David L. Goldfein

David Lee Goldfein (born December 21, 1959) is a United States Air Force four-star general who last served as the 21st chief of staff of the Air Force. He previously served as the vice chief of staff of the Air Force and, prior to that, he served as the director of the Joint Staff, a position within the Joint Chiefs of Staff who assists the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[1] Goldfein will retire effective October 1, 2020,[2] after over 37 years of service.[3][4]

David L. Goldfein
General David L. Goldfein in 2016
Born	(1959-12-21) December 21, 1959 Laon-Couvron Air Base, France
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1983–present
Rank	General
Commands held	Chief of Staff of the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force United States Air Forces Central Command 49th Fighter Wing 52nd Fighter Wing 366th Operations Group 555th Fighter Squadron
Battles/wars	Gulf War Operation Allied Force
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (3) Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3)

Early life and education

Born at Laon-Couvron Air Base in France, Goldfein is the son of William Michael "Goldie" Goldfein (November 26, 1931 – June 19, 2019) and Mary Vanni Goldfein.[5] His paternal grandfather, Boatswain's mate second class Joseph William Goldfein (June 25, 1896 – June 19, 1974), served in World War I with the United States Navy, and his father was a colonel in the Air Force from 1949 to 1982 and fought in the Vietnam War.[6] His elder brother, Stephen M. Goldfein also served in the Air Force from 1978 to 2008, retiring as a major general.[7] David Goldfein received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in philosophy in 1983.[8] He is also a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis AFB. He is a Distinguished Eagle Scout and former ranger at the Philmont Scout Ranch.[9]

Military career

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein speaking at the Air Force Association in September 20, 2016.

Goldfein is a Command Pilot with more than 4,200 flying hours with the T-37, T-38, F-16C/D, F-117A, MC-12W, and MQ-9.[1]

Goldfein commanded United States Air Forces Central, Shaw AFB, SC and Al Udeid AB, Qatar; 49th Fighter Wing, Holloman AFB, NM; 52d Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem AB, Germany; 366th Operations Group, Mountain Home AFB, ID; and the 555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy.

Goldfein flew combat missions during the Gulf War, and later deployed to the Vicenza Combined Air Operations Center for Operation Deliberate Force. As commander of the 555th Fighter Squadron, he led his squadron flying an F-16 fighter in Operation Allied Force. During that operation, on 2 May 1999, Goldfein's F-16 was shot down[10] over western Serbia by a S-125 surface-to-air missile fired by the 3rd Battery of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade of the Yugoslav Air Force. Goldfein successfully ejected, and was subsequently rescued by NATO helicopters.[11]

Air Force Chief of Staff

On April 26, 2016, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that President Obama had nominated Goldfein to succeed General Mark Welsh as the 21st Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. His confirmation hearing took place on June 16, and he succeeded Welsh on July 1, two days after his confirmation.[12] Goldfein was also one of the leading candidate to replace General Joseph Dunford as the next Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, in which he was also favored by Secretary of Defense James Mattis and General Dunford to be the next Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman.[13][14][15][16] However the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman position went into General Mark Milley instead.[16][15][14][13][17]

The United States Senate unanimously confirmed General Charles Q. Brown Jr. to succeed Goldfein as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force on June 9, 2020.[18]

Assignments

General Goldfein with Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Secretary of The Air Force Deborah Lee James in The Pentagon, April 2016.

General Goldfein during a visit to Israel in August 2017.

Tail and canopy of then-Lt Col Goldfein's F-16CG shot down during the Operation Allied Force at the Museum of Aviation, Belgrade

