Chief Master Sgt. Chad W. Bickley is the Command Chief Master Sergeant, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. He is the senior enlisted advisor to the AETC commander and senior staff on all matters affecting the readiness, training, development, utilization, and resiliency of the command’s Airmen. The command includes the Air Force Recruiting Service, two numbered air forces and Air University. AETC operates more than 1,400 trainer, fighter and mobility aircraft, 24 wings, 11 bases and five geographically separated groups. The command’s approximately 60,000 active- duty, Reserve, Guard, civilian and contractor personnel train more than 293,000 total force Airmen, joint and international students per year annually, providing combat-ready Airmen to commanders across the Department of Defense.
Chief Bickley entered the Air Force in December 1993 and graduated from the Security Forces Apprentice Course at Lackland AFB, Texas, in May 1994. His background includes various positions throughout the career field to include special duty assignments at the 820th Security Forces Group and the 615th Contingency Response Wing. In addition, he served five years as a Master Military Training Instructor at Air Force Basic Military Training. His assignments include bases in North Carolina, Montana, Georgia, Texas, California, and Idaho. The chief also served overseas in England and deployed in support of Operations SEA SIGNAL, SUPPORT JUSTICE IV, SOUTHERN WATCH, ENDURING FREEDOM, INHERENT RESOLVE, and several Joint Special Operation Command worldwide flyaway missions.
Prior to assuming his current position in June of 2023, he served as the Command Chief Master Sergeant of 18th Air Force, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
EDUCATION
1997 Airman Leadership School, Pope AFB, N.C.
2004 Military Training Instructor School, Lackland AFB, Texas
2005 NCO Academy, Lackland AFB, Texas
2008 Associate’s Degree, Criminal Justice, Community College of the Air Force
2009 Associate’s Degree, Instruction in Technology, Community College of the Air Force
2013 SNCO Academy, Gunter Annex, Ala.
2014 Chief Leadership Course, Scott AFB, Ill.
2016 Senior Enlisted Joint Enlisted Professional Military Education I (Correspondence)
2016 Command Chief Master Sergeant Training Course, Randolph AFB, Texas
2016 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives Course, Institute for Defense Business, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2019 Senior Enlisted Joint Enlisted Professional Military Education II (Correspondence)
2019 Senior Leader Security Seminar, King George, Va.
2021 Transnational Issues, Alan L. Freed Associates, Inc., Washington D.C.
2022 Enterprise Perspective Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Inc., Washington D.C.
2023 Artificial Intelligence for National Security Leaders Course, MIT, Cambridge, MA.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1994 – July 1998, Desk Sergeant/Armorer, 43rd Security Forces Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.
(July 1994 – October 1994, Confrontation Management Team Member, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba)
(June 1995 – September 1995, Drug Interdiction Security Team, Yurimugas, Peru)
(February 1996 – June 1996, Response Force Member, King Abdul- Aziz Air Base, Saudi Arabia)
(May 1997, Fire Team Leader, Shaikh Isa AB, Bahrain)
2. July 1998 – April 2000, Convoy Response Force Leader, 741st Security Forces Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Mont.
(October 1998 – January 1999, BDOC Controller, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait)
(September 1999 – November 1999, Fire Team Leader, Eskan Village AFB, Saudi Arabia)
3. April 2000 – April 2004, Squad Leader/Training NCO/Staff NCO, 820th Security Forces Group, Moody AFB, Ga.
(August 2000 – December 2000, Fire Team Leader, Kuwait City International Airport, Kuwait)
(June 2001 – September 2001, Training NCO, Ahmed Al Jaber AB, Kuwait)
(February 2002 – June 2002, Patrol Master, Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan)
4. April 2004 – May 2006, Master Military Training Instructor, 323rd Training Squadron, Lackland AFB, Texas
5. May 2006 – June 2008, Superintendent War Skills and Evaluations, 737th Training Group, Lackland AFB, Texas
6. June 2008 – April 2009, Section Supervisor, 322nd Training Squadron, Lackland AFB, Texas
7. April 2009 – June 2011, Superintendent, Security Forces Standardizations/Evaluations, 615th Contingency Response Wing, Travis AFB, California
(January 2010, Joint Assessment Team Member, Mazar-i-Sharif Airfield, Afghanistan)
(August 2010, Force Protection Liaison Officer, Osan AB, Korea)
8. June 2011 – April 2014, Superintendent, Operations/Logistics and Readiness, 60th Security Forces Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
(December 2011 – April 2012, Senior Enlisted Leader, Force Protection Group, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan)
9. April 2014 – July 2015, Security Forces Manager, 100th Security Forces Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England
10. July 2015 – December 2016, Group Superintendent, 100th Mission Support Group, RAF Mildenhall, England
11. December 2016 – June 2018, Command Chief, 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
12. July 2018 – June 2019, Command Chief, 321st Air Expeditionary Wing and Command Sergeant Major Advisor, Coalition Aviation Advisory and Training Team (CAATT), Baghdad, Iraq
13. June 2019 – November 2020, Superintendent, HQ United States Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
14. November 2020 – June 2023, Command Chief, HQ Eighteenth Air Force, Scott AFB, Ill.
15. June 2023 – present, Command Chief, Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio – Randolph, Texas.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with one silver oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2002 820th Security Forces Group NCO of the Year
2004 Excellence in Instruction Award, Military Training Instructor School
2005 Distinguished Graduate & Commandant Award, NCO Academy
2006 Master Military Training Instructor (Blue Rope)
2009 571st Contingency Response Group Senior NCO of the Year
2010 615th Contingency Response Wing Security Force SNCO of the Year
2012 60th Security Forces Squadron SNCO of the Year
2013 Distinguished Graduate Award, SNCO Academy
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Chief Master Sergeant December 2014
(Current as of June 2023)