

References

External links