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Reserve Command announces new command chief

  • Published
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen R. Buckner was selected for the Air Force Reserve Command's top enlisted position. Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner, Jr., chief of the Air Force Reserve and AFRC commander, made the selection Dec. 23.

"We're looking forward to Chief Buckner coming on board and sharing her distinctive wealth of experience. She'll play a crucial leadership role through a historical period in this Command," said General Stenner.

Before being selected, Buckner served as the command chief master sergeant for the 349th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif. She replaces Chief Master Sgt. Dwight Badgett, who was recently selected as the senior enlisted advisor for Joint Task Force North, Fort Bliss, Texas. Stenner said Chief Badgett's new assignment at Joint Task Force North
is "a resounding testament to his service and leadership."

Chief Buckner will advise General Stenner on readiness, training, utilization, morale, professional development and quality of life for all enlisted members in the Air Force Reserve. She will also be the functional manager for all Reserve first sergeants, the senior noncommissioned officers responsible for the morale, welfare and conduct of enlisted members at the squadron level throughout the command.

She has been the command chief for the Travis Reserve wing since May of 2009. A native of Gary, Ind., she enlisted in the Air Force in 1987. While on active duty, she served at various levels in the operations resource management field and was an Airman Leadership School instructor. Her assignments included positions in California, Utah, Spain and the Netherlands.

Since leaving active duty in 1997, she has served as both a traditional Reservist and a full-time Air Reserve Technician. In 2007 she deployed to Southwest Asia in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.