Air National Guard Gets New Command Chief Master Sergeant

Chief Master Sgt. Maurice L. Williams took over as the 13th command chief master sergeant of the Air National Guard during an Oct. 9 ceremony at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.

Williams, previously the senior enlisted adviser of the Kansas National Guard, replaces Chief Master Sgt. Ronald C. Anderson. Anderson had served in the role since May 2016.

“He’s an Airman’s Airman—he’s been there on the frontlines with each and every one of our Airmen,” Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh said at the ceremony. “He knows what they feel, he knows how they act, he knows the tough things we do when we’re deployed away from home and how our families feel.”

Williams joined the Air Force in 1980, starting as an air transportation specialist before moving to the Air National Guard in 1987. His previous positions include serving as the command chief for the North Carolina National Guard, the command chief of the 145th Airlift Wing of the North Carolina Air National Guard, and the senior transportation liaison at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. At the ceremony, Williams said he is challenging himself to offer the Air National Guard “bold leadership during these challenging times.”

“We’re planning to empower Airmen to be innovative, develop them professionally, provide tools to be resilient and evaluate policies and force structure that would meet our mission requirements,” Williams said during the ceremony. “To the 100,700 Airmen in the 155 locations in the 50 states, three territories, and districts, I am looking to serving with you, side by side, with your families on this amazing journey.”