SIGONELLA, Italy – The NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force (NISRF) has welcomed Chief Master Sergeant William “NABO” Nabakowski as its new Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL).
The CSEL is the most senior enlisted advisor to the Commander and plays an important role in leadership, cohesion and readiness across NISRF’s multinational team.
In simple terms, the CSEL represents the voice and experience of enlisted personnel at command level. By advising senior leadership and supporting professional standards, the CSEL helps ensure that decisions are informed by operational reality and focused on mission success. Chief Nabakowski brings more than two decades of operational and leadership experience to NISRF. After enlisting shortly after the 9/11 attacks, he served as a fighter aircraft maintainer before retraining into Combat Search and Rescue. His career includes multiple deployments, leadership roles and experience introducing new capabilities into service.
Having recently arrived in Sigonella, he describes NISRF as a highly capable and motivated organisation and says he is excited to continue learning about the force and its people.
Chief Nabakowski believes enlisted personnel are technical experts, operators, maintainers and managers whose skills, knowledge and judgement are essential to delivering NATO’s ISR capability.
As he begins his assignment, he looks forward to supporting the NISRF team, strengthening leadership and helping ensure the force remains ready to support the Alliance.