On Friday, Brig. Gen. D. Rodger Waters, Nevada Adjutant General, announced Chief Warrant Officer 5 Casey Akins as the new Command Chief Warrant Officer (CCWO) of the Nevada National Guard.
Akins replaces CW5 Steve Nielsen who has served as CCWO since 2021.
CCWO is the senior-ranking warrant officer in the Nevada National Guard, serving as the principal advisor to The Adjutant General (TAG) and leaders on warrant officer matters influencing the health, morale, and professional development of the Nevada Army National Guard’s warrant officer corps.
Akins currently serves as commander, Detachment 3, Company B, 2-641st Aviation, also known as Detachment 45 Operation Support Airlift (OSA), the Nevada Army National Guard’s only fixed-wing aviation unit. The unit maintains and operates the twin-engine, turboprop C-12 Huron. Akins has worked as a pilot in the unit for the past nine years.
Akins, a Fernley High graduate, joined the U.S. Army in 2002. After serving nine years in the active duty Army, Akins joined the Nevada Army National Guard as a CH-47 D instructor pilot in 2011. She has worked as a C-12 pilot since 2017. Akins assumed command of Det. 45 OSA in 2024. She has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a CH-47 pilot and Africa as a C-12 pilot.
Nielsen, a CH-47 Chinook pilot, has held the CCWO position for five years, working various initiatives to improve the health, welfare, and morale of the Nevada National Guard’s warrant officer force and as a close advisor to two adjutants general during his tenure. Nielsen is set to retire later this year and will transition to civilian life under his new role as veterans service coordinator at Liberty Dogs, a position he began in November of last year.
Akins will remain dual hatted, assisting Det 45 OSA, as the unit prepares for its deployment to U.S. Central Command next year. She is set to assume her position as Nevada’s CCWO in March.
Please congratulate CW5 Akins on her selection as Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Nevada National Guard and CW5 Nielsen for his service to his state and nation.
