Chief Master Sgt. Tomio P. Brown, Sr is the Command Chief Master Sergeant, 96th Test Wing, Air Force Materiel Command, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. He leads more than 10,000 military, civilian, and contractor personnel, in accomplishing the 96th Test Wing’s missions of developmental testing and evaluation of conventional munitions, command and control systems, aircraft avionics and guidance systems, and radar cross section measurement. The 96th Test Wing has eight groups and 32 squadrons, operates 38 uniquely modified test aircraft, and manages 120,000 square miles of over-water test ranges plus facilities in six states. He also directs all base operating support, infrastructure, and services support for the Air Force’s largest installation at 726 square miles. The 96th Test Wing hosts nine tenant wings and wing equivalent units—to include the 33d Fighter Wing (F-35 Joint Strike Fighter), 53rd Wing (Operational Test), 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training Center—and 37 other associate units including the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Training Battalion and the 20th Space Surveillance Squadron. As command chief, he interacts with local officials across a three-county, 11-city region with an annual military economic impact of $11.9 billion.
Chief Brown hails from the U.S. territory of American Samoa. He entered the Air Force in January 1998 as an Aerospace Ground Equipment apprentice. He later retrained as a C-130E/H Flight Engineer in 2006. He is a Chief Enlisted Aircrew member with more than 3,300 flying hours, including 1,430 combat hours while occupying both instructor and evaluator roles. He has led at the flight, squadron, and group levels and has deployed in support of numerous contingencies to include Operations SOUTHERN WATCH, ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, COMBINED JOINT TASK FORCE-Horn of Africa, NEW DAWN, CORONET OAK, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, RESOLUTE SUPPORT, and JOINT TASKED FORCE-INDOPACOM. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as the Senior Enlisted Leader for an Air Force Special Operations Command’s Geographically Separated Unit.
EDUCATION
2002 Airman Leadership School, Littlerock Air Force Base, Ark.
2007 Associate in applied science, AGE Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Associate in applied science, Aviation Operations, CCAF, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 Noncommissioned Officer’s Academy, Lackland AFB, Texas
2009 Air Mobility Command Phoenix Stripe Course, Scott AFB, Ill.
2011 USAF First Sergeant Academy Additional Duty Seminar, Maxwell-Gunter Annex, Ala.
2011 Quality Assurance for Training Systems Course, Lackland AFB, Texas
2013 Flight Engineer Turbo Propeller Powered License, Federal Aviation Administration
2013 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
2013 Senior Noncommissioned Officer’s Academy, by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2015 Enterprise Management Course (CEP-II), Joint Special Operations University, MacDill AFB, Fla.
2016 Professional Manager Certification, CCAF, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education I, NDU, Washington, D.C.
2018 Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy (CEP-III), JSOU, MacDill AFB, Fla.
2018 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education II, NDU, Washington, D.C.
2019 Bachelor of Science, Business Admin & Mgmt (Magna cum laude), University of Mgmt & Tech, Arlington, Va.
2021 Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Course, Maxwell-Gunter Annex, Ala.
2023 Senior Enlisted Legal Orientation Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2023 Group Senior Enlisted Leader Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2023 Summit Course (CEP-IV), JSOU, MacDill AFB, Fla.
2023 Continuous Improvement & Innovation Executive Course, Institute for Defense & Business, Durham, N.C.
2024 Wing Command Team Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala
2024 Leading Strategically Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo
2024 Enterprise Perspective Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2025 Middle East & South Asia Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2025 Africa Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1998 – September 2000, AGE Journeyman, 100th Maintenance Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, UK
2. September 2000 – January 2004, AGE Craftsman, 314th MXS, Littlerock AFB, Ark.
3. February 2004 – February 2005, AGE War Reserve Materiel Manager, 8th MXS, Kunsan AB, Korea
4. March 2005 – December 2006, AGE Craftsman, 9th MXS, Beale AFB, Calif.
5. December 2006 – December 2010, C-130E/H Lead Instructor/Evaluator FE, 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
6. December 2010 – August 2012, FE Training Superintendent/Additional Duty 1Sgt, 317th OSS, Dyess AFB, Texas
7. September 2012 – August 2013, Training Superintendent, AFSOC Geographically Separated Unit
8. September 2013 – May 2014, Requirements, Research & Development Superintendent, AFSOC GSU
9. June 2014 – September 2015, Flight Engineer Superintendent, AFSOC GSU
10. October 2015 – March 2016, Standardization & Evaluations Superintendent, AFSOC GSU
11. April 2016 – July 2017, Squadron Superintendent, AFSOC GSU
12. July 2017 – January 2021, Group Staff Superintendent, AFSOC GSU
13. January 2021 – August 2022, Chief Enlisted Manager, Group Stan/Eval, 1st Special Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
14. September 2022 – June 2023, Interim Senior Enlisted Leader, 1st Special Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
15. June 2023 – June 2024, Group Senior Enlisted Leader, AFSOC GSU
16. June 2024 – June 2026, Command Chief, 43d Air Mobility Operations Group, Pope Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, NC
17. June 2026 – present, Command Chief, 96th Test Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with eleven oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Force Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with device
Iraq Campaign Medal with device
Korean Defense Service Medal
NATO Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2000 Senior Airman Below-the-Zone Promotion
2006 Distinguished Graduate, Basic Flight Engineer Course
2010 317th Airlift Group General Robert “Dutch” Huyser Award
2010 317th Airlift Group Instructor of the Year
2013 AFSOC GSU Flight Engineer of the Year
2014 AFSOC GSU General Robert “Dutch” Huyser Award
2015 Honor Graduate, Enterprise Management Course
2015 AFSOC GSU SSgt Henry E. “Red” Erwin Enlisted Aviator of the Year
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman Basic January 28, 1998
Airman July 29, 1998
Airman 1st Class May 29, 1999
Senior Airman July 29, 2000
Staff Sergeant June 1, 2002
Technical Sergeant April 1, 2007
Master Sergeant December 1, 2012
Senior Master Sergeant September 1, 2017
Chief Master Sergeant September 1, 2020
(Current as of June 2026)