Senior Master Sgt. Benjamin Johnis is the senior enlisted leader of the 412th Operations Group at Edwards Air Force Base, California. In this role, he serves as the principal enlisted advisor to the group commander on all matters influencing the readiness, training, professional development and effective utilization of group resources. He ensures operational oversight for a diverse fleet of developmental test and evaluation aircraft, including the KC-46 Pegasus, KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-10 Extender, C-17 Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy, F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-21 Raider, B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress, eT-7A Red Hawk, RQ-4 Global Hawk and emerging technologies. He provides dual-hatted leadership as superintendent of Test Parachuting, Airdrop, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, or SERE. As the lead Air Force Materiel Command parachutist, he directly influences the development and acquisition of new parachute systems to increase the lethality and survivability of the nation’s warfighters.
Johnis is a SECAF Pathfinder, spearheading cutting-edge capabilities across the Department of the Air Force and the Indo-Pacific. He holds a doctorate in electrical engineering with a focus on guidance, navigation and control from the Air Force Institute of Technology, making history as the first enlisted doctoral student and faculty member since the institution was founded in 1919. His landmark research includes modernizing the Department of War human spaceflight recovery program and designing a lunar navigation satellite system receiver for cislunar search and rescue in support of national human spaceflight operations and NASA Artemis missions. Prior to his current assignment, Johnis was the sensitive activities program manager for Special Operations Command Pacific, or SOCPAC, at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. In this capacity, he synchronized sensitive operational effects against state and nonstate adversaries across the Indo-Pacific Command, directing 10 forward-deployed platforms and managing a $6 million budget across 15 sites.
Johnis enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in May 2004. His early career featured assignments as a SERE specialist at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, and executing combat training exercises with the Weapons School team at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Overseas at Yokota Air Base, Japan, he built partnership capacity and executed 12 deployments across the Indo-Pacific, including humanitarian relief operations during Operation Damayan. Later, at Travis Air Force Base, California, he spearheaded innovations within the Phoenix Spark program. During a combat deployment for Operation Inherent Resolve, he designed an electromagnetic interference sensor, resulting in the Agile Meridian project and a Joint Staff program of record in 2021. Prior to SOCPAC, he served as the personnel recovery program manager for Special Operations Command Central, or SOCCENT, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Managing operations across 12 command nodes, he oversaw 3,400 personnel in 17 nations. Johnis has completed five combat deployments and is an accomplished professional skydiver, former SOCOM Para-commando and current FASTRAX demonstration parachutist.
EDUCATION
2004 Basic Military Training, Joint Base San Antonio, TX
2004 Level C Combat Survival SERE Training, Fairchild AFB, WA
2005 SERE Specialist Training Apprentice, Fairchild AFB, WA
2006 SERE 260 Joint Resistance Training Instructor, Spokane, WA
2006 Arctic Survival Training “Cool School”, Fairbanks, AK
2006 US Army Airborne Parachutist, Ft Benning, GA
2006 PR 296/297 Personnel Recovery Reintegration/de-briefer, Spokane, WA
2006 Parachuting Water Survival, Fairchild AFB, WA
2008 US Army Military Freefall Parachutist, Yuma, AZ
2009 USAF Airman Leadership School, Fairchild AFB, WA
2010 SERE Specialist Craftsman, Fairchild AFB, WA
2010 Static Line Jumpmaster, Pope Army Airfield, NC
2010 Modern Army Combative Program Level 1, Fairchild AFB, WA
2012 PR 300 Joint Personnel Recovery Execution, Fredericksburg, VA
2012 US Army Military Freefall Jumpmaster, Yuma, AZ
2012 Modern Army Combative Program Level 2, Vandenberg AFB, VA
2014 Associate’s Degree in Survival Instructor, Community College of the Air Force
