Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David A. Flosi is retiring following the unexpected death of his wife Katy last month, he announced in an email to the force Oct. 13.
“My family and I have decided to change the capacity in which I will serve our Airmen and this Nation we love,” he wrote in the email to Airmen. “After nearly 30 years in uniform, I am retiring from active-duty service, to ensure I take care of our family and learn to live with Katy in a new way, to continue to honor her as I should.”
Flosi has been the Air Force’s senior enlisted leader for two years, a role in which he is the principal advisor to the Air Force Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force on matters concerning Airmen. When Flosi will officially relinquish his role is not yet publicly known. Flosi stepped back from public appearances following his wife’s unexpected death on Sept. 20.
“I am energized and thankful to see the momentum on the real business of this profession,” he wrote. “Your Air Force is here to deliver war-winning Airpower, Anytime, Anywhere—that’s what we do,” Flosi wrote.
Flosi was selected to be the Air Force’s 20th senior enlisted leader Dec. 11, 2023 a by the then-new Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin, who is also retiring soon. Allvin participated in a retirement ceremony Oct. 10, but will remain in office until the expected confirmation of Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach to succeed him as CSAF.
“Our Airmen deserve the best leaders possible—and that’s Chief Flosi,” Allvin said in a statement at the time.
New Chiefs of Staff traditionally choose their own senior enlisted advisor, but this change was not part of that transition. Flosi’s decision was made for personal reasons, as he wrote in his email to Airmen Oct. 13. “Katy is a cherished soul, universally loved for her warmth, kindness, and vibrant spirit,” Flosi previously wrote Sept. 24. “She positively touched the lives of everyone fortunate enough to know her.”
Flosi previously served as the command chief master segergant at Air Force Materiel Command. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1996 as a nuclear weapons specialist, and has served in a vareity of leadership roles involving nuclear and conventional weapons. Since 2017, Flosi has served as the senior enlisted leader at various levels.
“Serving as your 20th CMSAF is a lifetime commitment,” Flosi wrote in his retirement annoucement Oct. 13. “While my active-duty service comes to end, I look forward to serving you in the years to come.”
