Command Master Chief Thompson, a native of Custer, South Dakota, enlisted in the United States Navy in June 1998. Following basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois, he reported to Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) Pensacola, Florida, where he completed Aviation Electronics Technician “A” School, followed by Calibration “C” School at Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi.
His operational tours include service aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) homeported in Everett, Washington; USS George Washington (CVN 73); and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), both homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
Ashore, he served at Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) Point Mugu, California; AIMD Sigonella, Sicily; and Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) Lemoore, California, as an instructor. In 2012, he volunteered for an Individual Augmentee assignment to Djibouti, Africa, where he served as the Command Security Manager for the Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA).
As a Command Senior Chief, he was assigned to USS Pioneer (MCM 9) homeported in Sasebo, Japan. His subsequent tours as Command Master Chief include USS Germantown (LSD 42) in Sasebo, Japan; Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) European Field Command in Stuttgart, Germany; Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) Pensacola; and the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) in Pensacola, Florida.
In June 2026, Command Master Chief Thompson assumed his current duties as the Command Master Chief for Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida.
CMC Thompson’s personal awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy Achievement Medal (four awards), and various unit, campaign, and service awards. He is also the recipient of the 2014 Bob Feller Act of Valor Award.
He is a graduate of the U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy, the Command Master Chief Course, the National Defense University Keystone Course, and the Advanced Command Master Chief Course. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management (with honors) from Columbia Southern University and a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics (with honors) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is a qualified Master Training Specialist and has earned his Enlisted Aviation, Surface, Expeditionary, and Information Warfare Specialist designations.
Last Updated: 11 June 2026