Chief Master Sergeant Adam W. Benson Chief Master Sergeant Adam W. Benson is the Group Superintendent, 18th Air Support Operations Group, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina. He advises the commander and staff on all matters impacting the morale, health, welfare, readiness, and effective utilization of over 1000 active duty and civilian personnel in 17 units dispersed across 9 different installations in the eastern United States. The 18 ASOG is aligned with the XVIII Airborne Corps and its Divisions, the 82d Airborne, 101st Airborne Air Assault, 10th Mountain, and the 3d Infantry Divisions. The group organizes, trains, equips and employs Tactical Air Control Parties, Air Support Operations centers, Special Warfare Mission Support Airmen, and Combat Weather Support teams for joint operations worldwide. The 18th ASOG provides precision air, space, and cyber capabilities to conventional, airborne and special operations forces. Chief Benson entered the Air Force in August 1999. His background includes numerous assignments in conventional and special operations TACP units where he has served as an Airpower expert to U.S. Army units up to the Corps level. He has served as the Squadron Chief Joint Terminal Attack Controller – Instructor and Chief of Standardization and Evaluations and held key leadership positions at the Detachment, Squadron, Group and Air Force Major Command levels. Chief Benson has 10 combat deployments in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as the Chief, Special Warfare Enlisted Assignments, Air Force Personnel Center, Joint Base-Randolph, San Antonio, Texas. EDUCATION 2003 USAF Airman Leadership School, Pope AFB, NC 2009 USAF Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Tyndall AFB, FL 2010 USAF Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, by correspondence 2011 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education, by correspondence 2012 Associates Degree in Information Systems Management, Community College of the Air Force 2013 USAF Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell AFB, AL 2015 USSOCOM Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy, JSOU, MacDill AFB, FL 2015 Professional Manager Certification, Community College of the Air Force 2016 USSOCOM Enterprise Management Course, by correspondence 2017 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education II, by correspondence 2017 USAF Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Course, Maxwell AFB, AL ASSIGNMENTS 1. August 1999 – September 1999, trainee, Basic Military Training, Lackland AFB, TX 2. September 1999 – February 2000, student, Tactical Air Command and Control Specialist technical training, Hurlburt Field, FL 3. March 2000 – March 2001, Tactical Air Control Party Specialist, 604th Air Support Operations Squadron, Camp Stanley, Republic of Korea 4. April 2001 – November 2004, Joint Terminal Attack Controller and Unit Training Manager, 14th Air Support Operations Squadron, Pope AFB, NC 5. November 2004 – March 2009, NCOIC, Ranger Tactical Air Control Party, OL-A 17th Air Support Operations Squadron, Hunter Army Air Field, GA 6. March 2009 – September 2013, Operations Superintendent, 17th Special Tactics Squadron, Fort Benning, GA 7. September 2013 – June 2016, Operations Superintendent, 20th Air Support Operations Squadron, Fort Drum, NY 8. June 2016 – May 2017, MAJCOM Functional Manager, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, FL 9. May 2017 – October 2018, Superintendent, 353rd Battlefield Airmen Training Squadron, JBSA Lackland, TX 10. October 2018 – December 2019, Chief Enlisted Manager, Special Warfare Human Performance Support Group, JBSA Lackland, TX 11. December 2019 – January 2021, Chief, Special Warfare Enlisted Assignments, Air Force Personnel Center, JBSA-Randolph, TX 12. January 2021 – Present, Group Superintendent, 18th Air Support Operations Group, Pope AAF, NC MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Bronze Star Medal (three oak leaf clusters) Meritorious Service Medal (five oak leaf clusters) Joint Service Commendation Medal (one oak leaf cluster) Air Force Commendation Medal (three oak leaf clusters) Army Commendation Medal Air Force Achievement Medal (three oak leaf clusters) OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS 2000 Commandant’s Award, Tactical Air Command & Control Specialist School 2009 Academic Achievement Award, USAF Noncommissioned Officer Academy 2009 Distinguished Graduate Award, USAF Noncommissioned Officer Academy (Current as of May 2021)