CMSgt Jamaal Chesney is the Command Chief, 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. He serves as a critical role on the command team as a key strategist, operations advisor, mentor and advocate for the overall mission while leading more than 450 Airmen, 350 contractors and 1,200 aircrew students annually. The wing is responsible for training all Department of Defense C-130 aircrew members as well as those from the United States Coast Guard and 47 international partners at the nation’s only C-130 tactical airlift “Center of Excellence.” Chief Chesney serves as the principal advisor to the Commander on military and civilian health, welfare, and morale matters, mission readiness, proper utilization of resources and the professional development of all assignment Wing personnel and recommends actions to improve organizational efficiency and communicates command policy throughout the organization.
Chief Chesney enlisted in the Air Force in December of 2001 from his hometown of El Paso, TX. He completed initial skill training as Geospatial Analyst, graduating in May of 2002 and since held leadership roles at the squadron, group, Numbered Air Force and Secretariat levels of command. His diverse career includes duties as an additional duty First Sergeant, Legislative Fellow, and Intelligence Analyst at bases in Virginia, Hawaii, Texas, South Korea, Florida, Washington DC, and Djibouti with four contingency and combat deployments supporting Operation(s) Southern Watch, New Dawn, Irai and Enduring Freedom, and Inherent Resolve enabling conventional and special operations forces.
Prior to serving in this position, Chief Chesney was the Senior Enlisted leader in the 449th Air Expeditionary Group, Camp Lemonnier, Republic of Djibouti, East Africa where he was the principal advisor to the commander on matters concerning base operations support and integration, readiness, professional development, morale, welfare, quality of
life, and effective deployment utilization across three combatant commands and major command.
EDUCATION
2002 Imagery Analysis Training Course, Goodfellow Air Force Base (AFB), Tex.
2006 Airmen Leadership School, Hickam AFB, Haw.
2009 Associates, Instructor of Technology and Military Science, Community
College of the Air Force, Montgomery, Ala.
2009 Associates, Communications Applications Technology, Community College
of the Air Force, Montgomery, Ala.
2013 Bachelors of the Arts, Homeland Security, American Military University, W.
Va.
2013 Senior Joint Enlisted Professional Military Education Course, National
Defense University, Washington D.C., by correspondence
2013 Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
2014 Special Operations Forces Enterprise Management Course, Joint Special
Operations University, Tampa, Fla., by correspondence
2014 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Montgomery, Ala.
2016 Professional Managers Certificate, Community College of the Air Force,
Montgomery, Ala. by correspondence
2016 Senior Joint Enlisted Professional Military Education II, National Defense
University, Washington D.C. by correspondence
2019 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex,
Ala.
2020 Masters of the Arts, Management and Organizational Leadership, American
Military University, W. Va.
2020 Air Force Legislative Fellowship, Air University, Maxwell AFB. Ala.
2021 Certificate in Legislative Affairs, Government Affairs Institute Georgetown
University, Washington D.C.
2022 Chief Leadership Course, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2023 Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute, Newton
Square, Pa.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2002 – June 2002, Imagery Analysis Interpretation course, 315th
Training Squadron, Goodfellow Air Force Base (AFB), Texas
2. July 2002 – August 2004, Imagery Analyst, 30th Intelligence Squadron, Langley
AFB, Va
3. September 2004 – February 2006, Imagery Specialist, 1st-Phase Imagery Cell,
Joint Intelligence Operations Center Pacific, Hawaii (March 2005 – September
2005, Intelligence Analyst, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force,
Bagram Air Base, AF)
4. October 2006 – January 2008, NCOIC, Submarine Analysis Group, Joint
Intelligence Operations Center Pacific, Haw.
5. January 2008 – February 2009, Instructor Supervisor, Geospatial-Intelligence
Analyst Course, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Tex. (March 2009 -
September 2009, NCOIC, Imagery Analysis Cell, Combined Forces Special
Operations Command, Al Udied AB, Qatar)
6. October 2009 – September 2010, Deputy Flight Chief, Intelligence Officer
Course, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Tex.
7. October 2010 – January 2012, NCOIC, Squadron Support, 315th Training
Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Tex.
8. February 2012 – February 2013, NCOIC, Plans, Programs, and Integration, 6th
Intelligence Squadron, Osan AB, RoK
9. March 2013 – May 2014 NCOIC, Geospatial Production, 1st Special Operations
Support Squadron, Hurlburt Field AFB, Fla
10. May 2014 – March 2015 NCOIC, Imagery Analysis Section, 1st Special
Operations Support Squadron, Hurlburt Field AFB, Fla
11. March 2015 – August 2015, Course Chief, Geospatial-Intelligence Analysis
Course, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Tex.
12. August 2015 – July 2016 Flight Chief, Geospatial-Intelligence Flight, 315th
Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Tex. (August 2016 – March 2017,
Collateral Damage Estimation Analyst, HQ Combined Joint Task Force-OIR,
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait)
13. April 2017– August 2018, Assistant First Sergeant, 315th Training Squadron,
Goodfellow AFB, Tex.
14. August 2018 – August 2019, Operations Superintendent, 694th Intelligence,
Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, Osan AB, RoK
15. August 2019 – June 2020, Senior Enlisted Leader, Directorate of ISR, 7th Air
Force, Osan AB, RoK
16. July 2020 - December 2020, Defense Fellow, Department of State, Legislative
Affairs Bureau, Wash., D.C.
17. January 2021 - December 2021, Defense Fellow, Office of Congressman Dan
Crenshaw (R-TX-2), Capitol Hill, Wash, D.C.
18. January 2022 - July 2023, Senior Enlisted Leader, Director of Legislative
Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, Wash., D.C.
(July 2023 - June 2024, Senior Enlisted Leader, 449th Air Expeditionary Group,
Camp Lemonnier, Republic of Djibouti, East Africa)
19. July 2024 - Present, Command Chief, 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2010 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, 17th Training Group
2010 Tuskegee Airmen of the Year, 17th Training Wing
2013 Distinguished Graduate, Noncommissioned Officer Academy
2015 Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, Air Force Association State
Level
2019 Distinguished Graduate, Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONAirman Basic December 11, 2001
Airman First Class June 22, 2002
Senior Airman May 25, 2004
Staff Sergeant January 1, 2007
Technical Sergeant June 1, 2011
Master Sergeant June 1, 2015
Senior Master Sergeant December 1, 2018
Chief Master Sergeant October 1, 2021
(CURRENT AS OF JULY 2024)