Bentivegna currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer and Field Manager of Space Systems Career Operations at Headquarters, Space Force, Washington
In making the selection, Space Operations Chief Gen. Chance Saltzman said, “I needed someone to bring a perspective on our future that was framed differently than mine.”
“Someone who could (and would) challenge my assumptions and ensure that important issues were evaluated from multiple angles and would catch things I missed,” Saltzman continued. “All the candidates had tremendous experience, skills and expertise and that made it close.”
It was an open selection process, and any Space Force master sergeant major with 22 years of service and three years in rank could apply.
Saltzman selected Bentivegna from a pool of five candidates who went through a four-day evaluation process that tested their skills and leadership abilities. The process, along with in-person interviews with each candidate, helped Saltzman make his final decision by giving him data on how the chiefs performed in various exercises and assessments.
“Chief Bentivegna brings a wealth of operational experience, dedication to caring for our Guardians and the spirit needed to take our service to the next level,” said Saltzman.
Bentivegna has been a space operator for more than 25 years and has held positions at the squadron, group, wing, numbered air force, field command and aerospace headquarters levels.
“It’s overwhelming and incredibly humbling to be offered the opportunity to become the next Space Force Chief Master Sergeant,” Bentigna explained. “I am truly excited to have this opportunity to work alongside General Saltzman to help fulfill his vision for where the service should go.”
“We ran very fast to develop the service and shape what it was going to be,” Bentigna continued. “We have drawn a vision for the future, and I want to convey that vision to our Guardians and the joint forces. I know it will require collaboration, communication, policy and processes to make this happen. I am humbled to be the one to support these efforts for them in the future.”
As the next CMSSF, Bentivegna will be appointed to the highest NCO position in the Space Force, making him only the second person in history to hold the title.
“Chief Tauberman was the first sergeant major of the Space Force, and there was no better person to guide us through this initial phase of launching the Space Force. Just like a real space launch, there’s a lot of anticipation, it’s exciting, it’s energetic, it’s violent, but it’s also been so critically important,” Bentivena said. “He was the faithful leader who got us out of the atmosphere and into orbit. Now I will have the opportunity to work with our Guardians to continue preparing them for battle.”
“He was right here with us every step of the way,” said Master Master Sgt. by space forces Roger A. Tauberman. “He knows where we’ve been and he believes where we’re going. I couldn’t be happier for our Guardians or prouder of how everything is coming together. He is exactly who we need right now.”
Bentivegna joined the U.S. Air Force in August 1994 and transferred to the U.S. Space Force in September 2020. He began his career as a precision measurement equipment laboratory technician at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, before undergoing cross training , to become a space operator in 1998. He eventually went on to serve in several command chief assignments and served as senior commander of the Space Operations Command at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado prior to his current position.
As CMSSF, Bentivegna will act as a personal advisor to the CSO and the Secretary of the Air Force on all matters related to the welfare, readiness, morale, proper use and development of the Space Force. He will also provide guidance to the enlisted force and represent their interests, as appropriate, to the American public and to those at all levels of government.