Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein speaks about impeccable character while at Air University. The institution serves as the U.S. Air Force’s pinnacle institution, providing the full spectrum of military education, encompassing precommissioning programs for new officers; graduate programs in specialized military disciplines; progressive, career-long professional military development for officer, enlisted, and civilian Airmen; and specialized programs for US cabinet appointees, senior executive service civilians, and general officers.
Transcript
I’m a believer that the journey that we’re on to impeccable character is not a place we ever arrive. It’s a journey that we’re all on. And everything that matters for the service is entrusted with the most destructive weaponry on the planet. The nation has every right to expect us to be men and women of impeccable character. They also entrust to us the greatest treasure in our arsenal which is the young men and women who hold up their right hand and swear an oath to defend the country. And it’s our job to take care of them. So I try to emphasize to all of the officers, especially, to remind them that America’s in love with this United States military. It hasn’t always been that way. It certainly wasn’t that way for my dad, coming out of Vietnam. It’s that way for us today. America’s not in love with its senior officers corps, nor should it be. It actually expects us to take care of their sons and daughters that they’ve entrusted to us. And so we have an obligation, a sacred duty to perform, and part of the experience of Air University is to reconnect a little bit with the reasons that we joined and also to think a little bit about this obligation we have to properly organize, train, equip, and present these airmen, who are courageously led, with the caring and inspirational leaders to go forward and do the nation’s business and take care of their families while they’re gone. That to me is a sacred duty. And I want this year at Air University to allow some reflective time, for the officer corps especially, to think about that.