CMSAF James Roy relinquished his charge to CMSgt. James Cody amid accolades from senior Air Force leaders during the ceremony at JB Andrews, Md., on Thursday at which Roy retired and Cody formally took on his new role. Roy had led the enlisted force since June 2009. “No matter where he’s been assigned, his personal commitment to the welfare of airmen has been a defining quality of his effectiveness as a leader,” said Secretary Michael Donley, thanking Roy for his service during the Jan. 24 event. “He’s worked tirelessly to understand and relate to airmen at every level and Jim cannot hide the care and affection he has for our young men and women in uniform,” added Donley. Roy, the Air Force’s 16th CMSAF, guided the enlisted force through a time of sustained conflict abroad and social turmoil within the force at home, said Donley. Through it all, “he’s been driven to find new and better ways to nurture our airmen’s professional development” while seeking out the “advice and guidance of our enlisted force,” said Donley. Today, Roy “holds a very, very, special place not only in the hearts of all our airmen, but in the history of our Air Force,” concluded Donley. Roy thanked the nation’s 690,000 airmen and civilians for “a job well done.” He said the Air Force still faces difficult times, but he is confident airmen’s creativity and dedication will overcome all. “It’s with confidence and faith that we pass this office to you,” Roy told Cody, passing him the CMSAF mantle. Roy, a career civil engineer, is retiring from the Air Force, effective April 1, after 30 years of uniformed service.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.