Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass’ tenure as top enlisted Airman will end March 8, when she’ll hand the reins over to Chief Master Sgt. David A. Flosi.
Bass announced her departure date during an AFA Warfighters in Action event on Jan. 4 as she detailed her priorities for her final few months in the position—including pay and compensation and health care.
“I’ve told my team, I said, we’re not talking about transition yet,” Bass noted. “But certainly it’ll come very fast on March 8 … and I couldn’t be more excited to pass the torch off to Chief Flosi.”
Bass also shared the advice she has given Flosi since he was announced as her successor and CMSAF 20 in December.
“Don’t read the comments,” Bass said she told Flosi. “Leadership can be tough, and everybody loves to throw out advice and give feedback. And some feedback’s helpful, some is not, but you can’t get caught up in in the comments, right? You’ve got to talk to people in the ring. You’ve got to be aware, I think that’s goodness. But don’t get caught up in the comments. You’ve got to lead. Leadership is not a popularity contest. Leading, by the way, is easy when nothing’s going on. That is not the case today.”
Bass has frequently used Facebook to offer updates to the force and livestream discussions with senior department leaders. Early on in her tenure, there were several controversies involving her response to Facebook commenters, and she has warned about the effects of information warfare on Airmen.
Flosi, for his part, is not currently active on social media.
Bass also said she would tell Flosi to “stay focused” and find time to read every day, even if only for five minutes. Bass herself has shared several dozen books with Airmen through her “CMSAF Leadership Library,” and she told AFA president and CEO retired Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright that she is planning on adding to that list soon.
Among the new additions, Bass said, will be “Generation Z Unfiltered” and “We Don’t Want YOU, Uncle Sam,” two books that delve into the psychology of the youngest generation of Airmen currently serving.