text: Vice chief visits Academy, discusses commitment, success > U.S. Air Force > Article Display
  By Staff Sgt. Veronica Ward, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs / Published February 09, 2016
  Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein discusses the value of commitment to a higher cause with a group of senior leaders and cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., Jan. 27, 2016. (Courtesy photo)
  U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) -- Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein visited the U.S. Air Force Academy Jan. 27 to meet Airmen and cadets, discuss the value of commitment to a higher cause, and how the Air Force will continue to excel.
  "We have ways of thinking about our future enterprise as a force that have yet to be conceptualized," he said. "Our Air Force is too small, too old and slightly out of balance for what the nation needs, but there is also a trifecta of opportunity to lead combined operations and joint warfare for the next decade. We have far more opportunities than challenges."
  "Our future operating concept is perfectly aligned with the Department of Defense Third Offset Strategy and central to what the Air Force provides our nation," Goldfein said.
  "I learned what it means to commit to something and I rediscovered the Academy," he said. "A place I once viewed as a challenge became an environment full of opportunities."
  Cadet 1st Class Kristov George, the Cadet Wing commander, said the 4,000-member wing was encouraged by Goldfein's story.
  "His words are inspiring to any cadet who finds themselves in the 'middle of the pack,"' he said. "It's pretty motivational to receive a firsthand account from someone who took the Academy for granted initially, then eventually turned it around for the better. Gen. Goldfein has proved that as long as you have the will and work ethic, there's always a way to achieve your goals."