# JoAnne S. Bass

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, having been selected for the position on June 19. She is also the first person of Asian-American descent to hold the highest senior enlisted position in the Air Force. 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. 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."

## Early life

Bass is originally from Mililani, Oahu, Hawaii. 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.

## Military career

Bass joined the United States Air Force in 1993, specializing in aviation resource management. Bass's first duty assignment was at Pope Air Force Base, near Fayetteville, North Carolina. Later she was assigned to the 17th Training Wing at Goodfellow Air Force Base, near San Angelo, Texas. In 2011, while assigned to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, she was selected as Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. She has participated in Operation Southern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Bass was promoted to chief master sergeant on August 1, 2013, and to chief master sergeant of the Air Force on August 14, 2020.
Bass was succeeded by CCM David A. Flosi on March 8, 2024 before her retirement.

### Social media use

In October 2020, when an airman posted a comment on a Facebook post asking about the correct pronunciation of her last name, Bass posted "[S]eems like you and a few of your friends enjoy trolling our Air Force sites. Give me a call Monday … I’d like to chat about it." She also posted, "My team has [their] info … as well as his crew". Bass later updated the Facebook page to say, "Teammates — I just had a good conversation with SSgt Banks. His question was simple and honest, but having him and a group of people ask it repeatedly across multiple posts was trolling."
In January 2021, she shared a post on her official Facebook page highlighting an airman’s efforts to help out other single parents, thanking the airman "for making a difference" and sharing an article the airman wrote about the struggle of "wearing many hats" as an airman and mother. Bass was criticized for sharing the story, which portrayed the airman's ex-husband unfairly. Bass took down the post and apologized, writing "That was my blind spot and I owned it … because I didn’t see how that commentary could be taken from a father or a husband’s point of view".
In 2020, a retired Air Force officer was blocked from Bass's official Facebook page. When her office did not respond to his attempts to contact her to have the ban removed, the officer sued the Air Force. In 2022, the Justice Department determined that official Air Force websites and pages would not remove posts or ban users for their viewpoints, and the officer's access to Bass's Facebook page was restored.

## Education

* 1997 Airman Leadership School, Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina
* 2000 Associate degree, Airport Resource Management, Community College of the Air Force
* 2004 Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Kapaun Air Station, Germany
* 2005 Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott
* 2006 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Course 12, by distance learning
* 2007 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education, by distance learning
* 2009 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
* 2013 Air Mobility Command Leadership Challenge Program, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
* 2013 Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Seminar, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
* 2015 AFSO21 Executive Leadership Seminar, University of Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee
* 2015 USAF Enterprise Leadership Seminar, UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
* 2016 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education II, by distance learning
* 2017 Keystone Command Senior Enlisted Leader Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
* 2018 Leading Strategically, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colorado
* 2018 Coaching for Greater Effectiveness, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, North Carolina

## Assignments

* June 1993 – June 1996, Operations System Management Journeyman, 74th Fighter Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina
* June 1996 – July 1998, Range Scheduling Specialist, 43rd Operations Support Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina
* July 1998 – November 2000, Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, Current Operations Scheduler, 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
* November 2000 – March 2001, Current Operations Scheduler, 86th Operational Support Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
* 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
* May 2015 – September 2016, Command Chief Master Sergeant, 17th Training Wing, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
* September 2016 – July 2018, Chief, Air Force Enlisted Developmental Education, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
* July 2018 – August 2020, Command Chief Master Sergeant, Second Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi
* August 2020 – March 2024, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

## Awards and decorations

* Air Force Master Command and Control Badge
* Headquarters Air Force Badge
Personal decorations :
| | Defense Distinguished Service Medal |
| | Legion of Merit |
| | Defense Meritorious Service Medal |
| | Meritorious Service Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters |
| | Joint Service Commendation Medal |
| | Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters |
| | Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters |
| Unit awards ||
| | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters |
| Service awards ||
| | Combat Readiness Medal |
| | Air Force Good Conduct Medal with one silver and four bronze oak leaf clusters |
| Campaign and service medals ||
| | National Defense Service Medal with one bronze campaign star |
| | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze service star |
| | Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze service star |
| | Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze service star |
| | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal |
| | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
| Service, training, and marksmanship awards ||
| | Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon with oak leaf cluster |
| | Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters |
| | NCO Professional Military Education Graduate Ribbon with two oak leaf clusters |
| | Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon |
| | Air Force Training Ribbon |

### Other achievements

* 1995 Airman of the Year, 74th Fighter Squadron
* 1997 John L. Levitow Award, Airman Leadership School
* 2004 Distinguished Graduate, Noncommissioned Officer Academy
* 2009 Distinguished Graduate, Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy
* 2010 USAFE Senior Noncommissioned Officer Aviation Resource Manager of the Year
* 2011 Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, 86th Operations Group