CMSgt Sharla A. Kostielney is the Command Chief Master Sergeant for the 341st Missile Wing, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. She is the primary advisor to the commander on matters concerning the readiness, training, morale, health, welfare, effective utilization, and discipline for nearly 4,000 military members. Malmstrom Airmen support the nation's nuclear surety objectives by operating, maintaining, and securing 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launch facilities. The wing operates and maintains 15 missile alert facilities located in a 13,800 square-mile complex.
CMSgt Kostielney entered the Air Force in August 1997. She completed Avionic Sensors Maintenance technical training in June 1998 and has performed duties at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom, and Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ as an Avionic Sensors Technician. She then retrained into Personnel in August 2001 where she served at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, Lajes AB, Azores, Portugal and the Air Force Financial Service Center, SD as Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, Commander’s Support Staff and Command Chief Executive Assistant. She has served as the Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Military Personnel Exchange Program, Americas, U.S. Embassy, Ottawa, Canada and was accountable to the program commander and the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, International Airmen Division and has also served as the Operations Noncommissioned Officer at the Defense Attaché Office, U.S. Embassy, The Hague, Netherlands, in a joint-international
environment supporting U.S. Foreign Policy and Department of Defense objectives. After Attaché duty, she was the Joint Base San Antonio Military Personnel Flight Superintendent, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, where she was charged with leading the largest Military Personnel Flight in the Air Force consisting of 250 Air Force, Army, and Navy military and civilians supporting 8 Wings, 3 Numbered Air Forces, 5 Field Support Agencies, 3 Major Commands and 266 mission partners while providing customer service to 640,000 active duty, guard, reserve, retiree, and dependent personnel in the local area. Prior to her current position, CMSgt Kostielney was the Air Force Personnel Center’s Assignments and Force Generation Programs Division Superintendent where she led 27 military and civilian personnel responsible for Force
Generation Plans, deployment support, and military assignment processes, policies, and programs impacting over 1.5 Million active duty officer, enlisted, and civilian members and their families. In this position, she was also charged with leading policy change and bringing the enlisted force into a new assignment era utilizing a Talent Marketplace platform as an Enlisted Talent Management lead, and she led the COVID-19 Crisis Action Team responsible for implementing and publishing execution guidance in response to the Secretary of Defense directed Stop Movement.
CMSgt Kostielney has worked with and supported Total Force members, veterans and retirees in various career fields and organizations spanning the globe and has assisted joint-service members with all career aspects to include assignments, evaluations, decorations, awards, fitness, disciplinary actions, and health monitoring. She has been a principle advisor to the commander on all officer and enlisted issues and served as the acting First Sergeant charged with counselling and mentorship to unit members. She has been responsible for managing budgets and collection requirements as well as managing all human resource, financial, administrative, communication, security, and training support functions.
EDUCATION
2002 Airman Leadership School, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
2006 Associates, Avionics Sensors Maintenance Technology, Community College of the Air Force
2006 Associates, Human Resource Management, Community College of the Air Force
2008 Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Peterson AFB, Colo.
2010 Bachelors of Arts with honors, Psychology, University of Arizona Global Campus
2012 Joint Senior Non-Commissioned Officer I PME Course, by correspondence
2014 Joint Military Attaché School, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C.
2016 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 Masters of Arts, Psychology, University of the Rockies, Denver, Colo.
2017 Associates, Information Management, Community College of the Air Force
2017 Joint Senior Non-Commissioned Officer II PME Course, by correspondence
2022 Chief Leadership Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1998–June 2000, Avionic Sensors Maintenance Technician, 48th Component Repair Squadron, Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath, United Kingdom
2. June 2000–August 2001, Avionic Sensors Maintenance Technician, 355th Component Maintenance Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
3. August 2001–October 2003, Assistant NCOIC, Commander’s Support Staff, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
4. October 2003–February 2005, NCOIC, Commander’s Support Staff, 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Davis-MonthanAFB, Ariz.
5. February 2005–October 2005, NCOIC, Commander’s Support Staff, 65th Communication Squadron, Lajes Field Air Base, Azores, Portugal
6. October 2005–February 2007, Command Chief Executive Assistant, 65th Air Base Wing, Lajes Field AB, Azores, Portugal
7. February 2007–August 2010, NCOIC, Commander’s Support Staff, Air Force Financial Services Center, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
8. August 2010–August 2013, Superintendent, Air Force Military Personnel Exchange Program, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
9. August 2013–August 2014, Student, Defense Language Institute and Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington D.C.
10. August 2014–December 2017, Operations NCO, Defense Attaché Office, U.S. Embassy, The Hague, Netherlands
11. December 2017–October 2019, Superintendent, Military Personnel Flight, 802d Force Support Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Randolph, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas
12. October 2019–August 2021, Superintendent, Assignments and Force Generation Programs Division, DP3A, Air Force Personnel Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
13. August 2021–May 2023, Present, Senior Enlisted Leader, 647th Force Support Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
14. June 2023–Present, Command Chief Master Sergeant, 341st Missile Wing, Malmstrom AFB, Montana
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Department of State Meritorious Honor Award
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Military Outstanding Voluntary Service Medal
2018 Air Education and Training Command Installation-level Force Support SNCO of the Year
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman Basic Aug. 27, 1997
Airman Feb. 27, 1998
Airman First Class Dec. 27, 1998
Senior Airman Aug. 27 2000
Staff Sergeant June 1, 2002
Technical Sergeant June 1, 2006
Master Sergeant Nov. 1, 2011
Senior Master Sergeant June 1, 2017
Chief Master Sergeant March 1, 2021
(Current as of June 2023)