Chief Master Sgt. David R. Wolfe, the Air Force’s new senior enlisted leader, has extensive experience serving with security forces units, the service’s equivalent of military police.
Wolfe was officially named the service’s chief master sergeant of the Air Force on Thursday, an Air Force news release says.
“Chief Wolfe has been my wingman, advisor and confidant for multiple command assignments,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said in a statement.
Wolfe served with Wilsbach in his most recent prior assignment as chief master sergeant of Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. His official biography shows that he’s served with roughly half a dozen security forces units since enlisting in the Air Force in February 1992.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve Airmen and families,” Wolfe said in a statement. “Throughout my career I have learned that the answers to the challenges we face are far more likely to be found in places like hangars, guardmounts, and SCIFS [sensitive compartmented information facilities] than in headquarters buildings.”
Much of Wolfe’s senior-level professional schools have been with other services. After completing the Air Force’s standard pipeline of professional military education courses in 2008, he attended the U.S. Marine Corps Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy Advanced Course at Camp Pendleton, California, in 2011 and the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, in 2013.
He also served as the senior enlisted leader for Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, Afghanistan, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, from August to October 2017.
“The Airmen of the United States Air Force are incredibly innovative and eager to contribute when given a voice and opportunity, and I am committed to ensuring they have both,” Wolfe said in his statement. “Ours is a no fail mission that begins and ends with people. I promise to serve with integrity, transparency, and the belief that every Airman has value and something to contribute to our collective success.”
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Wolfe will replace the current Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi, who was named the service’s top enlisted leader in December 2023. Flosi announced his retirement last month after the death of his wife, Katy, on Sept. 20 due to medical complications.
“After nearly 30 years in uniform, I am retiring from active-duty service, to ensure I take care of our family and learn to live with Katy in a new way, to continue to honor her as I should,” Flosi wrote in an Oct. 13 email to airmen.
The announcement that Wolfe will become the 21st Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force comes three days after Wilsbach officially replaced Gen. David Allvin as the service’s new chief of staff. Allvin announced in August that he would retire after roughly two years into the four-year job.
Top generals and admirals typically choose new senior enlisted leaders when they assume new roles. Air Force Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, for example, selected a new senior enlisted advisor shortly after being confirmed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Caine picked Navy Fleet Master Chief David Isom, a former member of Navy Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU — commonly referred to as SEAL Team Six.
“The selection of Chief Wolfe as our 21st Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is the right decision during this critical time for the Air Force,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said in a statement. “I know that he will continue to serve and advocate for Airmen and their families.”
UPDATE: 11/6/2025; this story has been updated with a statement from Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David R. Wolfe.
