Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna, left, poses with Chief Master Sgt. Brian Kruzelnick during a Space Symposium on Yokota Air Base, Japan, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. Gen. Chance Saltzman selected John F. Bentivegna last week as the next chief master sergeant of the Space Force, according to a Monday news release. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
Colorado Springs, Colo. (Tribune News Service) — A former senior commander at Peterson Space Force Base will soon step into the most senior enlisted role within the youngest military branch.
Gen. Chance Saltzman selected John F. Bentivegna last week as the next chief master sergeant of the Space Force, according to a Monday news release. He will replace Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman as an adviser to Saltzman and the secretary of the Air Force on issues such as welfare, readiness, moral and development of the branch. He will also provide direction for the enlisted force and represent its interests to the public and the government.
"It's overwhelming and incredibly humbling to be offered the opportunity to become the next chief master sergeant of the Space Force," Bentivegna said in a statement. He is the second person to serve in the role.
He is stepping into the new role as the Space Force is maturing and working to speed up its research and development efforts and sending up hundreds of new satellites to counter threats in China and Russia.
Space Force has a large presence in Colorado Springs, which is home to Space Command, Space Operations Command and Space Training and Readiness Command. Space Command and the Training and Readiness Command could both be relocated.
"We have run really fast to develop the service and shape what it's going to be," Bentivegna said in the statement. "We have charted a vision for the future, and I want to deliver that vision to our Guardians and the joint force."
Chief Master Sgt. John F. Bentivegna stands in front of the U.S. Space Force Hallway after receiving news on his selection as the next Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force, Pentagon, Arlington, Va., May 5, 2023. (Sara Keller/U.S. Space Force )
Bentivegna started his career in 1994 as a precision measurement equipment lab technician at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. He became a space operator in 1998. At Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, he was the senior enlisted leader for Space Operations Command from 2020 to May 2022.
He is the senior enlisted adviser to the chief operations officer and the enlisted space systems operations career field manager for Space Force in Washington, D.C, according to a news release.
Saltzman selected Bentivegna from a field of five candidates after a four-day evaluation process.
"I needed someone that would bring a perspective on our future that was articulated differently from mine," he said in a statement. "Someone who could (and would) challenge my assumptions and ensure that important issues were evaluated from multiple angles and would catch things I missed."
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