2015 Bachelors of Arts Degree in General Studies, American Military University
2016 US Parachuting Association Coach
2016 USAF Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Okinawa AB, Japan
2016 Senior Leader Joint PME, DL
2016 USAF Senior NCO PME, DL
2016 PR 301 Personnel Plans and Operations, Fredericksburg, VA
2016 PR 303 Non-Conventional Assisted Recovery Plans and Ops, Fredericksburg, VA
2018 Advanced Special Operations Training Level 1, Hurlburt Field, FL
2019 US Parachuting Association PRO Skydiver and SOCOM Para-Commando Certification
2020 Project Management Professional Course, PMI, FL
2020 LIDAR airborne sensor operator & data analyst, Orlando, FL
2020 SOF SNCO Enterprise Management, Joint Special Operations University
2020 US Parachuting Association Tandem Instructor
2022 US Parachuting Association Accelerated Free Fall Instructor
2023 Masters of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, AFIT, Dayton, OH
2025 Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, Air University, Gunter Annex, AL
2025 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Electrical Engineering, AFIT, Dayton, OH
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 2004-Jul 2004, Trainee, 323rd Basic Military Training Squadron, Lackland AFB, Texas
2. Jul 2004-Jun 2005, Student, 66th Training Squadron, Fairchild AFB, WA
3. Jun 2005-Jan 2009, Instructor/Trainer, 22nd Training Squadron, Fairchild AFB, WA
(Deployed Aug 2007-Feb 2008, SERE/PR SME, CENTCOM JPRC, Qatar/Afghanistan)
4. Jan 2009-Nov 2012, NCOIC Vehicle/Para Ops, 414th Combat Training Sq, Nellis AFB, NV
5. Nov 2012-Nov 2016, NCOIC SERE Ops, 374th Operations Support Sq, Yokota AFB, Japan
(Deployed Mar 2013-Aug 2013, SERE/PR SME, USFOR-A PRCC, Afghanistan)
6. Nov 2016-Dec 2018, SERE Section Chief, 60th Operations Support Sq, Travis AFB, CA
(Deployed Feb 2018-Aug 2018, Deputy Director, CJTF-OIR PRCC, Iraq)
7. Dec 2018-Jul 2021, PR Program Manager, SOCOM-Central, MacDill AFB, FL
(Deployed Jul 2019-Dec 2019, SOCCENT LNO, JSOC Forward)
(Deployed Feb 2021-May, Director, CFSOCC PRCC, Qatar)
8. Jul 2021-Mar 2024, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
9. Apr 2024-May 2026, Program Manager, Sensitive Activities, SOCPAC, Camp Smith, HI
10. Jun 2026-Present, Senior Enlisted Leader, 412th Operations Group, Edwards AFB, CA
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2008 414th Combat Training Squadron Airman of 4th Qtr
2008 Air Combat Command Guardian Angel Weapon System SERE Specialist of year
2009 57th Operations Group Airman of 1st Qtr
2011 414th Combat Training Squadron NCO of Year
2012 414th Combat Training Squadron NCO of 1st Qtr
2013 374th Operations Support Squadron NCO of 1st Qtr
2013 374th Operations Group NCO Airlifter of 1st & 3rd Qtr
2013 374th Air Wing Guardian Angel Weapon System SERE Specialist of year
2014 Pacific Air Forces Guardian Angel Weapon System SERE Specialist of year
2015 374th Air Wing NCO of 3rd Qtr
2016 Air Mobility Command Guardian Angel Weapon System SERE Specialist of year
2017 Air Mobility Command Gen Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award
2020 SOCCENT SNCO of 2nd 3rd 4th Qtr, 2020
2021 Selected for Enlisted to AFIT Program, Academic Calendar Year 2021
2021 Institute of Navigation, Joint Navigation Conference, Joint Warfighter panelist
2022 National Intelligence Council’s Science and Tech Expert Partnership, DoD PNT Representative
2022 Air Force Institute of Technology SNCO of 3rd Qtr
2022 International Association of Maritime Economist Conference, Presenter
2022 NGA & John Hopkins University Cislunar Security Conference, Presenter and Panelist
2023 Air Force Institute of Technology annual Louis F. Polk Award Winner
2023 ION International Technical Meeting Conference, Presenter “LNSS Receiver for LunaSAR”
2023 ION Joint Navigation Conference, Panel Moderator “Cislunar Navigation in the age of Artemis”
2023 Warfighter Speaker, Alt PNT Reverse Industry Day
2023 Ascend 2023 Conference, Presenter “Space Rescue Vehicle Orbital Reentry Selection/Analysis”
2023 NGA & John Hopkins University Cislunar Security Conference, Presenter
2024 Advisor to the DARPA Luna10 Study, LOGIC, and LSIC for Lunar PNT, & Space Contingencies
2024 DoD Hackathon Bravo Team Leader, awarded 1st place of 71 competitors
2024 ION Pacific PNT Conference, Speaker
2024 ION Joint Navigation Conference, Speaker
2025 US Special Operations Command - Pacific SNCO of the Quarter
2025 ION Joint Navigation Conference, Speaker
(Current as of August 2026)