Air Force names military’s first female top enlisted member

The Air Force has appointed a woman to be its top noncommissioned officer for the first time in U.S. military history, the service said Friday.

Chief Master Sgt. JoAnne Bass will become the 19th chief master sergeant of the Air Force, making her the first female senior enlisted leader of any U.S. military service, the Air Force said in a news release.

“I’m honored and humbled to be selected as the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and follow in the footsteps of some of the best leaders our Air Force has ever known,” Bass said in a statement. “The history of the moment isn’t lost on me; I’m just ready to get after it. And I’m extremely grateful for and proud of my family and friends who helped me along the way.”

Bass’s appointment gives the Air Force two firsts this year. The Air Force will also have the military’s first black service chief when Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown is sworn in as chief of staff in August.

The milestones come as the military grapples with racial issues amid nationwide protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Brown and Bass “will be responsible for addressing racial disparity in the Air Force,” the service said in its news release.

Bass currently serves as the command chief master sergeant of the Second Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi.

Her career, which started in 1993 with a posting at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, has also included time at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, as the command chief master sergeant for the 17th Training Wing at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas and as chief of Air Force Enlisted Developmental Education at the Pentagon.

As Air Force chief master sergeant, Bass will become the public face of enlisted airmen and the personal adviser to Brown and Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett on issues related to the welfare, readiness and morale of enlisted personnel.

“I could not be more excited to work side-by-side with Chief Bass,” Brown said in the statement. “She is a proven leader who has performed with distinction at every step of her accomplished career. I have no doubt that Chief Bass will provide wise counsel as we pursue and implement initiatives to develop and empower Airmen at all levels.”

Bass will succeed Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth Wright, who tweeted that Brown “knocked it out of the park” by selecting Bass.

CMSAF 19 is Chief JoAnne Bass! Gen Brown knocked it out of the park with this selection – Proud moment in history, Great to be an Airman! pic.twitter.com/3MPRYKn5g8

— Kaleth O. Wright (@cmsaf18) June 19, 2020