JoAnne S. Bass (/bæs/) (born June 15, 1974) is a retired senior noncommissioned officer in the
United States Air Force and the nineteenth
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. She became the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, and the first female to hold the highest senior enlisted rank in any United States military branch, on August 14, 2020,[3] having been selected for the position on June 19.[4] She is also the first person of Asian-American descent to hold the highest senior enlisted position in the Air Force.[5] At the time of her selection, she was the
Second Air Force's
Command Chief Master Sergeant at
Keesler Air Force Base in
Mississippi, which she had reported to in July 2018.[6]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."[4]
Early life
Bass is originally from
Mililani, Oahu, Hawaii.[7] Her mother is of Korean descent and her father is a retired
United States Army warrant officer. Her family lived in many stateside and overseas locations.[5]
March 2001 – January 2004, Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, Special Airlift Operations,
Air Mobility Operations Control Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
January 2004 – November 2005, Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, Host Aviation Resource Management, 86th Operational Support Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
November 2005 – August 2010, Superintendent, Host Aviation Resource Management, Group Career Field Functional Manager, (Data Masked)
August 2010 – September 2012, Superintendent, Host Aviation Resource Management and Superintendent, 86th Operations Support Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
September 2012 – May 2015, Superintendent,
86th Operations Group, Ramstein Air Base, Germany