1. October 1983 – October 1984, student, undergraduate pilot training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2. October 1984 – February 1988, T-38 instructor pilot, 90th Flying Training Squadron, Sheppard AFB, Texas
3. February 1988 – January 1992, F-16 instructor pilot and flight commander, 17th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
4. January 1992 – June 1992, student, USAF Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
5. June 1992 – July 1994, squadron weapons officer and Chief, Wing Weapons and Tactics, 366th Composite Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
6. July 1994 – June 1995, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
7. June 1995 – May 1996, special assistant to the Commander, Allied Air Forces Southern Europe and Sixteenth Air Force, Naples, Italy
8. May 1996 – August 1997, executive officer to the Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
9. August 1997 – June 1998, operations officer, 555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy
10. June 1998 – July 2000, Commander, 555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy
11. July 2000 – June 2001, student, National Defense Fellow, State Department Senior Seminar, Arlington, Va.
12. July 2001 – July 2002, Deputy Division Chief, Combat Forces, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
13. August 2002 – July 2004, Commander, 366th Operations Group, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
14. July 2004 – June 2006, Commander, 52d Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem AB, Germany
15. June 2006 – January 2008, Commander, 49th Fighter Wing, Holloman AFB, N.M.
16. January 2008 – August 2009, Deputy Director of Programs, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington D.C.
17. August 2009 – August 2011, Director of Operations, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
18. August 2011 – July 2013, Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Southwest Asia
19. August 2013 – August 2015, Director, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
20. August 2015 – July 2016, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
21. July 2016 – August 2020, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

Awards and decorations

Personal decorations Defense Distinguished Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit with two bronze oak leaf clusters Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor device and oak leaf cluster Meritorious Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters Air Medal with one silver and one bronze oak leaf clusters Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster Joint Service Commendation Medal Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster Air Force Achievement Medal Unit awards Joint Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three bronze oak leaf clusters Service Awards Combat Readiness Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters Campaign and service medals National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with one service star Southwest Asia Service Medal with two service stars Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Service, training, and marksmanship awards Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters Air Force Longevity Service Award (second ribbon to denote tenth award) Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon Air Force Training Ribbon Foreign awards Air Force Cross of Aeronautical Merit, Grand Cross (Colombia)[19] NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Other accoutrements US Air Force Command Pilot Badge Basic Parachutist Badge Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge Headquarters Air Force Badge

Effective dates of promotion

Promotions

Insignia	Rank	Date
	General	August 17, 2015
	Lieutenant General	August 3, 2011
	Major General	July 3, 2010
	Brigadier General	October 1, 2007
	Colonel	April 1, 2001
	Lieutenant Colonel	January 1, 1998
	Major	November 1, 1994
	Captain	June 1, 1987
	First Lieutenant	June 1, 1985
	Second Lieutenant	June 1, 1983

References

1. "General David L. Goldfein". United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-08-20. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/108013/general-david-l-goldfein/
3. U.S. Air Force Twitter - General Goldfein honored in a July 31 ceremony
4. AF.mil - Goldfein honored for service as Chief of Staff
5. Guibert, Nathalie (April 21, 2016). "Air Force Vice Chief pays tribute to the centennial of the Lafayette Escadrille's Aces". Le Monde. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
6. Christensen, Sig (July 2, 2019). "William 'Goldie' Goldfein, 87, raised family of Air Force leaders". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
7. "Interview with William Goldfein [3/23/2010] - Veterans History Project". Library of Congress. March 23, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
8. "GENERAL DAVID L. GOLDFEIN > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
9. Oprihory, Jennifer-Leigh. "CSAF Receives Prestigious Scouting Award". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
10. "Airframe Details for F-16 #88-0550". f-16.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
11. Roberts, Chris (February 7, 2007). "Holloman commander recalls being shot down in Serbia". F16.net. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
12. "Goldfein nominated as 21st CSAF". AETC. 26 April 2016.
13. Rucker, Philip (January 21, 2020). A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America. Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1984877499.
14. "Trump chooses new Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, against Mattis wishes". outlookindia.com. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
15. "Mattis Quits Over Differences With Trump". foreignpolicy.com. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
16. "Trump chooses new Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, against Mattis wishes". South China Morning Post. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
17. "Gen. David Goldfein, bypassed to be Trump's top military adviser, retires". washingtonpost. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
18. Broadwater, Luke (2020-06-09). "Senate Confirms First Black Air Force Chief". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
19. "Twitter". mobile.twitter.com.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Military offices
Preceded by Larry O. Spencer	Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force 2015–2016	Succeeded by Stephen W. Wilson
Preceded by Mark Welsh	Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force 2016–2020	Succeeded by Charles Q. Brown Jr.