Gen. David Goldfein officially took the reins of the Air Force Friday morning as he was sworn in as the service's 21st chief of staff.
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James administered the oath of office to Goldfein as his wife, Dawn, stood by his side. In her introductory remarks at the short ceremony at the Pentagon, James lauded him a "battle-tested pilot" who will take the Air Force to new heights.
"The Air Force is going to be relying on your determination to improve our readiness, to improve our modernization, and most importantly, always at the top of the list, taking care of our airmen," James said. "Gen. Goldfein's proven performance, experience and leadership qualities make him the right man at the right time for our Air Force."
In his remarks, Goldfein joked that his friend, retired Lt. Gen. Darrell Jones, told him that, as the service's 21st chief of staff in the 21st Century, he should adopt the call sign "Blackjack."
"I don't know if that will stick," Goldfein laughed.
Goldfein then turned serious and said the responsibility of being the top uniformed officer in the Air Force is not one he takes lightly. He recalled words of advice he received from former U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander Gen. John Jumper years ago, when he was a young officer about to become a squadron commander for the first time.
"He said, 'Remember this: It is truly an honor to be selected to command or lead in our Air Force,'" Goldfein quoted Jumper as saying. "'Your job every day is to be worthy of that honor.' And that's my commitment to you, to work every day, to give you everything I've got, to leave nothing on the table, to remain laser-focused on warfighting excellence, to find the opportunity in every challenge, to treat team building as a contact sport, and to be worthy of this honor."
"I can't wait to get started," Goldfein said. "Fight's on."
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
