Chief Master Sgt. Erik T. Bensen is the Command Chief of the 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. He is the senior enlisted advisor to the Commander on matters influencing organizational efficiency, force development, health, morale, welfare, and readiness of assigned personnel. Chief Bensen leads a team of 3,000 military and civilian professionals to project unrivaled combat airpower for America while sustaining the 29,000-acre installation and delivering premier installation support to 20 mission partner organizations and 23,000 Tyndall Airmen, civilians, contractors, and their family members.
Chief Bensen entered the Minnesota Army National Guard in November 1997 as a Multichannel Transmission Systems Operator. He transferred to the active-duty Air Force in July 2000 as a Fuels Specialist. His assignments have included bases in Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, Virginia, Wyoming, Germany and South Korea. The Chief has deployed in support of several operations and served as a First Sergeant. Prior to his current position, the Chief was the Senior Enlisted Leader for the 325th Mission Support Group, Tyndall AFB, Florida.
EDUCATION
2004 USAF Airman Leadership School, Osan Air Base (AB), Republic of Korea (ROK)
2006 Associates in Logistics Management, Community College of the Air Force
2010 USAF NCO Academy, Peterson Air Force Base (AFB), Colo.
2010 USAF Senior Noncommission Officer Academy, by correspondence
2012 First Sergeant Academy, Maxwell AFB–Gunter Annex, Ala.
2013 Professional Management Certification
2014 Associates in Human Resources Management, Community College of the Air Force
2014 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Course
2014 Bachelor of Science in Applied Management, Grand Canyon University
2016 USAF Senior Noncommission Officer Academy, Maxwell AFB–Gunter Annex, Ala.
2019 Master of Business Administration, Grand Canyon University
2020 USAF Chief Leadership Course, Maxwell AFB–Gunter Annex, Ala.
2022 Arctic Regional Security Orientation Course, Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, Alaska
2023 Group Senior Enlisted Leader Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2024 Project Management Professional Certification
2025 Senior Enlisted Legal Orientation Course, Staff Judge Advocate General’s School, Maxwell AFB. Ala
2025 Wing Command Team Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala
ASSIGNMENTS OR CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. September 2000 – August 2003, Refueling Unit Operator, 1st Logistics Readiness Squadron, Langley AFB, Va
(Deployed Jul 2002 - Nov 2002, Fuels Distribution Operator, Incirlik AB, Turkey)
2. August 2003 – August 2004, Cryogenic Production Operator, 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron, Osan AB, ROK
3. August 2004 – June 2009, Resource Control Center Technician, 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
(Deployed May 2005 - September 2005, Resource Control Center Technician, Al Dhafra AB, U.A.E)
(Deployed January 2007 - May 2007, Resource Control Center Technician, Al Udeid AB, Qatar)
(Deployed September 2008 - January 2009, NCOIC, Fuels Night Operations, Kirkuk AB, Iraq)
4. June 2009 – July 2010, Fuels Distribution Supervisor, 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
5. July 2010 – October 2011, NCOIC, Safety & Environmental, 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
(Deployed January 2011 - August 2011, Lead Advisor, Class III Fuels, Afghanistan National Police Materiel Management Center, Kabul, Afghanistan)
6. October 2011 – September 2012, NCOIC, Fuels Distribution, 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
7. September 2012 – January 2013, First Sergeant, 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
8. January 2013 – May 2013, First Sergeant, 56th Communications Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
9. May 2013 – April 2014, First Sergeant, 756th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
10. April 2014 – September 2015, First Sergeant, 56th Security Forces Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
11. September 2015 – November 2016, Flight Chief, Fuels Management, 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Holloman AFB, N.M.
12. November 2016 – December 2017, Flight Chief, Fuels Management, 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron, Osan AB, ROK
13. December 2017 – February 2018, Fuels Superintendent, 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
14. August 2019 – December 2020, Fuels Manager, 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
15. December 2020 – April 2021, Operations Superintendent, 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
16. April 2021 – October 2021, Squadron Superintendent, 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
17. October 2021 – June 2024, Group Senior Enlisted Leader, 673d Logistics Readiness Group, Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson, Alaska
18. June 2024 – May 2025, Group Senior Enlisted Leader, 90th Mission Support Group, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
19. May 2025 – June 2026, Senior Enlisted Leader, 325th Mission Support Group, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
20. June 2026 – Present, Command Chief, 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Joint Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2002 Senior Airmen Below the Zone
2011 AETC Fuels Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
2014 56th Mission Support Group First Sergeant of the Year
2018 86th Airlift Wing General Lew Allen Jr. Trophy
(Current as of June 2026)