Chief Master Sergeant Joseph K. Arce is the Command Chief, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid Air Force Base, Qatar. In this capacity, he is the commander’s principal enlisted leader, supporting the readiness and effective utilization of 7,800 Air Force, joint, and coalition forces as well as 55 mission partners at the largest composite wing within the Middle Eastern theater of operations, encompassing command and control assets in support of Headquarter, Air Force Central, strike, mobility, aeromedical evacuation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, Chief Arce serves as key advisor to the commander on all health, morale, welfare, training, quality of life, professional development, and effective resources allocation matters.
Chief Arce grew up in New Berlin, Illinois and enlisted in the active-duty Air Force in 2000. Before his current role, he served as the Command Chief, 62d Airlift Wing, Joint-Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. He has held a variety of leadership positions to include First Sergeant and as the senior enlisted leader at the squadron, group, wing, and staff levels. He has led joint and combined military operations at Andersen AFB, Guam; Lajes Air Base, Portugal; and Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait; overseeing missions and exercises like COPE NORTH, VALIANT SHIELD, COMBAT ARCHER, CHRISTMAS DROP and TOMODACHI. He has deployed to Turkey, Iraq (2008 & 2019), Kuwait, and Qatar in support of Operations NORTHERN WATCH, IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, INHERENT RESOLUTE, RESOLUTE SUPPORT, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL and ALLIES REFUGE.
EDUCATION
2003 Airman Leadership School, Shaw AFB, S.C.
2004 Associate of Applied Science, Aircraft Armament System Technology, Community College of the Air Force
2006 Associate of Applied Science, Airway Science, Community College of the Air Force
2009 Air Force Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
2010 Bachelor of Science, Professional Aeronautics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2011 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Course I, National Defense University
2012 Professional Manager Certification, Community College of the Air Force
2014 Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, Ala.
2016 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Course II, National Defense Univeristy
2018 Chief Leadership Course, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, Ala.
2018 Leadership Team Awareness Seminar, Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, Patrick AFB, Fla.
2018 Master of Arts, Homeland Security, American Military University, Charles Town, W.Va.
2019 Command Chief Master Sergeant Training Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2020 Senior Enlisted Legal Orientation, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, Ala.
2020 Air Force Nuclear Enterprise Orientation Course, Air Force Nuclear College, OL-Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2021 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.
2021 Global/Regional Seminar: China and the Far East Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2022 Diversity and Inclusion Course, eCornell, Cornell Univesity, Ithaca, N.Y.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 2000 – December 2003, Aircraft Armament Journeyman, Weapons Load Crew Chief, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base (AFB), S.C. (November 2002 – May 2003, 55th Air Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Incirlik AB, Turkey)
2. January 2004 – January 2005, Weapons Academic Instructor, 8th Maintenance Group, Kunsan Air Base (AB), Republic of Korea
3. February 2005 – August 2010, Watch Supervisor, Eglin Radar Control Facility, 46th Operations Support Squadron Eglin AFB, Fla. (October 2008 – April 2009, 506th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Kirkuk AB, Iraq)
4. August 2010 – June 2014, Tower Chief Controller and Additional Duty First Sergeant, 36th Operations Support Squadron, Andersen AFB, Guam. (May 2012 – December 2012, 386th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait)
5. June 2014 – November 2016, Tower Chief Controller, 14th Operations Support Squadron, Columbus AFB, Miss. (April 2015 – September 2015, Airfield Operations Division, Al Udeid AB, Qatar)
6. November 2016 – December 2017, Complex Chief Controller & Superintendent, 65th Operations Support Squadron, Lajes AB, Azores, Portugal
7. December 2017 – December 2018, Chief Controller, 366th Operations Support Squadron, Mountain
Home AFB, Idaho
8. January 2019 – November 2019, 370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group Superintendent, Baghdad
Diplomatic Support Center, Iraq
9. December 2019 – June 2020, 366th Operation Support Squadron Superintendent & Radar Approach
Chief Controller, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
10. June 2020 – May 2022, Command Chief, 62d Airlift Wing, Joint-Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
11. May 2022 – Current, Command Chief, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid AB, Qatar
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with one silver oak leaf cluster Air Force Commendation Medal with Combat device and four oak leaf clusters Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one Bronze Star device
Iraq Campaign Medal with one Bronze Star device
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2001 Senior Airman Below-the-Zone
2012 36th Wing, Lance P. Sijan Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Nominee
2016 AETC Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman First Class February 15, 2000
Senior Airman December 16, 2001
Staff Sergeant August 1, 2003
Technical Sergeant July 1, 2007
Master Sergeant March 1, 2012
Senior Master Sergeant March 1, 2015
Chief Master Sergeant December 1, 2017
(Current as of June 2022)