PACAF welcomes new command chief

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Christina Hoggatt
  • Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) --  Chief Master Sgt. Rodney McKinley is the new Pacific Air Forces command chief master sergeant.

Chief McKinley serves as the principal consultant to the PACAF commander on all enlisted issues. His responsibilities include keeping the commander apprised of matters concerning the health, morale and welfare of assigned enlisted people and coordinating with headquarters staff agencies, commanders and senior enlisted Airmen on matters of administration and implementation of command policy, officials said.

Chief McKinley’s previous assignment was the command chief master sergeant for 11th Air Force at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. There he served as the primary enlisted adviser to the commander, Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, and 11th Air Force. He also previously served in the command while a crew chief for the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base, Philippines, from 1987 to1991.

Chief McKinley was born in Georgetown, Ohio, and is a 1974 graduate of Western Brown High School. He entered the Air Force in July 1974. After his first enlistment, he took a break from the service in 1977 and attended college. Chief McKinley re-entered the Air Force in 1982, and his experiences have spanned the medical, aircraft maintenance and first sergeant career fields.

Chief McKinley replaces Chief Master Sgt. David Popp, who left to be command chief for Air Combat Command.

There are currently 55,700 military and civilian Airmen in PACAF, serving at bases in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Japan and South Korea. PACAF's area of responsibility extends from the west coast of the United States to the east coast of Africa and from the Arctic to the Antarctic -- more than 100 million square miles. The area is home to nearly two billion people who live in 44 countries. PACAF maintains a forward presence to help ensure stability in the region. (Courtesy Pacific Air Forces News Service)