RICHMOND, Va. –
Chief Master Sgt. John F. Nye will succeed Chief Master Sgt. Kelly B. Reich as the Virginia National Guard Command Senior Enlisted Leader according to an announcement made Feb. 28, 2025, by Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia. The assignment is effective March 15, and a change of responsibility ceremony is scheduled for April 12.
“Please join me in congratulating Chief Master Sgt. Nye on his selection as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Virginia National Guard,” Ring said in the announcement. “Chief Nye is uniquely qualified to advance the goals and objectives of the Virginia National Guard.”
Reich now serves as the Joint Senior Enlisted Leader of the National Guard Bureau Joint Staff where she is the principal military advisor on all enlisted matters affecting health of the force and enlisted professional development within the NGB Joint Staff. She serves as a principal member to the National Guard Enlisted Advisory Council, Command Sergeants Major Advisory Council and Enlisted Field Advisory Council for shaping enlisted policies and programs for Soldiers and Airmen.
As the CSEL, Nye serves as the VNG’s senior noncommissioned officer, and he advises and assists the Adjutant General of Virginia on all health, welfare, readiness, and professional development matters pertaining to enlisted personnel and serves as the key leader in implementing the AG’s vision, goals and objectives.
He currently serves as the senior enlisted leader for the Detachment 1, 192nd Medical Group,192nd Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia. He advises the commander and manages a unit of providers, nurses, medics and specialty medical professionals of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and highyield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package Medical Element. He works within a joint force structure with his Army counterparts when the CERFP is activated for training or in the case of a real-world requirement.
Nye grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Appomattox, Virginia. He entered the Air Force in July 1989. Following technical training at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, he served as a munitions systems journeyman at Aviano Air Base, Italy. He left the Air Force to pursue a teaching degree in biology from Lock Haven University in 1993 and then entered the Virginia Air National Guard after graduation in 1998. Prior to assuming his current position, he’s served in various capacities within the Air National Guard, most notably as the 192nd Munitions Flight Chief from 2012 to 2022.
He was the 2004 192nd Fighter Wing Noncommissioned Officer of the Year and the 2014 192nd Maintenance Group Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
Nye has served stateside in both Virginia and Pennsylvania and has served overseas in Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Japan, United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan. He has deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Inherent Resolve, Freedom’s Sentinel and NATO’s Resolute Support mission. He was also activated for a year in response to 9-11 in support of Operation Noble Eagle.
He holds a Bachelors of Science in Secondary Biology Education from Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. He also earned a Masters of Science in Science Curriculum from Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Virginia, and a Masters of Science in Biology from the University of Nebraska in Kearney, Nebraska. His military education includes the Airmen Leadership School, Non-Commissioned Officer Academy and Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy.
Read more about Reich at https://vngpao.info/ynx25y9a.