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Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) is the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Master Sergeant, and is a non-commissioned officer. The official term of address is Chief Master Sergeant or Chief.

Attaining the rank of Chief Master Sergeant is the pinnacle of an Air Force enlisted member's career. Some Chief Master Sergeants manage the efforts of all enlisted personnel within their unit or major subsection thereof, while others run major staff functions at higher headquarters levels. All Chief Master Sergeants are expected to serve as mentors for company-grade and field-grade commissioned officers, as well as noncommissioned officers and junior enlisted members, and to serve as advisors to unit commanders and senior officers.

By Federal law, only one percent of the Air Force enlisted force may hold this rank.

Contents 1 Special Duty Positions 1.1 Command Chief Master Sergeant 1.2 Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force 2 Historical Notes 3 External links 4 See also 5 References

The position of Command Chief Master Sergeant was created in November 1998. Formerly titled Senior Enlisted Advisor, Command Chief Master Sergeants (CCM) serve as senior advisors to commanders at Wing, Numbered Air Force (NAF), Field Operating Agency (FOA) and Major Command (MAJCOM) levels. When the senior enlisted position of a Joint Command is held by an Air Force member, that individual is also designated as a Command Chief Master Sergeant.

There exists one post, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, which is unique. The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is the designated representative of the entire Air Force enlisted force, speaking on behalf of the enlisted members of the Air Force. The current Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is CMSgt Rodney J. McKinley.

Although the Air Force had been an independent service since 1947, the rank of Chief Master Sergeant did not come into being until the authorization of the Military Pay Act of 1958. This act established the pay grades of E-8 and E-9, but without specifying titles for those pay grades. It wasn't until late 1958 that the title of Chief Master Sergeant (and the accompanying rank insiginia) was decided upon.

Until his retirement in 2003, CMSgt Norman Marous was the Air Force's longest-serving Chief Master Sergeant, having served in the Air Force since 1962.

• Biography of CMSAF Gerald R. Murray

• Sergeant
• U.S. Air Force enlisted rank insignia

• Air Force Instruction 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure
• Technical Sergeant Spink, Barry L. "A Chronology of the Enlisted Rank Chevron of the United States Air Force, 19 February 1992." Air Force Historical Research Agency.

U.S. military enlisted ranks
	E-1	E-2	E-3	E-4	E-5	E-6	E-7	E-8	E-9
Air Force:	AB	Amn	A1C	SrA	SSgt	TSgt	MSgt	SMSgt	CMSgt - CCM - CMSAF
Army:	PV1	PV2	PFC	SPC - CPL	SGT	SSG	SFC	MSG - 1SG	SGM - CSM - SMA
Marine Corps:	Pvt	PFC	LCpl	Cpl	Sgt	SSgt	GySgt	MSgt - 1stSgt	MGySgt - SgtMaj - SgtMajMarCor
Navy:	SR	SA	SN	PO3	PO2	PO1	CPO	SCPO	MCPO - CMCPO - MCPON
Coast Guard:	SR	SA	SN	PO3	PO2	PO1	CPO	SCPO	MCPO - CMCPO - MCPOCG