CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT TIMOTHY A. HAYS
CMSgt Timothy A. Hays is the Command Chief, 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan. As the principal senior enlisted advisor to the wing commander and senior staff members, he is entrusted with ensuring the training, readiness, morale, welfare, professional development and effective utilization of more than 6,300 Airmen and local national employees, while also working to support and enhance the quality of life of 11,000 base personnel. Yokota is the Pacific theater’s sole airlift wing and primary logistical airlift hub that reaches throughout Japan and the Indo-Pacific theater of operations.
The son of Army officers, Tim lived in various places before finishing high school in Louisiana. Following a family tradition and in July 2005, he enlisted in the Air Force. CMSgt Hays joined to be an Imagery Analyst, but before completion of his technical training, he was selected as a Sensor Operator for the MQ-1B, part of the Air Force’s growing interest in Remotely Piloted Aircraft. In 2009, he accepted the conversion into the newly created Sensor Operator career field and became qualified for the MQ-9. Since then, he has attained instructor, advanced instructor, formal instructor, and evaluator qualifications with three deployments in support of worldwide combat operations. Chief Hays has served in twelve units ranging from combat, formal training, education, and headquarters staff. Notable highlights include the United States Air Force Weapons School as the program manager to launch the Advanced Instructor Course for Sensor Operators; the 22nd Attack Squadron as the Operations Superintendent for unconventional RPA; Functional Manager for Sensor Operators and Enlisted Pilots at the Pentagon; his first Senior Enlisted Leader tour at the 11th Attack Squadron; and Senior Enlisted Leader of the 732d Operations Group. Prior to his current position, Chief Hays served as the Senior Enlisted Leader of the Ira C. Eaker Center for Leadership Development, under the LeMay Center, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL.
Tim met his wife Sarah while both were serving in their first operational assignment. They have been married since 2009 and they have one daughter, Charlotte.
EDUCATION
2009 Airman Leadership School, Cannon AFB
2010 Associate of Applied Science, Communication Applications Technology, CCAF, Maxwell AFB
2013 Associate of Applied Science, Air and Space Operations Technology, CCAF, Maxwell AFB
2013 Sensor Operator Advanced Instructor Course, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB
2014 Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Correspondence
2015 Joint Senior Noncommissioned Officer Professional Military Education, Correspondence
2016 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education II, Correspondence
2019 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell-Gunter AFB
2020 Air Combat Command Superintendent Course, Correspondence
2021 Career Enlisted Aviator Senior Leadership Course, Lackland AFB
2022 Bachelor of Science, Aeronautics, Minor in Security & Intelligence, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
2023 Chief Leadership Academy, Maxwell-Gunter AFB
2023 Senior Enlisted Legal Orientation, Maxwell AFB
2023 Group Senior Enlisted Leader, Pre-Command Team Training, Montgomery
2026 Wing Command and Command Chief Course, Pre-Command Team Training, Maxwell AFB, AL
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Jul – Sep 2005: Trainee, 326th Basic Military Training Squadron, Lackland AFB, TX
2. Sep 2005 – Apr 2006: Student, 315th Training Squadron, Imagery Analyst Technical Training, Goodfellow AFB
3. Apr – Oct 2006: Student, 11th Reconnaissance Squadron, MQ-1B Formal Training, Creech AFB, NV
4. Oct 2006 – May 2007: MQ-1B Sensor Operator/Mobility, 15th RS, Nellis AFB, NV
5. May 2007 – Jan 2009: MQ-1B Instructor SO/Future Plans, 3rd Special Operations Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
(Jun – Oct 2007: Deployed, MQ-1B SO, 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Balad AB, Iraq)
(Jul – Dec 2008: Deployed, MQ-1B SO, 62nd ERS, Afghanistan)
6. Jan – Aug 2009: MQ-1B Instructor Sensor Operator, 3rd SOS, Cannon AFB, NM
7. Aug – Sep 2009: Student, 29th Attack Squadron, MQ-9 Formal Training, Holloman AFB, NM
8. Sep 2009 – Oct 2012: MQ-9 Evaluator/NCOIC Stan/Eval, 33rd SOS, Cannon AFB, NM
(May – Oct 2011: Deployed, MQ-9 SO/NCOIC Weapons and Tactics, 62nd ERS, Kandahar AB, Afghanistan)
9. Oct 2012 – Dec 2015: MQ-1/9 Evaluator/DOT NCOIC, 26th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
10. Dec 2015 – Jan 2017: Operations Superintendent, 22nd Attack Squadron, Creech AFB, NV
11. Jan 2017 – Jan 2020: 1UX Specialty Manager/Assistant Career Field Manager, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
12. Jan 2020 – Jul 2021: Superintendent, 11th Attack Squadron, Creech AFB, NV
13. Jul 2021 – Jul 2023: Senior Enlisted Leader, 17th Attack Squadron, Creech AFB, NV
14. Jul 2023 – Jun 2025: Senior Enlisted Leader, 732nd Operations Group, Creech AFB, NV
15. Jun 2025 – Jun 2026: Senior Enlisted Leader, Ira Eaker Center for Leadership Development, Maxwell AFB, AL
16. Jul 2026 – Present: Command Chief, 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota AB, Japan
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Status: Chief Airman Aircrew
Flight Hours: More than 4,600
Aircraft: MQ-1B and MQ-9
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with thirty oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Presidential Unit Citation
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2006 Air Education and Training Command, Commander’s Award, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB
2007 Airman of the Month, September, Balad AB and 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Iraq
2007 Professional Airman of the Year, 3rd Special Operations Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
2007 Senior Airman Below-the-Zone, 3rd Special Operations Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
2009 John L. Levitow Award, 2009-D, Airman Leadership School, Cannon AFB, NM
2009 Distinguished Graduate, MQ-9 FTU, 29th Attack Squadron, Holloman AFB, NM
2011 Professional NCO of the Year, 33rd Special Operations Squadron, Cannon AFB, NM
2013 Enlisted Instructor of the Year, 26th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
2014 Enlisted Aircrew of the Year, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV
2015 John P. Jumper Innovation Award, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, NV
2016 SNCO of the Year, 432nd Wing, Creech AFB, NV
2019 Distinguished Graduate, 19-C, SNCO Academy, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, AL
2019 CMSgt Richard L. Etchberger Team Award, 19-C, SNCO Academy, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, AL
2022 Summa Cum Laude, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
2022 Squadron of the Year, 432nd Wing, Creech AFB, NV
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman 19 Jul 2005
Airman First Class 19 May 2006
Senior Airman 19 Jan 2008
Staff Sergeant 01 Aug 2009
Technical Sergeant 01 Jul 2013
Master Sergeant 01 Jul 2016
Senior Master Sergeant 01 Jan 2020
Chief Master Sergeant 01 Dec 2022
(Current as of Jul 2026)