Chief Master Sgt. Tige “Tiger” Platt is the Command Chief, 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. In this role, he serves as the principal enlisted advisor to the Wing Commander on all matters impacting the readiness, training, professional development, utilization, and well-being of more than 1,600 Reserve Citizen Airmen. He provides counsel on issues affecting force management, operations tempo, health, morale, welfare, and leadership across the wing. Chief Platt ensures the commander’s policies and priorities are effectively communicated and implemented throughout the enlisted force. He also serves as the functional manager for all assigned First Sergeants, guiding their efforts to support Airmen and families. The 403rd Wing is an Air Force Reserve unit equipped with the C-130J Super Hercules. Its mission is to train, equip, and employ combat-ready airlift forces in support of global operations. The wing executes the Department of Defense’s only weather reconnaissance mission, famously known as the “Hurricane Hunters,” in addition to providing global tactical airlift, airdrop, aeromedical evacuation, and agile combat support.
Chief Platt was born and raised in Brigantine, New Jersey, and enlisted in the New Jersey Air National Guard in March 1992 as a Crash Fire/Rescue Firefighter at Atlantic City International Airport. In 1994, he transferred to the Air Force Reserve at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, as a C-141B/C-130 Inflight Medical Services Journeyman, where he later became a Flight Instructor. He further advanced his career in 2001 when he joined the 76th Air Refueling Squadron as a KC-10 Inflight Refueling Operator, eventually serving as the Assistant Chief Boom Operator. He has held multiple senior leadership positions, including Senior Enlisted Leader of the 452d Operations Group, March Air Reserve Base, California, and Command Chief of the 514th Air Mobility Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. Prior to his current assignment, Chief Platt served as the Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Career Enlisted Aviator Major Command Functional Manager, Resource Division, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.
Chief Platt is a retired Fire Chief from a municipal fire department in New Jersey, a former Boom Operator Instructor contractor on the KC-10 weapon system at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and currently serves as the City Manager for a municipal government in New Jersey.
EDUCATION
1996 Noncommissioned Officer Preparation Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2003 Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2004 KC-10A Boom Operator Instructor Course, McGuire AFB, N.J.
2007 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Combat Aircrew Tactics School, USAF Expeditionary Center, Fort Dix, N.J.
2010 Senior Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Course, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
2010 Associates in Aviation Operations, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2011 Senior Enlisted Joint PME, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va., by correspondence
2012 Bachelor of Science, Fire Science, Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, Ala.
2016 Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Development Course Facilitator, Robins AFB, Ga.
2017 Senior Enlisted Joint PME Course II, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va., by correspondence
2018 International SNCO Leadership and Development (INLEAD) Facilitator, March ARB, Calif.
2019 Chief Leadership Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2019 AFRC Chief Orientation Course, Robins AFB, Ga.
2021 Command Chief Master Sergeant Training Course, Andrews AFB, Md.
2021 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
2021 Senior Enlisted Legal Orientation Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2022 Leading Strategically, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.
ASSIGNMENTS
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June 1992—July 1992, Trainee, Basic Military Training School, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
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August 1992—September 1992, Fire Protection Apprentice, Chanute AFB, Ill.
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October 1992—July 1994, Fire Protection Specialist, 177th Fighter Wing Atlantic City IAP, N.J.
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August 1994—April 1995, Medical Services Journeyman Training, McGuire AFB, N.J.
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May 1995—July 1995, Medical Services Journeyman Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
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August 1995—October 1995, Medical Services Journeyman Training, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
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November 1995—December 1995, Medical Services Journeyman Training, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
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January 1996—June 2001, C-141B/C-130 Flight Medical Technician, 714th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J. (April – July 1998, C-141B Flight Medical Technician, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany)
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June 2004—February 2011, Flight Chief, 76th ARS, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
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March 2011— November 2014, Assistant Chief/Senior Enlisted Leader, 76th ARS, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. (January 2013 – March 2013, KC-10A Boom Operator, 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates)
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December 2014—January 2019, Aircrew Instructor, In-Flight Refueling Superintendent, 514th Operational Support Squadron, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
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February 2021—September 2022, Command Chief, 514th Air Mobility Wing, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. (March 2022 – May 2022, Senior Enlisted Leader, 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom)
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October 2022—August 2025, Career Enlisted Aviator Major Command Functional Manager- Individual Mobilization Augmentee, Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga.
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September 2025—Present, Command Chief, 403rd Wing, Keesler AFB, Miss.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Chief Aircrew Member
Flight Hours: More than 4,400 including more than 300 combat hours
Aircraft Flown: C-141B, C-130 E/H/WC, C-17A, and KC-10A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
PUBLICATIONS
Chief Leadership Course 19-B, Excellence (2019). Maximizing human capital with innovative talent management strategy. Air & Space Power Journal (ASPJ), 33(3), 69-82
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman Dec. 5, 1992
Airman First Class Aug. 16, 1993
Senior Airman March 5, 1994
Staff Sergeant Sept. 1, 1996
Technical Sergeant April 1, 2001
Master Sergeant Jan. 1, 2005
Senior Master Sergeant Feb. 1, 2011
Chief Master Sergeant May 1, 2019
(Current as of September 2025)