CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT

Senior Noncommissioned Officers: This tier preserves our legacy and heritage by focusing on leading teams and shaping the future force. The ranks consist of Master Sergeant (MSgt), Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt), and Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt). As Senior Noncommissioned Officers progress in this tier, they actively integrate subordinates’ talents, skills, and abilities with other teams to effectively accomplish the mission. Additionally, they seek joint and interagency professional development opportunities to build partnership capacity. Senior Noncommissioned Officers should be highly proficient at the Airman Leadership Qualities and have a comprehensive knowledge of the foundational competencies operating at the advanced and expert levels. All Senior Noncommissioned Officers mentor their subordinates and peers through continual education, training, and experience to develop ready and disciplined teams. They also play a unique and critical role in developing and advising officers to lead teams successfully. 

Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt): Serve in the highest enlisted grade and hold strategic leadership positions with tremendous influence at all levels of the Air Force.  They continue to develop personal leadership and management skills to prepare for ever increasing positions of responsibility. They are charged with mentoring and developing junior enlisted personnel and strongly influence the professional development of Company Grade Officers. They bring substantial operational and occupational experience as well as strong institutional skills to their organizations and assigned tasks. Newly selected ANG CMSgts attend either the Chief Leadership Course or their Chief Orientation Course. In this tier, CMSgts continue professional development through senior leader developmental opportunities and career-broadening assignments. CMSgts serve in key leadership positions such as Combatant Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Command Chief Master Sergeant, Group Superintendent, Professional Military Education Commandants, Functional and Career Field Managers. The written abbreviation is “CMSgt” and the official term of address is “Chief Master Sergeant” or “Chief.” (AFH 36-2618, para 3.1.3.3)

Responsibilities of all Senior Noncommissioned Officers: In addition to meeting all Junior Enlisted Airmen and Noncommissioned Officers responsibilities, Senior Noncommissioned Officers responsibilities include:

Developing Self:  

• Dedicate time to develop a greater understanding of leadership, operational, and managerial concepts and advance communication skills to reach audiences, with connecting concepts.  

• Leverage appropriate decision-making techniques by identifying the root cause, involving others, and gathering information, then rationally weigh all information in the decision-making process.  

• Respond proactively to unexpected or ambiguous situations, opportunities, or risks. In static environments, find and implement constructive methods to exercise flexibility.  

• Show self-control by remaining visibly calm in stressful situations when others are not, control emotions or other stress, and take action to respond constructively to the source of the problems. 

Developing Others:  

• Contribute to a professional climate and culture by ensuring their teams understand leadership orders/clarifying expectations as well as identifying, highlighting, and correcting behaviors that might detract from a professional climate and culture.  

• Empower Noncommissioned Officers and maintain harmony between caring for people and mission execution. 

• Support professional development by sharing knowledge and experience and enforcing standards to best meet the organization’s mission requirements. Build and maintain professional relationships, striving to create effective leadership teams.  

• Continue to develop themselves and their subordinates through available education, leadership seminars, and content provided through senior leaders’ respective official libraries. 

Developing Ideas:  

• Reframe issues to evaluate them from different perspectives and identify useful relationships among complex data from unrelated sources.  

• Create a sense of urgency to overcome inaction and take steps to develop trust among the various parties. Teach and influence tactics and strategies to others.

Developing Organizations:  

• Be an active and visible leader to effectively cultivate a climate of inclusion and excellence.  

• Study leaders’ decisions to understand their rationale and goals. Translate and communicate tasks and responsibilities up and down the chain of command in order to facilitate mission accomplishment. Foster unit cohesion, connectedness, and belonging as a team.  

• Leverage personal experience/knowledge to effectively accomplish and advance the mission.  

• Understand, manage, and explain manning health and capabilities based on unit requirements and manpower documents. Help commanders best balance risk to mission and risk to force.  

• Work to improve resource management (to include personnel, manpower, facilities, funding) in organizations, teach and encourage others to do the same. 

• Understand and be prepared to advocate for both current and future fiscal budget requirements.  

• Define how your organization/specialty coordinates with partners to execute the mission. Establish and expand relationships to advance priorities and connect teams to solve problems.  

• Understand and educate your team on how to respond, support events during deployments and emerging situations. Foster enduring team readiness for wartime actions and decisions. 

Focus Areas: primary goal of those in the Senior NCO tier is mission accomplishment.

• Attend CMSgt Orientation Course (CMSOC) at NGB

• Teach your Airmen about the 120 AW History and MTANG Professional Development

• Improve your strategic IQ by reviewing files to include the National Defense Strategy, CNGB Posture Statement, National Intelligence Reports and sharing knowledge with Airmen.

• Attend CMSgt Leadership Course (CLC) (Optional)

• Apply for NGB Enlisted Development Opportunities (MVA 999)

• Apply for Senior Leader Management Office (SLMO) Bench

• Continuing education and certifications to include CPI

Develop Leadership and Supervisory Skills

• Superintendent, Flight Chief, Section Chief (if opportunity exists)

• Board President for State Promotion Board

• Volunteer to be Panel Member for NGB Hiring Board

• Guide your Airmen through and support their Individual Development Plan

• Consider Stat Tour, ADOS Tour, Deployment

• Supervise and/or Mentor at least three Airmen, SNCO

• Rater (EPR/ACA) for at least three Airmen, SNCO

• Read National Defense Strategy/USAF Strategic Posturing Statement/ANG Strategic Master Plan

Foundational Knowledge

• Airman Leadership Qualities (ALQs) (MyPers Article (CAC Enabled)) - 10 qualities that will be used as feedback tool for enlisted and officers.

• AF Foundational Competencies - 24 competencies for all Airmen, categorized into four groups: Developing Self, Developing Others, Developing Ideas, and Developing Organizations.

• The Enlisted Force Structure, AFH 36-2618, (aka the Little Brown Book) - learn AF Leadership Levels (Ch 2), Tiers, Ranks, and Roles (Ch 3), Responsibilities by Tier (Ch 4)

MT Leadership, Mission, History and State Partnership Program (SPP):

• MT National Guard State Leadership and 120th Airlift Wing Leadership 

• MT National Guard Mission and Vision and 120th Wing Mission and Vision

• MT Air National Guard History

Key Air Force Systems to Know: (CAC Enabled)

• Air Force Portal – one-stop to access Air Force and ANG sites and resources.

• MTANG SharePoint - one-stop access to MTANG 

• AROWS (Chrome or Edge) - to access and track your orders

• DTS - create travel authorizations and travel vouchers

• MilConnect – update personal information and your SGLI 

• myPay – pull your Leave and Earning Statement (LES), setup Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), etc.

• vMPF – pull RIP, PCARS, update vRED

• myLearning -Training records, Computer Based Training 

• PRDA - Virtual Personnel Services Center, access to military personnel records, EPRs, Orders, Decorations, etc

Promote Organizational Culture:

• Participate in squadron, group, wing, and community events and activities (i.e., Vigilante Council, Honor Guard, Wing Innovation and Community Action Team (CAT))

• Professional Organizations: EANGUS, Air Force Association (AFA), AF Sergeants Association (AFSA), etc.

• Professionalism, Attitude, Work Ethic, Comradery Maintain Mission Readiness: fitness assessment, medical and dental, mobility, AFSC Upgrade Training

• Volunteer for Additional Duties to learn new skills

• Promotion Board member at Group