Chief Master Sgt. Leonard F. Werner III is the Command Chief, 512th Airlift Wing, an associate Air Force Reserve Command unit located at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. He is the senior noncommissioned officer responsible for the 1,700-person organization, which supports AFRC’s and Air Mobility Command’s worldwide airlift mission, operating C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. He advises the wing commander on all matters relating to readiness, training, professional development, force utilization, operations tempo, health, morale, welfare and leadership. He also serves as the functional manager for group chiefs and first sergeants, as well as the commander’s representative on councils, boards and key events within the military and civilian communities. Chief Werner entered the active-duty Air Force in September 1994 and graduated from the Aerospace Maintenance Fundamentals Technical School at Sheppard AFB, Texas, three months later. Chief Werner transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in 1998 and has held a variety of maintenance and leadership positions, including his appointment as Superintendent of the 514th Air Mobility Wing Elite Honor Guard, which garnered the AMC’s Honor Guard Team of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2014. In April 2020, Chief Werner was activated to stand up the 64th Air Expeditionary Group in support of the COVID-19 pandemic. While assigned to Task Force Northeast and Task Force New York-New Jersey, he directed the joint force deployment of more than 300 AF medical personnel into a joint service area of responsibility, where more than 40,000 critically ill patients were treated. Chief Werner was also activated during operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom and has deployed to Southwest Asia several times in support of operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Prior to the chief’s current position, he was the was the Command Chief, 514th Air Mobility Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. In the civilian sector, Chief Werner is a retired police sergeant who served 25 years as a patrol and special operations supervisor. Following the attacks of 9/11, the chief responded to New York City’s “Ground Zero,” where he assisted with security and the recovery of civilian and emergency services personnel who were trapped in the wreckage.
EDUCATION
1994 Aerospace Maintenance Fundamentals, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
1998 New Jersey State Police Municipal Police Academy, Class #198, Sea Girt, N.J.
2000 Airman Leadership School, McGuire AFB, N.J.
2001 Air Force Reserve Command Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Development Course, McGuire AFB, N.J.
2003 Air Force NCO Academy, McGuire AFB, N.J.
2006 AF Senior NCO Academy, by correspondence
2007 AFRC Senior NCO Leadership Development Course, Warner Robins AFB, Ga.
2013 FBI Supervision and Leadership Course, Public Safety Center, Ocean County, N.J.
2014 Associate Degree, Aircraft Maintenance Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 Chief Orientation Course, Warner Robins AFB, Ga.
2018 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education II, by correspondence
2019 Professional Manager Certification, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2021 Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice, Purdue Global University, Ind.
2021 Leading Strategically, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2021 Command Chief Master Sergeant Training Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2022 Senior Enlisted Legal Orientation, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2022 EurAsia Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS OR CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. December 1994 – June 1995, Aerospace Maintenance Apprentice, 32nd Air Refueling Squadron, McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.
2. July 1995 – January 1998, KC-10A Crew Chief, 605th Aircraft Generation Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J.
(April 1996 – June 1996, KC- 10A Crew Chief, 4413th ARS, 4404th Composite Wing, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates)
3. January 1998 – October 2012, Maintenance Craftsman, 714th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J.
(January 2001 – March 2002, KC-10A Maintenance Expediter, 379th Expeditionary AMXS, Al Udeid AB, Qatar)
(May 2008 – September 2012, KC-10A Maintenance Production Superintendent, 380th EAMS, Al Dhafra AB, UAE)
4. October 2012 – June 2013, Training Manager, 714th AMXS, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
5. December 2012 – April 2017, Superintendent, Elite Honor Guard, 514th Air Mobility Wing, JB MDL, N.J.
6. June 2013 – April 2017, Section Chief, Viper Flight, 714th AMXS, JB MDL, N.J.
7. April 2017 – August 2018, Maintenance Superintendent, 714th AMXS, JB MDL, N.J.
8. March 2018 – September 2018, Interim Command Chief Master Sergeant, 514th AMW, JB MDL, N.J.
9. October 2018 – August 2021, Chief Enlisted Manager, 514th Maintenance Group, JB MDL, N.J.
(April 2020 – July 2020, CEM, 64th Air Expeditionary Group (COVID-19 Response), Task Force Northeast, JB MDL, N.J.)
10. August 2021 – September 2022, Command Chief Master Sergeant, 307th Bomb Wing, Barksdale AFB, La.
11. October 2022 – September 2025, Command Chief Master Sergeant, 514th AMW, JB MDL, N.J.
12. October 2025 – Present, Command Chief Master Sergeant, 512th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Del.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Air Force Reserve Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster and bronze oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary
Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two mobilization devices and silver hourglass
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2000 Leadership Award, Airman Leadership School, McGuire AFB, N.J.
2001 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, 514th Air Mobility Wing, McGuire AFB, N.J.
2004 Life Saving Award, Mount Laurel Police Department, N.J.
2012 - 2014 Honor Guard Team of the Year, Air Mobility Command
2016 Distinguished Service Award, Burlington County 200 Club, N.J.
2017 Supervisor of the Year, Mount Laurel Township, N.J.
2024 Air Force Non-national Excellence in Competition Pistol badge
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman Basic Sept. 28, 1994
Airman March 28, 1995
Airman 1st Class Jan. 28, 1996
Senior Airman Sept. 28, 1997
Staff Sergeant May 1, 2000
Technical Sergeant May 1, 2002
Master Sergeant Oct. 1, 2004
Senior Master Sergeant July 1, 2012
Chief Master Sergeant April 1, 2017
(Current as of October 2025)