Chief Master Sergeant Nathan Chrestensen is the Command Chief Master Sergeant, 56th Fighter Wing,
Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The wing’s mission is to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots
and combat- ready Airmen. As part of Air Education and Training Command, and home to 26 squadrons
with F-35A Lightning II aircraft, the 56th is the largest fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force with
over $13 billion in aircraft and 7,000 total force personnel. The wing graduates more than 200
pilots and 270 air control professionals annually. The 56ᵗʰ Fighter Wing also supports the F- 15C
formal training unit based at Klamath Falls, Oregon, which produces over 20 graduates annually.
Additionally, the wing manages the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and is a steward of the
Barry M. Goldwater Range, a military training range spanning more than one million acres of the
Sonoran Desert.
Chief Chrestensen is a third generation Airman. He was born in Sioux City, Iowa and graduated from Sioux City East High School in 1999. He enlisted in 2001 and began his career as a weather forecaster. His background includes various duties ranging from worldwide strategic airlift support at the 618th Air Operations Center to Army combat operations in Iraq to space weather prediction and specialized support for the Intelligence Community. Additionally, he has served as an Additional Duty First Sergeant, Weapons and Tactics Operations Superintendent, and Group Senior Enlisted Leader. He has spent nearly two years deployed in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, ENDURING FREEDOM, and Combined JTF Horn of Africa. Prior to his current position, he served as the Command Chief for the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea.
EDUCATION
2005 Airman Leadership School
2007 Associate of Applied Science in Weather Technology
2011 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Course 2012 Bachelor of Arts in
Leadership, Bellevue University
2012 Noncommissioned Officer Academy 2012 Professional Manager Certification
2014 Joint Special Operations University Joint Fundamentals Course 2015 Advanced Weather Management Course
2016 Navy Primary Professional Military Education 2016 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy
2017 Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education II Course
2021 Air Force Personnel Center Squadron Commander and Senior Enlisted Leader Course 2022 Group Senior Enlisted Leader Course
2022 Chief Leadership Course
2024 Senior Enlisted Legal Orientation2024 Wing Command Team Course
2025 Continuous Improvement and Innovation for Executives, Duke University
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2001 – September 2001, Student, Basic Military Training, Lackland AFB, TX
2. September 2001 – March 2002, Student, Technical Training School, Keesler AFB, MS
3. March 2002 – August 2004, Regional Weather Forecaster, 15th Operational Weather Squadron, Scott AFB, IL
4. August 2004 – April 2006, Global Mobility Weather Forecaster, 618th Air Operations Center, Scott AFB, IL
5. April 2006 – April 2007, Weather Forecaster, Unit Deployment Manager, 8th Operations Group Kunsan AB, ROK
6. April 2007 – August 2010, Weather Forecaster, 55th Operations Support Squadron, Offutt AFB, NE
7. October 2008 – May 2009, Battlefield Weather Forecaster, Task Force 449, Camp Striker, Iraq
8. August 2010 – July 2012, NCOIC Mission Weather Element, 55th Operations Support Squadron, Offutt AFB, NE
9. December 2010 – July 2011, NCOIC Mission Weather Element, 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Al Udeid, Qatar
10. July 2012 – May 2014, NCOIC Airfield Support Function, 55th Operations Support Squadron, Offutt AFB, NE
11. October 2012 – April 2013, Weather Forecaster, 455th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Bagram AB, Afghanistan
12. May 2014 – July 2014, Flight Chief, 55th Operations Support Squadron, Offutt AFB, NE
13. July 2014 – July 2017, Flight Chief, 15th Operational Weather Squadron, Scott AFB, IL
14. July 2017 – February 2021, Operations Superintendent, 1st Weather Group, Offutt AFB, NE
15. February 2021 – January 2022, Senior Enlisted Leader, 2d Weather Squadron, Offutt AFB, NE
16. January 2022 – May 2024, Senior Enlisted Leader, 54th Fighter Group, Holloman AFB, NM
17. May 2024 – May 2025, Command Chief, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, ROK
18. July 2025 – Present, Command Chief, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, AZ
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters Air Force Commendation Medal with
one oak leaf cluster Army Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2008 55th Operations Group Weather Warrior of the Year
2010 55th Operations Support Squadron Tuskegee Airman Award Nominee 2010 55th Operations Group Weather Warrior of the Year
2010 55th Wing Weather NCO of the Year 2011 55th Wing Weather NCO of the Year
2011 Al Udeid Grand Slam Hall of Fame Inductee
2012 55th Operations Support Squadron NCO of the Year 2013 55th Operations Support Squadron NCO of the Year
2014 55th Operations Support Squadron Lance P. Sijan Award Nominee 2015 15th Operational Weather Squadron Lance P. Sijan Award Nominee 2015 1st Weather Group SNCO of the Year
2018 Air Combat Command Weather SNCO of the Year 2018 557th Weather Wing SNCO of the Year
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Chief Master Sergeant June 2021
(Current as of July 2025)