{"id":32271,"date":"2022-12-01T00:22:08","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T00:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/12\/01\/air-force-promotes-1-in-5-eligible-airmen-to-chief-master-sergeant\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:15:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:15:27","slug":"air-force-promotes-1-in-5-eligible-airmen-to-chief-master-sergeant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/itsec\/2022\/12\/01\/air-force-promotes-1-in-5-eligible-airmen-to-chief-master-sergeant\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force promotes 1 in 5 eligible airmen to chief master sergeant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force announced Wednesday it has tapped more than 500 airmen for promotion to chief master sergeant, the service\u2019s highest enlisted rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In total, about one in five eligible airmen \u2014 514 of 2,526 senior master sergeants \u2014 made the cut. That\u2019s a slight uptick from last year, when the selection rate dipped to 18%, though the annual rate continues to hover around 20%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airmen typically spend at least 22 years in uniform before making it to chief master sergeant, or E-9. Those senior noncommissioned officers are seen as the highest-ranking managers in charge of the force\u2019s welfare and supporting combat operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\t