Chief Master Sergeant Benjamin W. Hedden is the Command Chief for Ninth Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. He advises the commander and staff on matters influencing the health, welfare, morale and effective utilization of all assigned personnel. Ninth Air Force organizes, trains, and equips its headquarters to be a deployable, operational-level Joint Task Force and its subordinate commands to prepare for and execute expeditionary taskings. Additionally, Ninth Air Force commands eight wings and three direct reporting units in the Southeastern U.S., ensuring the operational readiness of almost 400 aircraft and over 26,000 active duty and civilian members.