Air Force Command Chief Master SergeantE-9 CCM (Previous)
Command Chief Master Sergeant

Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Of The Air Force

E-9 Noncommissioned Officer (Special), U.S. Air Force
No rank

Air Force Ranks » Chief Master Sergeant Of The Air Force RankCMSAF PayCMSAF Rank History

How to get promoted to Chief Master Sergeant Of The Air Force History of the Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Of The Air Force Rank

A Chief Master Sergeant Of The Air Force is a Noncommissioned Officer (Special) in the United States Air Force at DoD paygrade E-9.

The modern-day non-commissioned officer ranks were created after the First World War in order to streamline the ranking system. The Army had many different sergeants based on skills (radio sergeants, supply sergeants…) Congress decided to unify them into a few ranks: staff sergeant, technical sergeant, and master sergeant. The titles would be based on experience and leadership rather than a particular skill. The rank of chief master sergeant was codified into the enlisted ranks upon the establishment of the E-8 and E-9 pay grades in 1958.

Fun fact: If an Air Force enlisted personnel became the advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then this person would be higher ranking in position than the CMSAF. This has yet to happen though.

Want to learn more? Read about the Air Force's Chief Master Sergeant Of The Air Force rank on Military-Ranks.org.


History of the Air Force

The Air Force was founded in 1947, just after WWII. It was created using most of the existing Army Air Corps that had just made significant contributions to the war effort. The Air Force is the most technological of the branches, as well as the "most business-like" (least strict). There is a general concensus in the military that quality of life for servicemembers in the Air Force is highest. Just as the Army fights land wars and the Navy fights sea wars, the Air Force was originally envisioned to fight air wars. While wars in the past 70 years couldn't be fought with aircraft alone, the age of Drones and Artificial Intelligence may cause a paradigm shift where air-only wars are possible.