JoAnne S. Bass is a senior noncommissioned officer in the
United States Air Force and the nineteenth Chief Master Sergeant
of the Air Force. Bass joined the United States Air Force in 1993.
She became the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and the
first female senior enlisted service member of any United States
military branch, on August 14, 2020, having been selected for the
position on June 19. She is also the first person of Asian-American
descent to hold the senior enlisted position in the Air Force.
At the time of her selection, she was the Second Air Force
Command Chief Master Sergeant at Keesler Air Force Base in
Mississippi, which she had reported to in July 2018.
Air Force News reported "incoming Air Force Chief of Staff
Gen. CQ Brown said Bass brings skills, temperament and
experience that the job requires and an outlook on leadership that
meshes with his own", and that he "could not be more excited to
work side-by-side with Chief Bass.
The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (acronym: 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, 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.
Although the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is a noncommissioned 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.