(USAFA press release) As he assumed command of the Cadet Wing, Brig. Gen. Gavin Marks described returning to the U.S. Air Force Academy as “an indescribable honor, deeply personal and uniquely familiar.”
Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clark presided over the ceremony at Stillman Field where Marks became the Academy’s 31st commandant when he took the guidon from outgoing Brig. Gen. Paul Moga June 21.
‘World-class is our standard’
Marks said the Academy is ready to enter a new era but will maintain the same superior standards.
“While so many things haven’t changed, many have, here and in the world around us,” Marks said. “We have new challenges to face, new opportunities to take advantage of, momentum to capitalize on because of Brig. Gen. Moga’s leadership, and a very bright future in store,” Marks said.
“Today is our day. This is our time. Please don’t mistake that we don’t have significant work to do because we know that good enough today will almost certainly fail tomorrow. But we will not fail. We will be successful and we will continue to develop leaders of character because today is our day. This is our time and our time starts right now. Teammates, five words that will encapsulate our time together: World-class is our standard.”
As commandant, Marks will be in charge of 4,300 cadets and over 200 Airmen, Guardians and civilian personnel. He will guide military, leadership, character development, basic cadet training and expeditionary skills training for the Cadet Wing and provide facilities and logistical support.
Marks earned his commission from the Academy in 1996. Before his appointment as commandant, he was the director of Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. Other assignments include director of the Secretary of the Air Force/Chief of Staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and commander of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Brig. Gen. Paul Moga praises the cadets’ tireless efforts during the change of command ceremony that saw the leadership of the Cadet Wing transfer from Moga to Brig. Gen. Marks, June 21, 2023.
‘Resilient, united and focused’
Moga will be the chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
“As a wing, we have faced adversity, overcome obstacles and then we’ve learned more than a few things,” Moga said. “Along the way, I think we’ve remained resilient, united and focused on our mission first and learned from our failures and become stronger as a team. I’m humbled by how we navigated around and sometimes through a few thunderstorms together. I accept little to no personal credit. I just happened to be the guy that was lucky enough to be here to watch it all happen.”
During his tenure as commandant, Moga, a 1995 Academy graduate, led the honor reset that decreased Honor Code Oath violations by 84 percent, Clark noted. Moga reinstituted combat survival training after a 10-year hiatus. He also created a multi-faceted culminating exercise that allows first-degree cadets to test their skills within their specific career field.
Under Moga’s leadership, the Academy also began warfighter engagements where cadets learned from operationally relevant Airmen and Guardians as well as enlisted personnel. This change gave cadets a better understanding of the current geopolitical landscape.
Watch the ceremony on YouTube and see more photos from the change of command ceremony on Flickr.
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